The IUTAM-Symposium on "Finite Inelastic Deformations - Theory and
Applications" took place from August 19 to 23, 1991, at the University
of Hannover, Germany, with 75 participants from 14 countries. Scope of
the symposium was a fundamental treatment of new developments in
plasticity and visco-plasticity at finite strains. This covered the
phenomenological material theory based on continuum mechanics as well as
the treatment of microstructural phenomena detected by precise
experimental datas. In a restricted number, lectures on new experi-
mental facilities for measuring finite strains were also implemented
into the symposium. Another important topic of the symposium was the
treatment of reliable and effective computational methods for solving
engineering problems with finite inelastic strains. Wi- thin this
context it was an essential feature that theory, numerical and
computational analysis were be seen in an integrated way. In total 9
sessions with 37 lectures, many of them given by well known
keynote-lecturers, and a poster session with 10 contributions met fully
our expectations of a high ranking up-to-date forum for the interaction
of four topics, namely the physical and mathematical modelling of finite
strain inelastic deformations including localizations and damage as well
as the achievements in the numerical analysis and implementation and the
solution of complicated engineering systems. Special and important
features were reliable material datas from macroscopic and microscopic
tests as well as test results of complex engineering problems, like deep
drawing and extrusion.