Interfaces exist in every geotechnical system in many forms and at multiple scales. Although historically, they are often considered to be the weak link in a system, particularly as the result of a number of unexpected catastrophic failures, new insight gained over the past twenty years by researchers around the world has shown that it is possible to select combinations of materials and design an engineered interface so that it is at least as strong as the surrounding materials. These new insights have been gained as a result of experimental study, numerical modeling and analytical investigation of successful and failed systems. While individual technical papers have been presented and/or published in various forums and proceedings over the years, no technical event has ever been convened for the sole purpose of allowing for exchange of information and ideas pertaining to geotechnical interfaces. The research symposium held in September 2008 in Atlanta Georgia, USA, in conjunction with the Fourth International Symposium on Deformation Characteristics of Geomaterials (IS Atlanta 2008) at the Georgia Institute of Technology on The Characterization and Behavior of Interfaces addressed this deficiency and the papers presented at that event are contained in this publication. IOS Press is an international science, technical and medical publisher of high-quality books for academics, scientists, and professionals in all fields. Some of the areas we publish in: -Biomedicine -Oncology -Artificial intelligence -Databases and information systems -Maritime engineering -Nanotechnology -Geoengineering -All aspects of physics -E-governance -E-commerce -The knowledge economy -Urban studies -Arms control -Understanding and responding to terrorism -Medical informatics -Computer Sciences

QCM-D Studies on Polymer Behavior at Interfaces reviews the applications of quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) in polymer research, including the conformational change of grafted polymer chains, the grafting kinetics of polymer chains, the growth mechanism of polyelectrolyte multilayers, and the interactions between polymers and phospholipid membranes. It focuses on how QCM-D can be applied to the study of polymer behavior at various solid-liquid interfaces. Moreover, it clearly reveals the physical significance of the changes in frequency and dissipation associated with the different polymer behaviors at the interfaces.

This volume includes papers from the Second International Conference on Characterization and Control of Interfaces for High Quality Advanced Materials, and Joining Technology for New Metallic Glasses and Inorganic Materials (ICCCI2006) in Kurashiki, Japan, 2006. Interfaces are critically important to a broad spectrum of materials and technologies. This Proceedings of ICCCI 2006 features 71 peer-reviewed papers on interface characterization and control technology for materials synthesis, powder processing, composite processing, joining, and to control airborne particulates.

Experimental and Applied Mechanics represents one of eight volumes of technical papers presented at the Society for Experimental Mechanics Annual Conference on Experimental and Applied Mechanics, held at Uncasville, Connecticut, June 13-16, 2011. The full set of proceedings also includes volumes on Dynamic Behavior of Materials, Mechanics of Biological Systems and Materials, Challenges in Mechanics of Time-Dependent Materials and Processes in Conventional and Multifunctional Materials, MEMS and Nanotechnology; Optical Measurements, Modeling and, Metrology; Experimental and Applied Mechanics, Thermomechanics and Infra-Red Imaging, and Engineering Applications of Residual Stress.