Achenbach was born in the northern region of the Netherlands, in Leeuwarden.

He studied aeronautics at Delft University of Technology, which he finished with a M.Sc.

Thereafter, he went to the United States, Stanford University, where he received his Ph.D. degree in 1962.

[2] Achenbach has developed methods for flaw detection and characterization by using contact transducers, imaging techniques and laser-based ultrasonics.

He also carried out research on structural acoustics and on the mechanical behavior of composite materials.