Alexander Balankin

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Alexander Balankin

Born	March 3, 1958 Moscow, Russia
Residence	Mexico City
Nationality	Mexican and Russian
Fields	Fractal Mechanics
Institutions	National Polytechnic Institute of Mexico
Alma mater	Moscow Engineering Physics Institute.
Known for	Research in fractal mechanics and its technological applications
Notable awards	* UNESCO Science Prize (2005), National Prize of Arts and Sciences (2002), es:Presea Lázaro Cárdenas (2005)

Alexander Balankin (born March 3, 1958) is a Mexican scientist of Russian origin (Баланкин, Александр Сергеевич) whose work in the field of fractal mechanics and its engineering applications won him the UNESCO Science Prize in 2005 [1].

Professor Balankin has immigrated to Mexico in 1992 from ex-USSR and has become a Mexican Citizen in 2000. He holds a Master of Science degree in material sciences and a Philosophy Doctorate in solid state physics from Moscow Engineering Physics Institute (1986). Five yeas later, the Higher Attestation Commission (USSR) awarded him with a Doctor of Science degree. In this period, he was also honoured with the state prize of the Russian Ministry of Defence (1990) and a prize from the Academy of Sciences of the USSR in 1991. Besides he has served as Member of the Council of the Union (former-USSR) for the Physics of Materials Resistance and Fracture (Russia, 1991-92). In 1997 Professor Balankin joined the Department of Electromechanical Engineering at the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN), after occupying Full Professor position in the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education at Mexico City in 1992 - 1997. From 1998, Professor Balankin is a Fellow of the National Researcher System and member of the Mexican Academy of Sciences. Besides, he also held a number of prestigious positions in Mexico. For example, he is a member of the Advisory Council in Science and Technology to the Presidency of Mexico and is Counsellor of the Membership Committee of the National Researcher System. He also serves as an Adviser of the Mexican Petroleum Institute and Mexican Transport Institute and as a Consultant of the Mexican National Petroleum Company (PEMEX). In 1998, Professor Balankin has founded a National Interdisciplinary Research Group Fractal Mechanics as a joint venture between industry and university. He also has created a laboratory of Fracture Mechanics at the National Polytechnic Institute and the Interuniversity Laboratory Fractal Analysis of Complex Systems.

Professor Balankin has done pioneering works in fractal solid mechanics, probabilistic fracture mechanics, and fluid flow through porous media. Specifically, he has developed probabilistic mechanics of self-affine cracks – a new theory which permits to increment the reliability of the probabilistic fracture mechanics analysis. Balankin also has introduced the new concept of multifractal elasticity and has developed the theory of mechanical behaviour and fracture of composites with multifractal structures. In 1996, Professor Balankin was honoured with the Pleiades Publishing Inc. Prize for the best research paper published by this editorial. In 1996, the development of new composite materials with multifractal microstructure, supervised by Professor Balankin, was recognized with the First Place Romulo Garza Prize for Research and Technological Development in Mexico. Furthermore, he has discovered some new important general features in dynamics of self-affine interfaces growing far from equilibrium: a new type of unconventional anomalous roughening dynamics of flame fronts in heterogeneous media, self-affine fluctuations of growing interface width, non-universal nature of interface roughness dynamics in systems with long-range spatial and temporal correlations, a new statistical distribution function for interface roughness statistics, relationships between structural, mechanical, and dynamical properties of an elastic fractal networks, fractal kinetics of self-organization of dissipative structures in the process of mechanical alloying in attritors, fractal morphology of sol-gels materials, fractal scattering of radar microwaves from soils. He has also suggested some modifications to the fracture toughness testing standards, concerning the effect of fractal crack roughness and has proposed a new criterion for crack initiation – the fractal fracture toughness, the revolutionary concept which is actually used in the probabilistic integrity assessment of oil pipelines. From 2001, Professor Balankin has also been involved in an ambitious project of fractal study of soils, which is expected to introduce revolutionary changes in the agriculture technology that will provide great benefits to Mexico and to developing countries. The works in this field have received a great international projection (see Physical Review Focus, October 11, 2002). More recently, Professor Balankin has developed a novel dynamic scaling approach to study and forecast time series fluctuations. This finding permits us to use the powerful tools of kinetic roughening theory to classify, model, and forecast the fluctuations of real-world time series. In particular, dynamic scaling approach was used in the Econophysics studies performed by the Fractal Mechanics group, in which it was discovered some important features in the oil market behaviour that permit the better forecasting of crude oil prices. The last wok was awarded in 2004 with the National Prize in Financial Research. At the same time, Professor Balankin actively pursued research opportunities in engineering probabilistic fracture mechanics. Besides, he has made a principal contribution to the development of a new risk based maintenance program for nuclear reactor vessel of the Laguna Verde nuclear power plant. The cost-benefit analysis of the suggested risk-based inspection program has shown that this program represents a substantial saving in cost and reduces the radiation exposure during the nuclear plant operation. It is important to mention, the risk-informed in-service inspection program increases vessel safety, because it focuses on any potential additional examinations on those areas which are most likely to experience the probable failure conditions. This work was recognized as the best research project in applied sciences in 2001 and has been honoured with the First Place Prize for the Research in 2001 by the National Polytechnic Institute. More recently, Professor Balankin has developed a new methodology of probabilistic reliability assignment of cable-stayed bridges, actually used by the Mexican Transport Institute. He has also developed the methodology and software for probabilistic evaluation of oil pipelines. The proposed risk-based pipeline assessment procedure is more reliable to account for huge amount of collected data usually obtained in in-service inspections using the intelligent devices. The outcomes of developed risk-based methodology are very useful in the decision-making process by the operation management. Now, this methodology is used by the (PEMEX) and saves the Mexican Government millions of dollars each year by preventing pipeline accidents. Another of his technological contributions is the development of models and simulators of new revolutionary methods of oil extraction from naturally fractured reservoirs which will permit the increment the crude extraction from such reservoirs up to 100%.

Professor Balankin has published 120 articles in journals and 5 books. He also has presented numerous invited and plenary lectures in international conferences, universities and industry around the world. His works have received more than 2000 citations in the international literature. Professor Balankin is also a great teacher who is involved in the education of a new generation of scholars. He has directed 14 PhD dissertations and 18 MS theses many of which were recognized as the best at the National level. For these achievements, in 2005 he was honoured with the Lazaro Cardenas’ Gold Medal (es:Presea Lázaro Cárdenas), the highest award for Science and Technology achievements from the President of Mexican Republic. Balankin has been the recipient of many other awards and honours, including the highest honour awarded in Mexico, the National Prize of Arts and Sciences in the area Technology and Design in 2002, and the UNESCO Science Prize in 2005, for his remarkable ability to relate his research in fractal mechanics to technological applications that has provided great benefits to Mexico and worldwide.