Irvin M. Krieger was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1923. He received his B.S. degree in Industrial Chemistry, followed by an M.S. in Physical Chemistry, both from Case
Institute of Technology in 1948, where he worked with Professor S. H. Maron on the rheology of synthetic latex. He received his Ph.D. degree in Physical Chemistry,
with minors in Mathematics and Physics, from Cornell University in 1951 after conducting research with Professor Peter Debye. Meanwhile, he joined the Case Western
Reserve University faculty in 1949, rising from the position of Instructor to Professor and serving as the Executive Officer and Acting Chairman of the Department
of Chemistry from 1967 to 1969. Additionally, he founded the CWRU Center for Adhesives, Sealants and Coatings and served as its director from 1982 to 1988 before
becoming professor emeritus in 1988. Additionally, Krieger served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and held visiting Professorships at the Universite de Bruxelles,
the Weizmann Institute of Science, the University of Bristol, and the Ecole Nationale Superieure de Chemie de Mulhouse.
Krieger's most significant contributions to the field of rheology were in the rheology of concentrated dispersions, where he made pioneering and lasting contributions.
His work is still considered by many to be the basis for the modern scientific study of colloidal suspensions, and he is one of the most cited authors in this field.
His work comprises three key contributions: (1) the elimination of ambiguities about particle size and shape, (2) the adjustment of the solution chemistry to simplify
the interparticle potential and to isolate individual effects, and (3) the introduction of dimensional analysis to interpret and generalize experimental results.
His explanation of the steady shear viscosity of hard sphere dispersions as a function of volume fraction and dimensionless shear rate, performed largely with his
graduate student T.J. Dougherty, stands as a classic contribution and has subsequently been thoroughly corroborated by data on a range of systems. The Krieger-Dougherty
relationship (1959) remains the starting point for students and industrialists interested in understanding suspension rheology. His measurements with Eguiluz of the
second electroviscous effect demonstrated the magnitude, the importance of added electrolyte, and the appearance of a yield stress, and stimulated subsequent work by
several other groups. Furthermore, his studies on order-disorder transitions in deionized solutions of polymer lattices, in collaboration with Hiltner and Papir, led
to the discovery of phase equilibration between an ordered crystalline phase and a fluid-like disordered phase.
Krieger was a member of the American Chemical Society, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and the Society of the Sigma Xi along with The Society of Rheology.
He served as President of The Society of Rheology from 1977 to 1979. Outside of his research, Krieger enjoyed music, literature, and cooking. He is remembered as a
pioneer in the field of dispersion rheology.
Sources
Irvin Krieger elected S of R vice‐president. Physics Today 1976, 29(1), 103 (accessed August 16, 2019).
Krieger, Irvin. Obituaries, Cleveland Jewish News (accessed August 16, 2019).
Note: This biography is an adaptation of the following article previously published by The Society of Rheology.
1989 Bingham Medalist. Rheology Bulletin 1989, 58(2).
Photo Credit
AIP Emilio Segrè Visual Archives.