Jan D. Achenbach | |
|---|---|
 Jan D. Achenbach receiving the 2005National Medal of Science from presidentGeorge W. Bush | |
| Born | (1935-08-20)20 August 1935 Leeuwarden, Netherlands |
| Died | 22 August 2020(2020-08-22) (aged 85) |
| Citizenship | U.S. |
| Alma mater | Delft University of Technology; Stanford University |
| Known for | Wave Motion |
| Awards | William Prager Medal(2001) National Medal of Technology National Medal of Science Theodore von Karman Medal(2010) ASME Medal(2012) Timoshenko Medal |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Solid mechanics |
| Institutions | Columbia University; Northwestern University |
| Doctoral advisor | Chi-Chang Chao |
Jan Drewes Achenbach (20 August 1935 – 22 August 2020)[1] was a Dutch-American engineer who was on the faculty ofNorthwestern University from 1963 until his retirement.
Achenbach was born inLeeuwarden in the north of theNetherlands. He studied aeronautics at theDelft University of Technology, graduating with anM.Sc. in 1959. After this, he went toStanford University, where he received hisPh.D. in 1962. After a year atColumbia University, he became an assistant professor atNorthwestern University, where he spent over 50 years in the McCormick School of Engineering.[2]
Achenbach has developed methods for flaw detection and characterization by using contact transducers, imaging techniques and laser-based ultrasonics. He has also developed methods for thin-layer characterization by acoustic microscopy. Work is both analytical and experimental in nature, with extensive cooperation with investigators from other universities and from industrial organizations on theoretical experimental projects. Work in fracture mechanics has been primarily on dynamic fracture. He also carried out research on structural acoustics and on the mechanical behavior ofcomposite materials.
Achenbach was the founding editor-in-chief ofWave Motion from the journal's establishment in 1979 until 2012.
