Statutes and By-Laws

The name of this organization is the International Congress on Fracture (hereinafter referred to as the “Congress” or ICF). The initials ICF may be used as the abbreviated name of the International Conference on Fracture and the IFC as the abbreviated name of the International Fatigue Congress.

2.1 The objects of the Congress are to foster research in the mechanics and the phenomena of fracture, fatigue, and strength of materials for development of more failure-resistant materials and development of better design methods that lead to-safer structures; to promote international cooperation among scientists and engineers in the field, and integration of the many disciplines involved in such an inherently multidisciplinary field; and to provide means whereby results of such efforts may be publicly communicated.

2.2 For this purpose, the Congress shall, both solely and in co-operation with other bodies:
(a) hold regular International Fatigue Congress (IFC) and International Conference on Fracture (ICF), each to be organized every four years, separated by two years from each other. The schedule for the conferences will be as follows:

1These conferences are already in planning

(b) hold appropriate interim Semi-International or International Symposia on specified subjects within the objects of the Congress (Amended by the Council, June 2023);
(c) carry out such other activities as appear desirable to facilitate;
(i) the interchange of scientific and technical information relating to the research of the subject;
(ii) the extension of technical co-operation;
(iii) the education of young specialists.

3.1 Membership shall be open to organizations, societies, bodies, and individuals maintaining an active interest in the objects of the Congress. A roster of current societies with which ICF has ongoing cooperation is listed in Table 2.

3.2 In these STATUTES, the word “members” shall be understood to mean members of the Congress. (Amended by the Council, June 2023.)

3.3 Bodies that desire to join the Congress shall make written application in such form as may be prescribed by the Council and shall undertake to be governed by the STATUTES and the Bylaws of the Congress. The Council shall consider such applications and the advice of the delegation of the country concerned, if there is one, and make such other enquiries as it may consider desirable. Membership shall be granted by the vote of the Council. (Amended by the Council, June 2023.)

3.4 The quorum shall be two-thirds of the total number of national delegations of the ICF. (Amended by the Council, June 2023.)

3.5 The majority, which shall be effective shall be two-thirds of the total number of delegations present or represented.

4.1 The Council shall consist of national delegations, one of which shall be appointed by each country as the voting member. A delegation shall consist of not more than three members and will collectively have one vote. (Revised April 1973, Amended by the Council, June 2023)

4.2 (Deleted by the Council, June 2023)

4.3 The national delegation for each country shall be nominated by that country.

4.4 The functions of the Council shall be:
(a) to manage the Congress by means of the Executive Committee described in Article 5;
(b) to prepare the general program of the Congress;
(c) to elect a President, not more than three Vice-Presidents, not more than five Directors, a Treasurer and a Secretary-General from among its own members;
(d) To support ICF’s vision to truly become a world-wide organization, the ICF Council voted to expand its Executive Committee to include up to five additional voting directors. These members will be nominated by the Executive Committee and will be approved by the Council. The Chairs of the next ICF and IFC will also be voting members of the Executive Committee if they are not sitting members of the Council in any other capacity. The term of such directors will end with the quadrennium (approved at the Council meeting on June 18, 2013, in Beijing). The Council and the Executive Committee shall have a membership that is balanced between those representing the two parent organizations, e.g., ICF and IFC. For example, if there are three council members from a country, at least one should be from the ICF and IFC communities. Similarly, there should be equitable representation of ICF and IFC among Vice Presidents and Directors.
(e) to elect members;
(f) to select the date and place of the International Fatigue Congress and the International Conference on Fracture as mentioned in 2.2 (a);
(g) to approve and amend as necessary the STATUTES and, after consultation with the Executive Committee, the Bylaws;
(h) to consider any other matters affecting the Congress.

4.5 A session of the Council shall be held during each International Conference on Fracture.

4.6 The Council shall receive from the Secretary an annual report, a financial statement showing the income and expenditure of the Congress, and its balance sheet duly approved by the Treasurer.

4.7 Voting by the Council shall be by national delegations, each of which shall have one vote. The Council may vote on matters if a quorum of at least two-thirds of the total number of national delegations of the ICF is present. Other than for membership applications, and amendments to the STATUTES, a simple majority shall be effective. (Amended by the Council, June, 2023.)

