Source: Santa Monica Daily Press
If there’s one thing that can be determined by reading through the reasons given for nominations to Heat Treat Today‘s 40 Under 40 feature, it’s this: there are in the industry many young metallurgical and heat treating professionals with drive, intelligence, work ethics, and skill that will land them a multitude of awards, promotions, and public acknowledgements.
But as to whether any of them will match the achievements of “titanium savant” Russell Gordon Sherman remains to be seen.
“Sherman’s claim to fame is his research and development concerning alloys and heat-treating protocols for the titanium industry, expanding upon the usability of the metal during the formative years of the titanium industry.”
Recently, Dr. Sherman, 92, who is a member of ASM International, was announced as the recipient of the 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Titanium Association for “his work in developing titanium alloys, pioneering the high-volume production of titanium aerospace fasteners, and designing heat treating protocols for the titanium industry.”
The Santa Monica Daily Press noted that Sherman made possible the high-volume production of titanium aerospace fasteners during the years when the U.S. and the Soviet Union were vying for aerospace supremacy. Sherman will be presented with the award at the Titanium USA 2018 Conference and Exhibition, October 7-10, 2018, in Las Vegas.
“The entire titanium industry has benefited from his research into developing a higher-strength titanium (the workhorse Ti-6Al-4V alloy) through the heat treatment of solution treating and aging,” wrote Dr. Frauke Hogue, a Fellow of ASM International.
Sherman’s research, presented first in a paper at ASM’s convention in Philadelphia in October 1955, titled, “The Heat Treatability of Ti-6Al-4V”, went on to impact multiple industries but particularly the industrial fastener industry as it intersected with aerospace.
Still providing consulting services in the titanium industry, Sherman, though retired, is not resting on his laurels.
“. . . . If you’re lucky, you might spot the Titanium Man out in Santa Monica, relaxing after a much-accomplished life.”
Read more:
“Russell Gordon Sherman, The Titanium Man”, Santa Monica Daily Press
“ASM member Russell Sherman Receives Award from International Titanium Association”, ASM International
