Shingo Futamura (April 3, 1938 -)[1] is a rubber industry materials scientist noted for his concept of the deformation index.
[3] He received his doctorate in polymer science from the University of Akron in 1975 under advisor Eberhard Meinecke.
[4] By 1974, Futamura was appointed as a group leader of polymer physics at Firestone Central Research in Akron, Ohio.
He is best known for proposing the concept of a deformation index to relate viscoelastic properties to real-world tire performance.
The concept is used to select rubber compounds that minimize tire rolling resistance, and it is used in finite element analysis to simplify the calculation of energy loss and temperature distribution.