4.8 When none of the members of a national delegation is able to attend the meeting of the Council, the delegation may, in due form, delegate their powers to another national delegation, and the Secretary-General shall be informed of their transfer of powers. No national delegation shall accept, at any time, delegated powers from more than two other countries, so that the maximum number of votes permitted to one delegation, including votes received by delegation is three.

4.9 For matters requiring interim action by the Council, decisions may be taken by electronic ballot. This will require a majority vote for adoption. (Amended by the Council, June, 2023.)

5.1 The President, the Vice-Presidents, the Directors, the Treasurer and the Secretary-General shall hold office for one four-year term, that is, from the close of the regular International Conference on Fracture to the close of the next one.

5.2 The President, the Vice-Presidents, and the Directors shall not be eligible for re-election until after at least one term. The Treasurer and the Secretary-General may be re-elected. (Revised March 1981)

5.3 (Deleted by the Council, June, 2023)

5.4 The Executive Committee is composed of the persons specified in Articles 4.4 (c and d) and 5.3. In addition, former Presidents shall sit on the Executive Committee, with the right to speak but not to vote, for a period of two terms after the termination of their term of office.

5.5 The functions of the Executive Committee shall be:
(a) to make all decisions necessary for the conduct of the Congress between meetings of the Council, with the proviso that it reports its actions to the Council at the next meeting of the latter;
(b) to approve and amend as necessary the Bylaws, decide upon the programs of the Council and, between meetings of the Council, authorize the publication of documents prepared within or submitted to the Congress;
(c) to assist the Local Organizing Committee in the host country in the planning of the International Conferences on Fatigue and Fracture;
(d) to make recommendations to the Council for its action either in session or by electronic ballot; (Amended by the Council, June 2023.)
(e) to fill any vacancy in the Offices of the President, the Vice-Presidents, the Treasurer, and the Secretary-General that may occur between terms.

5.6 The Executive Committee may invite to attend its meetings such additional individuals as it considers necessary.

5.7 The Executive Committee may appoint from among its members committees for special purposes.

5.8 The Executive Committee shall meet during each International Conference and at such other times as may be convenient.

5.9 The Executive Committee may vote if a quorum of fifty percent is present. A simple majority shall be effective.

5.10 The President of the Congress shall Chair the Executive Committee. (Amended by the Council, June, 2023.)

5.11 Decisions of the Executive Committee may be appealed to the Council which will have the final authority in the matter.

The functions of the President shall be:
(a) to preside at meetings of the Executive Committee and at sessions of the Council;
(b) to act on behalf of the Congress in the conduct of the affairs of the Congress in accordance with policies and procedures adopted by the Council and the Executive Committee;
(c) to designate the order of the precedence of the Vice-Presidents with respect to assumption of the duties of President under the circumstances referred to Article 7.

The function of the Vice-Presidents shall be to assume the duties of the President in case the President is unavailable.

The functions of the Secretary-General shall be:
(a) to be responsible for the administrative and financial management of the Congress;
(b) to make all necessary preparations for the meeting of the Council and the Executive Committee;
(c) to maintain the records of the Congress;
(d) to conduct the correspondence necessary to the affairs of the Congress.

The Treasurer shall be responsible for the supervision of the finances of the Congress.

The regular assemblies include any special online or in-person sessions of the Council, and at the regular International Fatigue Congress and the International Conference on Fracture.

11.1 Operating expenses of the central office of the Congress shall be met by the national member in the country in which the registered office is located.

11.2 Each national member shall be responsible for meeting its expenses.

11.3 The financial arrangements connected with arranging the International Conference and other meetings shall be the responsibility, in each case, of the host country.

11.4 The foregoing shall not preclude any members from voluntarily contributing to the funds of the Congress or to the organizing expenses of the International Conference.

11.5 The financial year of the Congress shall be the calendar Year.

12.1 The registered office of the Congress shall be located in the country of which the Secretary-General is a delegate. It is determined by the Council.

12.2 The official language of the Congress shall be English.

The present STATUTES shall be applied by means of the Bylaws prepared under the authority of the Executive Committee and approved by it and by the Council. The Bylaws may be amended by a vote of the Executive Committee. All such amendments shall be submitted to the Council in the annual report of the Secretary-General and shall become definite if not rejected by the Council. Any decision to reject an amendment to the Bylaws requires either a vote at a meeting of the Council or an electronic vote of the Council. (Amended by the Council, June, 2023.)

