Erwin Zaretsky has retired. This information is provided for archival purposes.
Biography
Erwin V. Zaretsky is a noted speaker, writer and consultant to both government and industry. He is currently Chief Engineer for Materials and Structures on the staff of NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, Ohio. He was formerly head of the NASA Bearing, Gearing and Transmission Section, responsible for most of the NASA mechanical component research for air breathing engines and helicopter transmissions.
He has over 45 years of experience in Mechanical Engineering related to rotating machinery and tribology. He has performed pioneering research in rolling-element fatigue, lubrication and probabilistic life prediction. His work resulted in the first successful 3 million DN bearing and has received four IR-100 awards.
He has written over 180 technical papers and two books and has lectured widely throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. He has also taught bearing technology at Case Western Reserve University and the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee Center for Continuing Education and machine design as a member of the adjunct faculty at Cleveland State University. In 2003 he was a Visiting Professor at Meiji University, Japan. .
Education
- 1957: B.S.M.E. Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, Illinois
- 1963: Juris Doctor, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, Ohio
- He is a licensed Professional Engineer in the State of Ohio and has been admitted to the Ohio, Illinois and Federal Bars.
Technical Memberships/Professional Affiliations
Mr. Zaretsky is a Life Fellow of the ASME and a Fellow of STLE. He has held national and local offices in both of these professional societies. He is an Adjunct Professor at Case-Western Reserve University. He is also a member of the Executive Advisory Board of the Northern Illinois University College of Engineering.
In 1971, under his chairmanship, the Rolling-Elements Committee of the ASME published the first Life Adjustment Factors for Ball and Roller Bearings – An Engineering Design Guide of which he was co-author. In1985, at the request of STLE, he organized and chaired the STLE Life Factors Committee. The results of the committee’s work resulted in updated life factors for rolling bearing life and reliability.
In 1992, STLE published an authoritative bearing text; STLE Life Factors for Rolling Bearings of which he was the editor and co-author. Mr. Zaretsky was also the editor and co-author of the book, Tribology for Aerospace Applications, which was published by STLE in 1997. A review of this book described it as "among the most important books written within the last 50 years… on the subject of tribology."
Honors and Awards
Mr. Zaretsky is the recipient of numerous NASA awards for his contributions to the Space Program among which are the NASA Medal for Exceptional Engineering Achievement, NESC Director’s Award and the Astronauts’ Silver Snoopy Award. In 1999 the STLE honored Mr. Zaretsky with the Wilber E. Deutsch Memorial Award.
