AKRON (May 1) — Karl-Alfred Grosch, a pioneer in the study of friction and abrasion in relation to tire traction and wear, received the 2007 Charles Goodyear Medal from the ACS Rubber Division during a luncheon today.
He was one of five award winners honored during the Rubber Division´s spring meeting, held April 29-May 2 in Akron.
Grosch began his career in 1955 as a research assistant at the Malaysian Rubber Producers Research Association in 1955 and was named principal scientific officer in 1963. He worked with Adolph Schallamach there and helped establish that rolling friction and grip on dry roads are governed by the viscoelastic properties of rubber.
He joined Uniroyal in Germany in 1969 and worked there until retiring in 1988. After his retirement he returned to research on friction and abrasion of rubber and developed the concept of the LAT 100 laboratory friction and abrasion test equipment, now marketed by VMI Holland B.V. in the Netherlands.
Others receiving awards included:
- Daniel Hertz Jr. of Seals Eastern Inc., the Melvin Mooney Distinguished Technology Award;
- William Mars of Cooper Tire & Rubber Co., the Sparks-Thomas Award;
- Dale Meier of Michigan Molecular Institute, the Chemistry of Thermoplastic Elastomers Award; and
- Burak Erman of Koc University in Turkey, the George Stafford Whitby Award for Distinguished Teaching and Research.