14.1 The amendment may be proposed either by any national delegations or by the Executive Committee.

14.2 To amend the STATUTES, a quorum of two-thirds of the total number of national delegations of the Council shall be required. (Amended by the Council, June, 2023.)

14.3 Adoption of any amendment to the present STATUTES shall require two-thirds affirmative vote of the delegates present at the session of the Council.

14.4 The proposed amendments shall be circulated to all national delegations at least one month before the meeting at which they are to be considered.

The Congress shall award to appropriate individuals the grade of Honorary Fellow of the Congress, in recognition of work done by such individuals to further the objects described in Article 2. Such Honorary Fellows shall be elected according to procedures defined in the Bylaws. (Amended by the Council, June 2023).
The previously elected Fellows of ICF and IFC will be grandfathered as Fellows of the merged congress.

Four ICF Gold Medals and one Silver Medal may be awarded at each quadrennial conference; up to three individuals may share each award. (Modified by the Awards Committee in 2013 by its creation of the Paris and Tipper medals. Approved retroactively by action of the Council, June 2023.)

16.1. ICF Takeo Yokobori Gold Medal: This medal is in honor of the vision of Prof. T. Yokobori in organizing the International Congress on Fracture. The award will be presented to a senior researcher in recognition of life-time service to ICF through his/her career. In addition to scientific achievements in the field of fracture, the impact of the service provided to ICF shall be a major criterion for selection of the winner. (Approved by the Council, July 14, 2009, Ottawa).

16.2. ICF Sir Alan H. Cottrell Gold Medal: This medal is in honor of the many scientific contributions of Sir Alan Cottrell that have been recognized for decades and have provided deep fundamental understanding of fracture in structural materials. This award will be presented to a senior researcher in the field of fracture who through his/her work has made pioneering contributions to the understanding of the phenomenon of fracture. (Approved by the Council, July 14, 2009, Ottawa).

16.3. ICF George R. Irwin Gold Medal: This medal is to honor the individual who is affectionately known as the “Father of Modern Fracture Mechanics.” This award will be presented to a senior researcher whose pioneering contributions have had lasting impact on engineering applications of fracture theories. (Approved by the Council, July 14, 2009, Ottawa).

16.4. ICF Paul C. Paris Gold Medal: This medal honors the many pioneering contributions of Prof. Paul C. Paris to the field of Fracture Mechanics. His contributions in the field of sub-critical crack growth, starting with the “Paris-Law” for fatigue crack growth, were crucial to the adoption of fracture mechanics in structural integrity assessments. The Paris Gold Medal will be awarded at each ICF quadrennial to a senior researcher whose pioneering contributions have had a lasting impact on structural integrity assessment methods. (Introduced by the Awards Committee in 2013 by its creation of the Paris Medal. Approved retroactively by action of the Council, June, 2023.)

16.5. ICF Constance Tipper Silver Medal: This medal is established by ICF to honor the memory and contributions of Constance Tipper who was a true pioneer in the field of fracture and a trailblazing role model for women. The silver medal will be presented to a mid-career scientist/engineer who has made significant contributions in any aspect of research in the field of fracture. (Introduced by the Awards Committee in 2013 by its creation of the Tipper Medal. Approved retroactively with modified wording by action of the Council at its meeting in June, 2023.)

The President shall be authorized to establish a technical office, as the President deems appropriate, to work with the registered office. (Approved at the Council, April 12, 1973, Munich; Amended by the Executive Committee, May 9, 2023)

2-1 There shall be a nomination committee whose chairperson and members shall be elected by the Council at each meeting of the Council. The nomination committee shall propose new officers of the ICF at each international conference of the Congress (Approved at the Council, April 12, 1973, Munich. Revised at the Council, December 3, 2001, Honolulu; Amended by the Executive Committee, May 9, 2023)

2-2 The members of the Nomination Committee shall not be eligible for re-election until after an interval of one term, except that one member of the previous term may be nominated, but not as Chairperson of the new Committee. (Approved at the Council, December 8, 1984, New Delhi; Amended by the Executive Committee, May 9, 2023.)

