Herbert E. Townsend, Ph.D., president of Townsend Corrosion Consultants in Center Valley, Pa., will receive a 2006 ASTM Award of Merit and accompanying title of fellow, the highest Society award for individual contributions to standards activities. Committee G01 on Corrosion of Metals will honor Townsend for his significant role in developing and upgrading standards on the corrosion performance of coated and low alloy steel products.

 In 1976, Townsend's contributions to ASTM work began with his part in the startup of ASTM's 20-year outdoor corrosion test program. During the 1970s and 1980s he presented several papers at ASTM symposia. More recently, Townsend created a corrosion calculator based on ASTM standard G 101 that allows rapid estimation of the atmospheric corrosion resistance of low alloy steel, and he has made important modifications to enhance corrosion testing methods. Townsend also chaired the 2001 ASTM Symposium on Outdoor Atmospheric Corrosion and edited the resulting publication, STP 1421. He is, in addition to G01, a member of ASTM Committees A01 on Steel, Stainless Steel and Related Alloys, A05 on Metallic Coated Iron and Steel Products, and the Joint G01/NACE Committee on Corrosion.

After he received his Ph.D. in materials science and metallurgical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, Townsend took an engineering position with Bethlehem Steel Corp., Bethlehem, Pa. He assumed positions of increasing responsibility at Bethlehem Steel, including supervisor, manager, senior fellow, and senior consultant. His focus was research and development of corrosion-resistant steel products such as Galvalume, and galvanized and weathering steels

Outside ASTM International, Townsend is a fellow of NACE International. He also represented Bethlehem Steel by chairing corrosion-related committees funded by the American Iron and Steel Institute.

Release #7391