Editorial

The Italian Association for Stress Analysis (AIAS) was founded in 1971 by researchers from academia, research centers and industry. AIAS was intended as a community where to discuss, share and develop scientific knowledge related to all technical aspects of stress analysis. In the years, from an initial focus on experimental techniques, AIAS contributed considerably to the development of modern numerical methods and computational techniques for the mechanical engineering design. In 2015, AIAS turned in the Italian Scientific Society of Mechanical Engineering Design. Today, AIAS is an institutional partner that supports the instances from academia in subject area of the mechanical engineering design. Every year, AIAS organizes a technical conference offering the possibility to present research updates, share new ideas and foster collaborations. The AIAS conference has become a fundamental event for all those interested in current developments in mechanical engineering design and stress analysis, where to meet researchers, testing equipment and software developers. The 46th AIAS Conference edition was held in Pisa, Italy. Over 150 oral presentations were given and a selection of these has been collected in this volume. These contributions cover diverse areas of mechanical engineering design such as fatigue, fracture and damage, numerical simulation of multi-physics problems, and material characterization. This year, in addition to the traditional topical sessions, a special topical session dedicated to Design for Additive Manufacturing was organized by the AIAS Working Group on Design for Additive and Lean Manufacturing. This volume was made possible thanks to the active participation of all AIAS members, to the work of the AIAS Scientific Committee and conference Organizing Committee, and to the support of the Italian Group of Fracture (IGF) and for this, their outstanding contribution is gratefully acknowledged.