A workshop will be held to bring together practitioners and researchers in the areas that can support data bases for the sharing of data on properties of engineering materials. Problems faced today include: (1) convenient access to existing data resources; (2) description of materials properties, especially as a function of geometry, environment, treatment, and use; (3) data formats suitable for advanced materials, such as composites and coatings; (4) utilization of new software and hardware technology to deliver materials data; (5) data base interfaces for CAD and CAM systems requiring program access to voluminous data, rather than friendly query languages; and (6) mechanisms needed to deal with inconsistencies across data bases. New techniques that facilitate solutions to these problems are: (1) intelligent interfaces; (2) high-level requirement models; (3) effective computer networks and distributed data access; (4) front-end processors for formatting and display of complex data; (5) integration of data base access with design and manufacturing systems which may operate on powerful workstations; and (6) expert systems to guide use of systems based on applications.
