Konstantin Frolov

Frolov was born on 22 July 1932 in the village of Pesochnya, which today is known as Kirov, to Vasily Ivanovich and Alexandra Sergeevna, who were both employees. His father, Vasily, was repressed early on in Frolov's life in 1937 during the period of the Great Purge to consolidate Joseph Stalin's power. Following his father's death, his mother who was a radiologist, would raise him alone having to work multiple shifts in the city and military hospital. After he graduated from the 7th grade, Frolov enrolled in the Lyudinovo Mechanical Engineering College, where he would also work as a laboratory assistant. Upon graduating with honors in 1956, he immediately started working at the Leningrad Metal Plant. His work there consisted of designing steam and gas turbines. This is also the period in time when he would publish his very first scientific article on non-contact strain gauges. ==Career==

In 1958 he left his job at the plant to attend the postgraduate school The Institute of Mechanical Engineering of the Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union (IMASH) in Moscow. He completed his studies there in 1961. The following year, he defended his dissertation called "Influence of energy source properties on oscillations of autonomous systems" to be awarded his Candidate of Sciences. He then became a Doctor of Sciences in 1970, defending his thesis titled "Oscillations in machines with variable parameters in application to the dynamics of a power hydraulic drive". Then, in 1975, he became director of the Institute of Mechanical Engineering of the Russian Academy of Sciences, where he had graduated which he would direct until his death. Alongside this, starting in 1973 until 1976, he was the head of theoretical mechanics at the Moscow Technological Institute of Light Industry part-time. In 1976, he became a corresponding member of the Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union, becoming a full member as an academician in 1984. That year, after leaving the Moscow institute, he became head of the Department of Theory of Machines and Mechanisms at Bauman Moscow State Technical University. From 1985-1996 he was the Vice President of the Russian Academy of Sciences. In 1991, he was elected chairman of the society "Znanie". Political activities A member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union since 1965, he became a candidate member of the Central Committee from 1986 until 1989. After 1989, he became a member of the Central Committee's 27th Congress, although he would not return for the 28th. In addition to this, probably around the same time, he was a People's Deputy from the Union of Friendship Societies. In the 1993 Russian legislative election, he was one of the candidates for the party Dignity and Charity, which won 3 seats. Later, in the 2007 Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation, he served as Chairman of the Commission of the Civic Chamber on Innovations, High-Tech Scientific and Engineering Projects. ==Death==

Frolov died on 18 November 2007 after a severe illness. He was buried at Troyekurovskoye Cemetery. ==Legacy==

He made numerous contributions to mechanical oscillations, biomechanics of environment systems, nuclear reactors, ergonomics, and safety problems. His main areas of research were in oscillations in nonlinear mechanical systems with limited drive power, vibration protection of machines, models of oscillations in human–machine systems, vibration in machines, and the strength and reliability of power machines like nuclear reactors. His work led to the increase of defense capabilities in Russia, with his ideas being used in state projects to create aircraft, hydrogen rocket engines, nuclear power reactors, and ensuring the secrecy of underwater objects. ==Honors==

He was an honorary member of the International Federation for the Promotion of Mechanism and Machine Science since 1999. • Hero of Socialist Labour • Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" 2nd class (2007) • Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" 3rd class (1999) • 2x Order of Lenin • Order of the Red Banner of Labour • Lenin Prize (1988) • USSR State Prize (1986) == References ==