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When you meet Professor Kenneth C. Ludema (BSE IE '55, MSE '56, PhD '63), what strikes you most about him is his warm smile, twinkling eyes, and likable manner. When you talk to him a little longer, and get to know him better, you see that he is one of the most genuine people you'll ever meet. With a deep commitment to his family and church, an unswerving dedication to mechanical engineering and his field of tribology, and a direct but lighthearted way of speaking his mind, Ludema has spent the past 35 years building a distinguished career--and enjoying himself along the way. "I've had a ball!" he says. Ludema retired this year with many significant accomplishments and contributions, including his groundbreaking research and excellence in teaching in tribology, which is a term that encompasses and friction, wear, and lubrication. "Ken is a pioneer in the field of tribology who has brought special national and international recognition to our Department," says MEAM Professor and Chair Panos Y. Papalambros. "He has had a strong, long-lasting effect on this field and the enhancement of its scientific base." Ludema's mechanical engineering career began with a BS in 1950 from Calvin College in Grand Rapids. He received a BSE in Production Engineering in 1955, a MSE in Mechanical Engineering in 1956, and a PhD in Mechanical Engineering in 1963, all from the U-M. Upon earning his PhD, he became an assistant professor in MEAM. He then received a PhD in Physics from the University of Cambridge in 1964. At MEAM, he rose to the rank of associate professor in 1966 and to full professor in 1972. Ludema's love of engineering has its roots on his family's farm and repair shop where his father--nicknamed Mr. Fix It--taught him and his brothers all about mechanical things. Ludema even had his own bicycle repair business in high school and bought and fixed up old cars to resell. For a time, he thought seriously about working in the family business. Photos above and below: U-M MEAM CPO / Shekinah Errington "I had no concept of what an academic career was all about," says Ludema. "When I started my PhD career, I was more interested in continuing to learn interesting stuff in metal cutting research than an academic career. It was compelling to come to work every day. "But we had a close group of colleagues then. In a group you develop a spirit of accomplishing things. Your colleagues push you along. I've had great freedom and encouragement along the way," he says. During his career, Ludema has carried out research and published numerous papers on the friction and wear behavior of all classes of materials (plastics, metals, and ceramics) in many practical applications such as automobile engines, automatic transmissions, brakes, tooth fillings, and skid resistance on wet roads. His research emphasis has been at the intersection of various disciplines that study tribology, usually in the search for the basic mechanisms and in attempts to model friction and wear behavior. His latest work was on the dynamics of film growth on sliding parts in engines, films which form from the special constituents in oil and allowing an engine to last well beyond 200,000 miles. He is the co-author of a mongraph, Mechanics and Chemistry in Lubrication, the co-author of the textbook, Manufacturing Engineering: Economics and Processes, and the author of the newly released, Friction, Wear, and Lubrication: A Textbook in Tribology. Ludema has received several awards for his research, including the Tribology Gold Medal for 1993 by the International Tribology Council; the Mayo D. Hersey Award in 1995 by the Tribology Division of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME); and the MEAM Excellence in Research Award in 1995. "As time goes by, I am impressed with how small the field of tribology really is. In fact, only about 20 universities in the U.S. and Canada have faculty in this area," says Ludema, who has traveled extensively in China, France, England, and Eastern Europe to lecture and consult. "Tribology has never been identified with national needs nor has it been a glamour topic, but I feel I've made some progress in the field. I've enjoyed it immensely." In his retirement, Ludema plans to continue some research projects, consult with several national firms, and put his graduate course, ME 581 Friction and Wear, onto CD-ROM. You won't find hobbies on Ludema's list of retirement activities. "My family and church have been my prominent interests," he says. "Raising five children and our foster son was our priority. Now that they're grown, staying in touch with them and our nine grandchildren is what's most important to me and my wife, Johanna. "My wife had most of the responsibility of raising our kids," says Ludema. "They're good kids. To a great extent, I feel she accomplished much more than I did. I have those plaques on the wall," he says pointing to his numerous awards, "but the six kids are her glory. "My University career was interesting, but would hardly have been worthwhile alone. The children were our career, and they now reward us with their time and expressions of thanks... I would not know how to function without them."

Photos courtesy of Kenneth and Johanna Ludema