In recognition of his outstanding contribution to tribology, especially in the field of elastohydrodynamic lubrication and the application of tribology to bio-engineering.
Professor Duncan Dowson was born on August 31st 1928 in Yorkshire and obtained his first Degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Leeds, followed by a PhD for his research on “Cavitation in Lubricating Films Supporting Small Loads”.
In 1952 he joined the Research and Engineering Department of Sir W G Armstrong-Whitworth Aircraft Co Ltd and in 1955 returned to the University of Leeds as a Lecturer in Mechanical Engineering, from which position he rose rapidly to his present Chair. He was made Professor of Engineering Fluid Mechanics and Tribology in 1966 and as such, became the world’s first holder of a Chair of Tribology. Since that date almost 150 Master Degrees in Tribology have been awarded by the University of Leeds to Post Graduate students from the UK and many other countries.
The University of Leeds Institute of Tribology was founded in 1967 under Professor Dowson’s directorship, a position which he still occupies with great distinction. Contributions made by Professor Dowson and his colleagues and research workers at the Institute throughout the last 12 years have enabled many industrial problems to be solved and many design procedures are now being based on the results of their theoreticl and experimental studies.
His keen awareness of practical implications of tribology was manifestly demonstrated by the development of the Industrial Unit of Tribology at Leeds, of which he was the first Director and which has acquired a high reputation for its services to industry.
In terms of scientific accomplishment, Professor Dowson has made substantial permanent contributions in the area of elastohydrodynamic lubrication, in which field his name is closely associated with that of Professor Gordon Higginson. His early work on EHL theory and practice has been of major value in an area which has received extensive attention in more recent years. Indeed, the discovery and detailed formulation of elastohydrodynamic lubrication theory, which provided the first usable, interpretable and generally applicable body of published knowledge on the subject, can be regarded as probably one of the most exciting and potentially the most useful developments in the field of tribology, yielding a new understanding of the lubrication of highly stressed machine elements, such as in gearing and rolling bearings.
Areas of theory, practice and teaching of engineering, with particular respect to tribological problems.
It has also provided a better insight into the tribological factors governing the operation of seals, cams, the motion of tyres on wet roads, highly loaded journal bearings and the lubrication of load bearing human joints, plus an understanding of the tribological inter-action of important machine components, which was not available 15 years ago.
Much valuable work on elastohydrodynamic lubrication has been carried out by several other investigators in the UK, US and USSR, yet few would disagree that Professor Dowson can be described as a leading figure, perhaps the doyen of modern elastohydrodynamics.
In the related field of bio-engineering the research and teaching of bio-tribology, especially for internal medical prostheses for hips, knees and shoulders, has gained wide international reputation and has contributed significantly to the reduction of human suffering and the enjoyment of a fuller life of the patients affected.
Professor Dowson’s activities in the educational field extend beyond those in his own University, to work in the Universities of many countries. Keen interest in the education of young people led to his presentation of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers’ Isaac Newton (1972) and Leonardo da Vinci (1974) Lecture “Stranger than Friction” to about 7,000 youngsters in eight centres throughout the United Kingdom.
Professor Dowson is also a tribology historian of note and has published technical papers on this subject.
The culmination of his investigations was his mammoth work “History of Tribology” (published in 1979) – a unique work of its kind – tracing the history of tribology from the early civilization (3500 B.C.) to the present date.
For his achievements, Professor Dowson has been honoured by being the recipient of some of the highest awards of technical and scientific institutions throughout the world. These include the Thomas Hawkesley Gold Medal of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in 1966 – the first triennial award of the British Society of Rheology’s Gold Medal for Applied Rheological Research (jointly with Professor Higginson) in 1969 – the National Award of the ASLE in 1974 – the ASME Lubrication Division’s Best Paper Award for 1975 and 1976 the ASME Melville Medal (all jointly with Mr B J Hamlock – USA); he has also been awarded the Mayo D Hersey Award for 1979 of the ASME.
In 1979 he became joint recipient of the James Clayton Prize of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers for his major contribution to mechanical engineering and science through research and the establishment and development of fundamental principles in the areas of lubrication and wear linked with the application of this knowledge to bio-engineering. The Chalmers Technological University of Sweden awarded him the Degree of Doctor of Technology (Honoris Causa) this year for his outstanding contribution to engineering and science.
Professor Dowson has the ability to co-ordinate activities, both nationally and internationally, in the common pursuit of tribology. His contagious enthusiasm, characteristic of his leadership at the University of Leeds, has not only contributed much to his chosen field, but has disseminated to industrialists the practical knowledge which owes so much to a fundamental understanding and previous experience in research.
A prolific writer with over 200 published papers to his name, a great scholar and engineer, a distinguished tribological historian, an accomplished speaker and an excellent teacher, Professor Dowson can rightly be described as the personification of the impact of modern tribological knowledge on industrial life. He is an outstanding tribologist of our time.