Jan D. Achenbach

January Drewes Achenbach ( born August 20, 1935 in Leeuwarden ) is a Dutch- American engineer scientist. He was a professor at Northwestern University in the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Civil Engineering.

Life and work

Achenbach studied aeronautics at the Delft University of Technology with a diploma degree in 1959. Afterwards he went to the USA, where he became in 1962 a PhD from Stanford University in aeronautics and astronautics. As a post - graduate student he was at Columbia University (as Preceptor ) and then went in 1963 as Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering at Northwestern University. In 1966 he became Associate Professor in 1969, Professor in 1981, Walter P. Murphy Professor ( Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mathematics ) and 1992 Distinguished McCormick School Professor. 1985 to 2001 he was director of the Center for Quality Engineering and Failure Prevention at the University.

In 1969 he was a visiting professor at the University of California, San Diego ( La Jolla ) and 1970/71 at the TH Delft. Since 1981 he has been consulting professor at Huazhong Institute of Science and Technology.

He dealt theoretically with waves in elastic media, with sound propagation in solids and experimentally eg with methods for detecting cracks and flaws (corrosion) with ultrasound. This led to significant advances in the safety of aircraft, but also for bridges, reactors and other critical structures. He is a founding editor of Wave Motion.

Honors and Memberships

• 2005 National Medal of Science
• 2003 National Medal of Technology
• 2009 Raymond D. Mindlin Medal
• 2010 By Karman Medal
• 2001 William Prager Medal from the Society of Engineering Science
• 2012 ASME Medal
• 1992 Timoshenko Medal
• 1996 McDonnell -Douglas Model of Excellence Award
• 1997 American Academy of Mechanics Distinguished Service Award

Memberships:

• National Academy of Sciences (1992 )
• National Academy of Engineering ( 1982)
• American Academy of Arts and Sciences (1994 )
• American Association for the Advancement of Science ( 1998)
• Japan Society for the Promotion of Science ( 1988)
• Honorary Member of the National Academy of Sciences of Korea
• Academia Europaea (2010)
• Corresponding member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences ( 1999)
• Honorary Member of ASME (2002) and since 1979 the Fellow
• Fellow of the Acoustical Society of America
• Fellow of the American Academy of Mechanics (1973 ), and 1978/79 the President

Writings

• Reciprocity in elastodynamics, Cambridge University Press 2003
• With AK Gautesen, H. McMaken Ray methods for waves in elastic solids, Pitman, 1982
• A theory of elasticity with microstructure for directionally reinforced composites, Springer Verlag 1975
• Wave propagation in elastic solids, North Holland 1973