Oxford, England, September 20, 2001 -- Dr. Chuck Habeger and Dr. Doug Coffin, professors at the Institute of Paper Science and Technology, have been awarded the 2001 Van den Akker Prize for Paper Physics. Their paper, "The Role of Stress Concentrations in Accelerated Creep and Sorption-Induced Physical Aging", in the Journal of Pulp and Paper Science, April 2000, has been selected by an international panel of judges as the greatest contribution to the field of paper physics this year.

Creep is the dimensional change of a material under a constant load over a period of time. It has long been established that paper creeps more when subjected to cyclic humidity than at a constant high humidity.

The reasons for this "accelerated creep" phenomenon have long been debated. Supported by theoretical and experimental analyses, the Habeger/Coffin paper argues that accelerated creep is a result of sorption-induced stress concentrations and a nonlinear material creep response. Dr. Habeger says, "Not only is accelerated creep of great practical significance in the end-use performance of paper but it is also a fascinating physical phenomenon that is not well understood. Doug and I are proceeding on both fronts. We continue to investigate the influence of paper composition and treatment on accelerated creep. Armed with some new ideas, we are also pursuing a basic understanding with more fundamental research".

Douglas W. Coffin obtained his BCE (1987) and MCE (1989) degrees from the University of Delaware in civil engineering. During employment as a structural engineer with the Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics, Doug earned his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from the University of Delaware in 1993. In his Ph.D. program, he was affiliated with the Center for Composite Materials, and his research emphasis was in solid mechanics and the forming of fiber reinforced thermoplastics. He became an assistant professor of engineering at IPST in 1994 and an associate professor in 2000. His current research interests include the mechanics of paper and dimensional stability. He has taught courses at IPST in mechanics of deformable media and engineering mathematics.

Charles C. Habeger, Jr., obtained his B.S. degree in engineering physics from the University of Oklahoma in 1966. He completed a Ph.D. in physics at the same institution in 1971. Thermodynamics applied to hypothetical relativistic systems was the thesis topic. During 1972 and 1973, Chuck was an electronics component engineer for Radiation Inc. He spent 1974 through 1977 at Applied Automation designing display systems for process control applications. In 1977, he joined the Institute of Paper Chemistry (IPC). His research concentrated on the application of ultrasound and microwave techniques to paper characterization and in modeling of paper mechanical behavior. He left IPC in 1988 to join James River Corporation, where he worked on active microwave packaging, tissue embossing, and fine paper fluting. He has been Professor of Physics at IPST since early 1997.

The Johannes A. Van den Akker Prize for Advances in Paper Physics was created to recognize the many contributions Dr. Van den Akker made to the field of paper physics and to the paper industry. Dr. Van den Akker was known for his brilliant mind, demand for excellence, and leadership in the field of paper physics for over 40 years. The Johannes A. Van den Akker Prize for Advances in Paper Physics was established in 1999 by IPST, and the endowment was made possible through the generous donations of the family, friends, and students of Dr. Van den Akker, a former senior research associate and Chairman of the Department of Physics and Mathematics at the Institute of Paper Chemistry (IPC). The Van den Akker Prize is awarded annually through the Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry (TAPPI) Paper Physics Committee, of which Dr. Van den Akker was a member for many years.