Constitution

IAVSD Constitution (available in pdf)

IAVSD Code of Practice (available in pdf)

Statutes and By-Laws

Preamble

The International Association for Vehicle System Dynamics has been formed by decision of the Scientific Committee of the 5th IUTAM-VSD Symposium in Vienna, Austria on September 20, 1977.  On September 22, 1977 the first Board of the Association was formed, consisting of five officers and six trustees.

IAVSD is a not for profit organisation.

Statutes

SECTION 1. NAME AND LEGAL ADDRESS

Article 1.1. The name of the organisation is “International Association for Vehicle System Dynamics”, which is abbreviated to “IAVSD”.

Article 1.2. The legal address of the Association is that of the permanent residence of its Secretary General.

SECTION 2. OBJECTIVES OF THE ASSOCIATION

Article 2.1. To promote the development of the Science of Vehicle Dynamics, a discipline that is based upon the theory of motion of ground based vehicle systems, and to encourage engineering applications of this field of science.

Article 2.2. To inform scientists and engineers on the current state-of-the art in the field of Vehicle Dynamics, to provide a mechanism to communicate original contributions in this field among scholars and applied scientists and to motivate scientists and engineers in related fields to contribute to its body of knowledge.

Article 2.3. To broaden contacts among persons and organisations of different countries engaged in scientific research and development in the field of Vehicle Dynamics and related fields, and to promote free and informal exchange of ideas and results.  The Association does not exist to further any commercial goal.

SECTION 3. MEANS TO ACHIEVE THE OBJECTIVES

Article 3.1. To organise and conduct international symposia at regular intervals and to publish proceedings of such symposia.

Article 3.2. To support the Journal “Vehicle System Dynamics, International Journal of Vehicle Mechanics and Mobility”, which is designated as the official organ publishing the transactions of the Association.

Article 3.3. To affiliate with the International Union of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics (IUTAM) and other scientific and engineering societies, which provide essential support from theoretical and applied engineering viewpoints.

SECTION 4. MEMBERSHIP

Article 4.1. Membership in the Association shall consist of the following categories:

1. Individual Membership: Shall be open to any person engaged in, connected with or interested in vehicle system dynamics, as defined in Article 2. I., and who is a graduate in engineering or science or possesses equivalent qualifications.

2. Corporate Membership: Shall be open to:

  1. professional societies with allied interests;
  2. institutes of higher learning (academies, universities) having activities related to vehicle system dynamics;
  3. industrial organizations whose interests include the field of vehicle system dynamics;
  4. research institutes and governmental agencies engaged in research and/ or policy making concerned with the dynamic behaviour of ground vehicles.

3. Honorary Members: Shall be restricted to those personnel that the Association chooses to honour.

Article 4.2. Membership fees and the procedures for enrolling members shall be established by the Association’s Board of Trustees in accordance with the By-Laws of the Association.

Article 4.3. Membership in this Association is incompatible with any use of IAVSD activities for political purposes.

SECTION 5. BOARD OF OFFICERS AND TRUSTEES

Article 5.1. The Board of Officers and Trustees is the supreme body of the Association and determines its policy.  It consists of five Officers: President; I st Vice-President; 2nd Vice-President; Secretary General; Treasurer and eight Trustees.  In addition, the Board reserves the right to appoint not more than three trustees who serve as representatives of affiliated organisations.

Article 5.2. At six year intervals, new members of the Board shall be elected by the Members of the Association out of a list of 25 names to be submitted by the Board in office. The election shall take place by mail or electronic ballot.  From the remaining non-elected candidates the seven candidates with the highest numbers of votes shall serve as substitute members of the Board.

Article 5.3. Except for the trustees appointed to represent affiliated organizations, the Board is elected by the Members for a term of six years.  Board members may be re-elected time and time again.  In case of an early retirement from the Board (before expiration of the official election interval of six years) a Board member shall be replaced by an elected substitute member through a decision of the Board; the new member shall be in office until the end of the election interval.

