In recognition of his outstanding contribution to Tribology, especially in the field of wear.
Born on 30 April 1928 in Dorr, Michigan, USA Ken Ludema received a BS degree from Calvin College in Michigan and a BSE degree in Production Engineering from the University of Michigan in 1955. He was awarded an MSE in 1956 followed by a PhD in 1962, both in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan, where he was appointed Assistant Professor. Thereafter Professor Ludema went to the University of Cambridge, where in 1964 he received another PhD, this time in Physics.
After his return to Michigan in 1964 Professor Ludema studied the friction and wear properties of polymeric materials in general with application to automobile tyres. This work revealed his ability as a gifted research scholar who had the ability to bridge the gap between fundamental considerations in tribology and practical performance of mechanical components.
There followed several years of research on the friction and wear of metals and ceramic materials. The common goal in his work on all materials was to discover the connection between known properties of materials and their tribological performance. However, he did not restrict his studies to the conventional academic boundaries. For example, in lubricated sliding of irons and steels, he perceptively focused upon the crucial role of layered surface oxides in the breaking-in and scuffing of sliding surfaces.
During this work Professor Ludema recognised the dearth of scientific knowledge on wear. Wear was not a popular object of academic interest and the materials aspects of wear enjoyed little support even in the professional societies. He therefore conceived a vision of transforming the field into a high level science. From this vision came the plans for a new conference series, devoted to the Wear of Materials. These conferences have been held biennially since 1977 and have attracted wide international attention and support. Largely through Professor Ludema’s leadership and insistence on high scholarly quality as conference editor, the proceedings of these conferences have become standard reference materials in the field.
As a teacher, Professor Ludema has advised over 40 PhD students and over 60 MS students. His unique approach of challenging conventional thinking has been particularly effective in producing independently thinking students. He maintains close awareness of industrial needs by consulting and by teaching short courses in many places. He has authored and co-authored over 65 technical papers and two books. These, together with the knowledge of the field of wear, gained through editing nearly 1500 papers, makes him the undisputed leader in his field.
Professor Ludema has travelled in many parts of the world, co-ordinating and assisting others in the field of wear. He has been particularly helpful bridging tribology communities of the West to those of Japan, China and the former Soviet Union.
In addition to his role in the Wear of Materials conferences, Professor Ludema has made significant contributions to the Technical Community and Professional Societies as associate editor of WEAR. As a member of the American Society of Testing and Materials, he chaired the Committee on Erosion and Wear (1980/81) and organised its symposium on Tribological Modelling for Mechanical Designers (1990). A member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, he was Chairman of the Tribology Division in 1988/89 and received the ASME Board of Governors Award in 1989. In 1989 the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers conferred upon him the National Award of the STLE.
Outside his professional activities, Professor Ludema is known to be a family man, a religious person serving in various capacities in his church and well respected in his community.
As a pioneer in his field of wear, Professor Ludema has made most outstanding contributions to the development of tribology and is, as such, a worthy recipient of Tribology’s highest honour The Tribology Gold Medal for 1993.