Jan D. Achenbach Honored by ASME for Distinguished Engineering Achievement

NEW YORK, November 20, 2012 — Jan D. Achenbach, Ph.D., a resident of Evanston, Ill., and distinguished McCormick School professor emeritus in service at Northwestern University, was honored by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME). He was recognized for groundbreaking contributions to the theory and applications of waves in solids, particularly in the ultrasonic range, applied to acoustic microscopy, dynamic fracture, and laser-based ultrasonics; and for pioneering ultrasonic methods for quantitative nondestructive evaluation and structural health monitoring. He received the prestigious ASME Medal.

The medal, established in 1920, is awarded for eminently distinguished engineering achievement. It was presented to Dr. Achenbach during the Society's annual Honors Assembly held in conjunction with ASME's 2012 International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition, which was held in Houston, Nov. 9 through 15.

Achenbach is known for his work on the propagation of waves in solids, with present emphasis on the theory and applications of ultrasonic methods to quantitative nondestructive evaluation, particularly the measurement of elastic properties of thin films by acoustic microscopy, and the detection of cracks and corrosion in safety-critical structures. In recent years he has worked on the development of probabilistic methods in structural health monitoring for diagnostics and prognostics of fatigue damage in structural components. He is the author of a well-known book titled Wave Propagation in Elastic Solids (North-Holland, 1973) and a more recent book titled Reciprocity in Elastodynamics (Cambridge University Press, 2003), as well as numerous papers in technical journals.

Achenbach has been a member of the faculty at Northwestern University since 1963. In 1985 he founded the Center for Quality Engineering and Failure Prevention at Northwestern. Over the years the work of the Center has been funded by federal and state agencies as well as major companies, and the Center has been at the forefront of research relevant to structural integrity and durability assessment for the past two decades.

An ASME Fellow, Achenbach served on the Basic Engineering Division Operating Board (1985-89); was chair of the Thurston Lecture Committee (1987-89); and served on the Applied Mechanics Division Executive Committee (1979-85), including chair (1985). He served as associate editor for the Journal of Applied Mechanics (1971-76) and was chair of the Editorial Committee (1982-83) for the Fiftieth Anniversary Issue. He received the Timoshenko Medal in 1992 and Honorary Membership in 2002.

Achenbach is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering and five other academies. In 2003 he was awarded the National Medal of Technology for engineering research and education in the use of ultrasonic methods, and in 2005 he received the National Medal of Science for pioneering the field of quantitative nondestructive evaluation.

Achenbach studied aeronautical engineering at the Delft University of Technology, Netherlands. He earned his Ph.D. in aeronautics and astronautics, with a minor in mathematics, from Stanford University, California, in 1962. He received an honorary doctorate from Zhejiang University, China, in 2011.

About ASME ASME helps the global engineering community develop solutions to real world challenges. Founded in 1880 as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, ASME is a not-for-profit professional organization that enables collaboration, knowledge sharing and skill development across all engineering disciplines, while promoting the vital role of the engineer in society. ASME codes and standards, publications, conferences, continuing education and professional development programs provide a foundation for advancing technical knowledge and a safer world. For more information visit www.asme.org.