Philip Gibson Hodge, Junior. was an American engineer who specialized in mechanics of elastic and plastic behavior of materials.
Education
Philip Hodge received a Bachelor in mathematics from Antioch College in 1943. During World World War II, he joined the United States Merchant Marine, where he served throughout the war. Upon his return he earned a Doctor of Philosophy from Brown University in Applied Mathematics in 1949, where he was a student of Doctor William Prager.
Career
His work resulted in significant advancements in plasticity theory including developments in the method of characteristics, limit-analysis, piecewise linear isotropic plasticity, and nonlinear programming applications. Doctor Hodge was the Technical Editor of American Society of Mechanical Engineers Journal of Applied Mechanics from 1971-1976. From 1984 to 2000 he was the Secretary of the United States National Committee on Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, its longest serving Secretary.
In 1949 he became Assistant Professor of Mathematics at University of California, Los Angeles, then moved on to become Associate Professor of Applied Mechanics at Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn in 1953, Professor of Mechanics at Illinois Institute of Technology (Chicago) in 1957, and Professor of Mechanics at the University of Minnesota in 1971, where he remained until he retired in 1991.
After retirement he was Professor Emeritus at the University of Minnesota and Visiting Professor Emeritus at Stanford University.
Membership
Member of the United States National Academy of Engineering elected in 1977.