Article 5.4. The Board shall meet when the International Symposia are held and should not meet less than once every two years.  Any member of the Board who cannot attend a meeting may designate a substitute member as contemplated by Article 5.2 as his proxy by a written statement to the Secretary General.  One man may carry only one proxy.  Decisions of the Board are valid, provided its session is attended by not less than seven (7) members, including the proxies.

Article 5.5. The Board has the right to resolve all questions concerning the Association.  A simple majority of the members in attendance is required to resolve all problems with the exception of amendments to the Statutes and cases covered in Article 7.5.  Amendments to the Statutes require a two-thirds majority of the members in attendance.  In case of a deadlock the President has a deciding vote.

Article 5.6. If any major decision is required between meetings of the Board, a postal or an electronic ballot may be held and the issue will be decided by a simple majority of votes cast, provided that at least 50 per cent plus one of the members of the Board have voted. 

The Secretary General or the President after notification of the Secretary General shall be responsible for conducting such postal or electronic ballots.  Such a decision shall be considered as if it had been reached in a regular meeting of the Board.

Article 5.7 Extraordinary meetings of the Board may be called at the request of not less than one-third of its members.  These meetings must be convened within one year of the request.

Article 5.8. At the beginning of a term of six years and in a case of an early retirement as covered in Article 5.3., the members of the Board shall elect the five Officers.  In the case of an early retirement, the Board will decide on a necessary redivision of functions among the members of the Board.

Article 5.9. Notwithstanding anything in the provisions of Articles 5.3 and 5.8, the Secretary General shall hold office until three months after the end of an election interval.

Article 5.10. If the President is absent or unable for any reason to fulfil his functions, the Ist Vice-President replaces him, or in his absence, the 2nd Vice-President.

Article 5.11. The President officially represents the Association.

Article 5.12. The obligations of the Secretary General are:

  1. to act as a permanent centre for the Association;
  2. to direct the business and conduct all correspondence of the Association;
  3. to bring all matters of the Association to the attention of the Board for proper action;
  4. to submit meeting schedules and agenda prior to each meeting;
  5. to operate the election and voting procedures;
  6. to keep and publish, as appropriate, the minutes and transactions of the Board;
  7. to publish the Transactions of the International Symposia.
  8. If the Secretary General is absent or unable for any reason to fulfil his functions, the President or an officer appointed by the President replaces him in his absence.

Article 5.13. The Treasurer manages:

The financial affairs of the Association and is accountable to the Board.

Article 5.14. The Board may appoint persons for the performance of special duties consistent with the goals of the Association.

Article 5.15. The Board may set up commissions and may appoint experts to present reports on special questions.

SECTION 6. CONGRESSES AND SYMPOSIA

Article 6.1. International Symposia in Vehicle System Dynamics shall be held at regular intervals, as determined by the Board of Officers and Trustees.  The institution responsible for organising an International Symposium is determined by the Board.

Article 6.2. The Board shall appoint an international Scientific Committee to prepare an International Symposium.  The chairman of this committee will represent the organising institution.  The Chairman shall form a Local Organising Committee.

Article 6.3. The format of the symposia shall adhere to the standard set by IUTAM for scientific symposia.

Article 6.4. To the extent that Association funds permit, the Association shall defray the expense for long distance travel of invited speakers attending symposia, not exceeding the lowest fare available for transportation, provided that no other organisation or sponsors underwrites the speaker’s transportation costs.

SECTION 7. FINANCE

Article 7. 1. The financial resources of the Association derive from:

  1. membership fees.
  2. subsidies, gifts and grants from organisations, private persons etc.

The Association shall maintain an Honour Roll in which shall be entered every year the names of persons and institutions that have donated gifts, legacies or other contributions to the Association.  These names shall be published in the Journal “Vehicle System Dynamics”.

Article 7.2. The Board is responsible for administering the finances of the Association.  It has also the right to set up a Reserve Fund.

Article 7.3. The fee structure for membership shall be determined by the Board.

Article 7.4. The financial year shall be the calendar year.

