Professor Kenneth Holmberg of VTT Finland awarded Tribology Gold Medal for 2017

The Institution of Mechanical Engineers, London, has announced the winner of the 2017 Gold Medal for Tribology is Professor Kenneth Holmberg of VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd, one of the leading research and technology organisations in Europe.

Professor Holmberg, a Vice-President of the International Tribology Council, has made outstanding contributions in three main areas of the field. Firstly, he has been foremost in the development of coatings to structural materials to improve their tribological properties and hence economic performance. His book, "Coatings Tribology", with Allan Matthews, has become the classic in the field. Secondly, he has devoted much time and study and has developed invaluable insights in the field of engineering maintenance. He has been a leader in the new field of E-maintenance, publishing a book with this title in 2010 and continuing to conceive and lead projects on dynamic maintenance. Thirdly, he has made major contribution to the field of energy conservation in passenger vehicles, publishing a seminal paper "Global energy consumption due to friction in passenger cars" in 2012.

Professor Holmberg’s scholarship, research and innovative applications have resulted in major economic advances for industrialised nations. The award will be presented by HM Ambassador to Finland in a ceremony at the British Embassy on 20 Dec 2017.

The Tribology Gold Medal is the supreme international award in tribology - the study, understanding and application of problems in friction, wear and lubrication that are of enormous economic significance in an industrial society. It is awarded for contributions to tribology that are considered to have been outstandingly meritorious. The Medal is award by the Tribology Trust, an independently-funded trust administered by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, London. The Awards Committee consists of nominees from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, the Royal Aeronautical Society, the Institution of Engineering and Technology, the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining. The Chair is chosen to be a Fellow of both the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Royal Society. The achievements of the candidate on the science and technology of tribology and on his or her influence on education and industry are all taken into consideration.