The President shall appoint a Publications Committee consisting of at least 3 and not more than 5 members and shall appoint one of them as the Chairperson. Members of the Committee and the Chairperson may serve more than one 4-year term, but at least one new member of the Committee shall be appointed at each quadrennial meeting. The President, in consultation with the Chairperson of the Publications Committee, shall appoint a Web-Manager whose role is to maintain a website for ICF and its digital archives. The Chairperson is empowered to act on behalf of ICF in negotiating contracts with publishers, printers and others and these actions shall be carried out only with the consent of a majority vote of the Committee.
Copyrights to the ICF Proceedings and any other publications shall be property of ICF, but may be assigned by contract to a publisher under safeguards to be determined by the ICF Executive Committee.
Income from publications of ICF (other than conference preprints) shall be paid to an ICF account under the jurisdiction of the Treasurer of ICF. This money is to be used to help with the initial expenses of the ICF quadrennial conferences, to reduce the fees of the conferences, to sponsor special publications of ICF and for any other needs arising relating to ICF. Disbursements of publication funds shall be under the jurisdiction of the Executive Committee. (Approved at the Council, March 31, 1981, Cannes; Amended by the Executive Committee, May 9, 2023)

All Honorary Fellows shall be appointed non-voting members of the Council (Approved at the Council, on December 8, 1984)

In view of the responsibility of ICF as a central organization for the quadrennial conference, 5% of the registration fee for each quadrennial conference is to be paid to ICF in convertible currency. (Approved at the Council, March 23, 1989, Houston). For the upcoming ICF congresses organized as future extensions of the past IFC series, this will hold only after the 2026 congress in Madeira.

There shall be an Awards Committee whose chairperson and members shall be appointed by the Executive Committee for each quadrennial term. The Awards Committee shall recommend Honorary Fellows and other awards, as appropriate, (Approved at the Council, December 3, 2001, Honolulu; Amended by the Executive Committee, May 9, 2023)
Up to five additional Honorary Fellows may be recommended for election at each quadrennial. (Approved at the Executive Committee meeting in May 2011 in Anaheim and approved by the Council on June 18, 2013 via the acceptance of the Awards Committee Report; Amended and confirmed by the Executive Committee, May 9, 2023)
Election of an Honorary Fellow shall occur when the Awards Committee recommendation for that election is endorsed by a majority of the Executive Committee. (Added by the Executive Committee, May 9, 2023)

There shall be a contract exchanged for the Organization of each conference between the Organization and ICF within four months of the decision by ICF Council on each quadrennial conference. (Approved at the Council, March 22, 2005, Turin)

There shall be three ICF Honor Lectures at each ICF Quadrennial Conference: An Opening Honor Lecture; A Closing Honor Lecture: A Presidential Honor Lecture. The opening Honor lecture at IFC conferences will be known as the James Beevers Memorial Lecture. The Opening and Closing Honor Lectures are to be selected by the ICF President and Executive Committee for recommendation to the ICF Executive Quadrennial Chair so that these can be publicized in a timely manner as early “Star Features” of each quadrennial conference.

In order to establish a network of organizations worldwide for ICF collaborations, “Memoranda of Understanding” will be negotiated with suitable national and international organizations. These MoUs will be presented for approval by ICF Executive Committee progressively at a suitable stage, for formal agreement by ICF Executive Committee.

Any person who intends to use ICF funds to pay for any services or goods or to make an investment using ICF funds shall obtain prior approval from the Executive Committee before committing any ICF resources to such purchases or investments. Such prior approval shall be obtained by a majority in-person or electronic vote of the membership of the Executive Committee. (Approved by the Executive Committee June 12, 2023, Atlanta)

The Treasurer shall prepare a financial report, designated the Treasurer’s financial report, giving details of each expenditure from the funds of ICF and the details of any income received by ICF. The details in the report shall include the party to whom each disbursement was made and a purpose for each disbursement. The Treasurer’s financial report shall provide this information from the beginning of the year in which an International Conference of Fracture is held to the day before the beginning of the next International Conference of Fracture. The Treasurer’s financial report shall be presented to the Executive Committee at its meeting at that International Conference of Fracture. At that meeting, the Executive Committee by majority vote, shall approve of or disapprove of the Treasurer’s financial report. The Treasurer’s financial report shall also be presented to the Council at its meeting at the same International Conference of Fracture, and at that meeting the Council shall be informed whether the Executive Committee approved or disapproved of the Treasurer’s financial report and shall be given the reasons for any such disapproval. (Approved by the Executive Committee, 12 June, 2023, Atlanta).