R.E. Peterson Award

This award was established in 1970 for the best applications paper published in Experimental Mechanics for each two year period ending with the June issue of odd numbered years. In 1973 it was named in honor of Rudolph Earl Peterson. A brief biography and an abridged list of Mr. Peterson’s professional accomplishments follow:

Affiliation: Westinghouse Electric Corporation: 1926 with J.M. Lessells in Mechanics Department; Manager, Mechanics Department, 1931; Consultant, 1965.

Publications: Primarily in stress analysis, stength of materials and design. 60+ papers; chapters in 6 handbooks; book: Stress Concentration Design Factors (Wiley, 1953).

Professional Society Service: SEM: Executive Committee, 1946-47; Vice President, 1947-48; President, 1948-49; ASTM: Fatigue Committee Chairman, 1946-59; Administrative Committee on Simulated Service Testing, 1962; Board of Directors, 1957-60; Executive Committee, Materials Science, Division, 1962. ASME: Fellow; Chairman, Applied Mechanics Division; Chairman, Advisory Board, Applied Mechanics Reviews; Chairman, American Standards Association Committee on Symbols for Mechanics.

Other Accomplishments & Recognition: Founder (1956), Westinghouse Advanced Mechanics School, University of Pittsburgh; Industry Advisory Committee to the National Bureau of Standards; Industrial Advisory Committee of the Pennsylvania State University.

Award Guidelines

 
Recipients:

 
2012 R.E. Peterson Award:  Tore Børvik, Michael J. Forrestal, Thomas L. Warren

"Perforation of 5083-H116 Aluminum Armor Plates with Ogive-Nose Rods and 7.62 mm APM2 Bullets," Borvik, T, Forrestal, MJ, Warren, TL, Vol 50(7), 969-978, 2010

Tore Børvik earned his Ph.D. at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in 2001 within applied mechanics. He is currently a professor at SIMLab, NTNU, and a senior advisor for the Norwegian Defence Estates Agency. He is the author of more than 70 articles in peer reviewed journals, and a corresponding number of papers at various international conferences. His research activities are mainly related to impact and penetration, but in later years his research has also been focused on blast-loaded structures and impact against off-shore installations. At present he serves as an Associate Editor in the International Journal of Impact Engineering.

Michael J. Forrestal received his Ph.D. in theoretical and applied mechanics from Northwestern University in 1964.  He worked at Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM during 1966-2001.  Since then he has worked as a consultant.  Over his career he has worked on projects that require mathematical modeling, laboratory experimentation, and full-scale tests.  His recent research has focused on techniques that determine material properties at large strain rates and penetration mechanics.  Work documented with 111 journal publications.

Dr. Warren received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Arizona State University.  Dr. Warren has worked on a wide verity of problems associated with the mechanics of solids.  He has worked on the deformation and damage of solids using both analytical  and  computational  methods  and  comparing  results  with  experimentally obtained data.

Most recently, he has been a private contractor doing analysis for both private and government organizations.  He has worked on analyzing the deformation and failure of composite materials along with modeling the penetration and perforation of different target materials by assorted projectiles using both analytical and numerical techniques.