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Emeritus Professor Joachim (Jockel)
V.R. Heberlein passed away on Febru-
ary 17 after a long battle withALS. Pro-
fessor Heberlein was born in Berlin in
1939. He received his diploma in
physics in 1966 from the University of
Stuttgart. In 1967 he came to the Uni-
versity of Minnesota, where he received
his Ph.D. in mechanical engineering in 1975. After work-
ing for 14 years at Westinghouse R&D Center in Pitts-
burgh where he served as manager of applied plasma
research, lamp research and nuclear and radiation technol-
ogy, he rejoined the mechanical engineering department
at the University of Minnesota in 1989 as associate profes-
sor. He was promoted to professor in 1994, was appointed
Ernst Eckert Professor of Mechanical Engineering in
2000, and retired at the end of 2012.
Professor Heberlein published more than 140 journal
papers, received 13 patents, and coauthored with Pierre
Fauchais and Maher Boulos the recently published text-
book
Thermal Spray Fundamentals
(Springer, 2013). He
advised or co-advised nearly 30 Ph.D. students, an equal
number of M.S. students, and advised seven students
through completion of their diploma theses at several Eu-
ropean universities. He was an internationally recognized
authority on the subject of thermal plasmas of the type
used for industrial applications such as thermal spray coat-
ings, plasma cutting, electrical circuit breakers, and mate-
rials synthesis. He was particularly known for his
pioneering studies of arc-electrode interactions. Jockel had
many interactions with industry, including research col-
laborations with Hypertherm on plasma cutting, Eaton
Corp. on electrical circuit breakers, and Nitto Denko Tech-
nical Corp. on nanomaterials synthesis.
Jockel’s students were famously devoted to him, and
he was beloved among the faculty and staff of the M.E.
department at the University of Minnesota. He and his
wife Yuko often hosted dinner parties at their house. He
loved music, telling stories about adventures past, and
sharing good wine.
Jockel contributed greatly to the ASM Thermal Spray
Society, having served as chair of the JTST Editorial Com-
mittee for 10 years (1996–2006) and chair of the TSS
Awards Committee for seven years (2004-2001). He was
also a past member of the Program Committee, Nominating
Committee, Academic Advisory Council, and ITSC 2003
organizing committee. He was namedASM Fellow in 2001,
inducted into the TSS Hall of Fame in 2004, and received a
number of other awards, including theASMAllan Ray Put-
nam Service Award in 2009 and the TSS President’s Award
in 2013. Jockel’s lively spirit and amazing energy will be
missed by all.
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TSS NEWS
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ADVANCED MATERIALS & PROCESSES •
MAY 2014
47
Thermal Spray Community Mourns
Joachim Heberlein (1939-2014)