John William Melvin (May 15, 1938 – July 17, 2014) was a research engineer in the field of the

biomechanics Biomechanics is the study of the structure, function and motion of the mechanical aspects of biological systems, at any level from whole organisms to organs, cells and cell organelles, using the methods of mechanics. Biomechanics is a branch of ...

of automobile crashes and a safety consultant in the field of

automotive racing Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organi ...

safety.

Early life and education

Melvin was born in

Washington D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, Na ...

to Eleanor (Joness) Melvin and Eugene H. Melvin. He received his B.S. (1960), M.S. (1962) and Ph.D. (1964) degrees in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics from the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Univer ...

Career

Melvin worked as a research scientist at the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) from 1968 to 1985. He was an Associate Professor in the Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics Department at the University of Michigan from 1978 to 1986. He was an Adjunct Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at

Wayne State University Wayne State University (WSU) is a public research university in Detroit, Michigan. It is Michigan's third-largest university. Founded in 1868, Wayne State consists of 13 schools and colleges offering approximately 350 programs to nearly 25,000 ...

from 1987 to 1998, and an Adjunct Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the same institution from 1998 until his death. From 1985 to 1998 Melvin was a Senior Staff Research Engineer at the

General Motors Research Laboratories General Motors Research Laboratories are the part of General Motors responsible for creation of the first known operating system (GM-NAA I/O) in 1955 and contributed to the first mechanical heart, the Dodrill-GMR, successfully used while performin ...

. He retired from General Motors in 1998 and became an independent consultant for the

automotive industry The automotive industry comprises a wide range of companies and organizations involved in the design, development, manufacturing, marketing, and selling of motor vehicles. It is one of the world's largest industries by revenue (from 16 % such ...

and for organizations such as the

Indy Racing League The IndyCar Series, currently known as the NTT IndyCar Series under sponsorship, is the highest class of regional North American open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars in the United States, which has been conducted under the auspices o ...

, the FIA / Formula 1, and

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil List of government space agencies, space program ...

. In 2001, he became a safety consultant for

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and ...

, serving as the Technical Consultant to NASCAR for Race Car Safety. John Melvin held four patents in the field of

automotive safety Automotive safety is the study and practice of design, construction, equipment and regulation to minimize the occurrence and consequences of traffic collisions involving motor vehicles. Road traffic safety more broadly includes roadway design ...

: *, "Data link arrangement with error checking and retransmission control". *, "Multi-chamber air bag with displacement responsive valve". *, "Four point seat-mounted restraint apparatus". *, "Four point restraint apparatus".

Honors and Awards

Melvin was an elected fellow of AIMBE (2002), the SAE (2002), and the FIA Institute for Motorsports Safety (2004). His work in transportation and motorsports safety was recognized by the US Department of Transportation with their Award for Safety Engineering Excellence and the SAE Louis Schwitzer Award for Innovation and Engineering Excellence in the Field of Race Car Design, both in 1998. In 2016, the SAE Motorsports Council created the SAE International Award for Motorsport Safety Honoring John Melvin, which was endowed through funding from NASCAR.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Melvin, John 1938 births 2014 deaths University of Michigan staff University of Michigan faculty