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Jan D. Achenbach
Walter P. Murphy Professor and
Distinguished McCormick School Professor

Dept. of Mechanical Engineering
Northwestern University
2145 Sheridan Road, CAT 327
Evanston, IL 60208-3111,
USATEL: 847-491-5527
FAX: 847-491-5227
Email: achenbach@northwestern.edu

Aeronautical Engineering, Technological University of Delft, Netherlands PhD Aeronautics and Astronautics, Stanford University(1962)

Honors and Awards

  • 2003 National Medal of Technology
  • Member of NAS, NAE and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
  • Honorary Member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers
  • ASME Timoshenko Medal
  • William Prager Medal, Society of Engineering Science
  • Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science
  • Fellow, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
  • ASEE Curtis W. McGraw Research Award
  • Corresponding Member of the Royal Dutch Academy of Science
  • Fellow of the Acoustical Society of America
  • Distinguished Service Medal, American Academy of Mechanics
  • McDonnell-Douglas Model of Excellence Award
  • Fellow, American Academy of Mechanics

Research: Mechanics of solids; quantitative nondestructive evaluation and fracture mechanics

In recent years Professor 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 carries out research on structural acoustics and on the mechanical behavior of composite materials.

In the classroom

Professor Achenbach teaches courses in non-destructive evaluation, fracture mechanics and wave propagation in solids.

Selected publications

Achenbach, J. D. 1973. Wave propagation in elastic solids. American Elsevier, Amsterdam/New York:North-Holland

Achenbach, J. D. 1975. A theory of elasticity with microstructure for directionally reinforced composites. CISM Monograph 167, Vienna/New York: Springer Verlag

Achenbach, J. D., Gautesen, A. K. and McMaken, H.,1982. Ray Methods for waves in elastic solids. Pitman Advanced Publishing Program, Boston

Huang, J., Krishnaswamy, S. and Achenbach, J. D., 1992. Laser generation of narrow-band surface waves. Journal of Acoustical Society of America 92, 2527-2531

Achenbach, J. D., Kim, J. and Lee, Y. C., 1995. Measuring thin-film elastic constants by line-focus acoustic microscopy. Advances in Acoustic Microscopy, ed. A. Briggs, 1: 153-208, New York: Plenum Press

Achenbach, J.D., 2004. Simplifications for the calculation of surface wave pulses generated by laser irradiation.  Journal of the Acoustical Society of America. 116, 1481-1487.

Achenbach, J.D., 2004. Reciprocity in Elastodynamics. Cambridge University Press.