Article 7.5. If after the end of any year a corporate member shall not have paid its fee, the Treasurer shall issue a second notice.  The offending member may be subjected to a loss of membership by two-thirds vote of the Board of Officers and Trustees.

Article 7.6. The Board may render financial assistance to Organizing Committees of International Congresses, Symposia and other Conferences, which it sponsors.

SECTION 8. GENERAL PROVISIONS

Article 8.1. The Board of Officers and Trustees may, subject to the general provisions of the Statutes, adopt any Bye Law it deems necessary to achieve the aims and govern the activity of the Association.  Such a Bye Law shall be established or amended on a simple majority of votes cast by the Board, either by direct ballot, postal ballot or electronic ballot.

Article 8.2. The procedure for the dissolution of the Association is the same as for amendments to the Statutes.  The Board shall determine the manner of disposal of the properties of the Association.

BYE LAWS

These Bye Laws have become effective upon approval by the Board in accordance with Article 8. 1. of the Statutes.

1. Membership

No. 1.1. Individual members are persons who have complied with their financial obligations and fall into one or more of the following categories:

  1. persons who have attended the IAVSD Symposia defined in Section 6. of the Constitution; the membership of these individuals is lapsed at the time of the second Symposium following the Symposium in which they participated.
  2. persons who have authored (co-authored) a paper accepted for presentation in an IAVSD Symposium.
  3. persons who have published a paper in the Journal “Vehicle System Dynamics”.
  4. persons who apply for individual membership in accordance with Bye Law 1.2. and have been accepted by the Board of Trustees.

No. 1.2. Applications for individual membership should be submitted to the Secretary General, together with two letters of reference from individual or honorary members who can attest to the professional qualifications of the applicant.

No. 1.3. The financial obligations of individual members, other than those belonging to Category a) above, (see Bye Law 1.1) consist of a membership fee covering the period between two successive Symposia.  Members belonging to Category a) will be exempt from such a payment, since their membership fee is covered by a portion of the registration fee paid to attend a Symposium. For a new member belonging to Category a) the first half of the membership period is effectively free, with the membership fee corresponding to the second two years of membership period.

No. 1.4. The membership fee shall be paid to the Treasurer of IAVSD after being billed by the Secretary General.  The Secretary General shall submit this bill not later than three months after a Symposium is held.

No. 1.5. Organizational entities desiring to be Corporate Members of IAVSD shall apply in writing to the Secretary General. 

No. 1.6. The benefits of membership shall be defined by the Board of Trustees, who will also establish the membership fee for the various categories of membership, viz.. Individual and Corporate.

No, 1.7. The Board of Trustees shall be empowered to identify highly regarded scholars in the field of vehicle dynamics and related disciplines and to designate such persons as Honorary Members of IAVSD.

2.  Board of Officers and Trustees

No. 2.1. The nominal six year term of Board membership shall start during or immediately after a regular International Symposium.

No. 2.2. The Secretary General shall prepare the agenda for all meetings of the Board and inform all Board Members of this agenda not less than one month before the date fixed for the meeting.

No. 2.3. The Treasurer of the Board shall submit annual financial reports to all members by regular or electronic mail prior to the meeting.

3.  Congresses and Symposia

No. 3.1. The regular interval between International Symposia shall be two (2) years.

No. 3.2. The phrase “lowest fare available for transportation” mentioned in Article 6.4. of the Statutes shall be interpreted to mean economy class on a regularly scheduled airline, a charter flight or a group travel charter, rail fare and bus fare.  Car rental, taxi service etc. are excluded.

4.  Finance

No. 4.1. The fee structure referred to in Article 7.3 of the Statutes shall be as follows:

1. Honorary Members: no fee.

2. Individual Members: a percentage of the symposium registration fee, as decided by the Secretary General in consultation with the Board.

3. Corporate Members: an annual fee of 1000 EUR.

5.  General provisions

No. 5.1. When a postal or an electronic ballot is conducted, the counting of votes received shall not take place earlier than three (3) weeks from the date of mailing of the ballot.  This date must be stated on the ballot.  This provision applies both to the voting by Members of the Association and to the voting by Members of the Board.