Rate My Professor Bongsu Kang

Dr. Bongsu Kang is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering in the Department of Civil and Mechanical Engineering at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne, where he has been a faculty member since 2000, beginning as an Assistant Professor. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses primarily in engineering mechanics, system dynamics and control, vibrations, and machine design. Prior to his academic career, Kang gained five years of industrial experience as a mechanical engineer at the Hyundai Technical Research and Development Center in Seoul, Korea. His academic background includes a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea, in 1988; an M.S. from Wayne State University in 1996; and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Wayne State University in 1999, with his dissertation focused on the characterization of mixed-mode vibration and instability of disc brakes.

Kang's research interests center on nonlinear dynamics, friction-induced chaotic vibrations, elastic wave motion, wavelet analysis, and ultrasonic welding processes. He has secured multiple research grants, including IPFW Summer Faculty Research Grants in 2002 and 2003 for studies on friction-induced vibrations and dynamics of cracked curved beams, as well as government and industry funding for projects involving ultrasonic welding of battery tabs. Notable publications include "Dynamic Response of Battery Tabs Under Ultrasonic Welding" in the Journal of Manufacturing Science and Engineering (2013), "Dynamic Stress Analysis of Battery Tabs Under Ultrasonic Welding" (Journal of Manufacturing Science and Engineering, 2014), "Fatigue Analysis of Actuators with Teflon Impregnated Metallic Coatings" (Actuators, 2021), and contributions to the International Journal of Structural Stability and Dynamics (2012). In 2013, he received the IPFW Sigma Xi Researcher of the Year award. Kang has served on various university committees across departmental, college, and institutional levels, contributing to academic governance and interdisciplinary initiatives.