Coulomb's Memoir on Statics


Book Description

Coulomb read his Essai on ?some statical problems? to the French Academy in 1773. It is a document of great importance in the history of engineering since it laid the foundations of the modern science of soil mechanics and also discussed three other major problems of eighteenth-century civil engineering: the bending of beams, the fracture of columns and the calculation of abutment thrusts developed by masonry arches.Professor Heyman's book makes the Essai accessible to a wide range of engineers and historians of technology. It is here reproduced in full with an annotated English translation, a chapter elucidating Coulomb's references and with full discussion of the technical problems it treats. It concludes with some brief historical notes on Coulomb's life and technical education in eighteenth-century France.




Coulomb's Memoir On Statics: An Essay In The History Of Civil Engineering


Book Description

Coulomb read his Essai on ‘some statical problems’ to the French Academy in 1773. It is a document of great importance in the history of engineering since it laid the foundations of the modern science of soil mechanics and also discussed three other major problems of eighteenth-century civil engineering: the bending of beams, the fracture of columns and the calculation of abutment thrusts developed by masonry arches.Professor Heyman's book makes the Essai accessible to a wide range of engineers and historians of technology. It is here reproduced in full with an annotated English translation, a chapter elucidating Coulomb's references and with full discussion of the technical problems it treats. It concludes with some brief historical notes on Coulomb's life and technical education in eighteenth-century France.







Engineering History and Heritage Structures – Viewpoints and Approaches


Book Description

The present Structural Engineering Document (SED) is a compilation of contributions devoted to the vast topic of history of structural engineering as well as interventions on heritage structures and structures of high cultural values. Various, some-times opposed, viewpoints and approaches are expressed and presented. The rather heterogeneous and controversial nature of the content of this SED shall stimulate lively discus-sions within the structural engineering community who needs to increase the awareness of historical and cultural aspects of structures and structural engineering. Current structural engineering methods and practice are only at the very begin-ning of effective engineering, really integrating historical and cultural aspects in the assessment of existing structures and in intervention projects to adapt or modify structures of cultural values for future demands. Knowing the past is indispensable for modern structural engineering!




ICE Manual of Geotechnical Engineering Volume 1


Book Description

ICE Manual of Geotechnical Engineering, Second edition brings together an exceptional breadth of material to provide a definitive reference on geotechnical engineering solutions. Written and edited by leading specialists, each chapter provides contemporary guidance and best practice knowledge for civil and structural engineers in the field.




Earth Pressure and Earth-Retaining Structures, Second Edition


Book Description

Retaining structures form an important component of many civil engineering and geotechnical engineering projects. Careful design and construction of these structures is essential for safety and longevity. This new edition provides significantly more support for non-specialists, background to uncertainty of parameters and partial factor issues that underpin recent codes (e.g. Eurocode 7), and comprehensive coverage of the principles of the geotechnical design of gravity walls, embedded walls and composite structures. It is written for practising geotechnical, civil and structural engineers; and forms a reference for engineering geologists, geotechnical researchers and undergraduate civil engineering students.




Structural Analysis of Historical Constructions - 2 Volume Set


Book Description

Structural Analysis of Historical Constructions contains about 160 papers that were presented at the IV International Seminar on Structural Analysis of Historical Constructions that was held from 10 to 13 November, 2004 in Padova Italy. Following publications of previous seminars that were organized in Barcelona, Spain (1995 and 1998) and Guimarães, Portugal (2001), state-of-the-art information is presented in these two volumes on the preservation, protection, and restoration of historical constructions, both comprising monumental structures and complete city centers. These two proceedings volumes are devoted to the possibilities of numerical and experimental techniques in the maintenance of historical structures. In this respect, the papers, originating from over 30 countries, are subdivided in the following areas: Historical aspects and general methodology, Materials and laboratory testing, Non-destructive testing and inspection techniques, Dynamic behavior and structural monitoring, Analytical and numerical approaches, Consolidation and strengthening techniques, Historical timber and metal structures, Seismic analysis and vulnerability assessment, Seismic strengthening and innovative systems, Case studies. Structural Analysis of Historical Constructions is a valuable source of information for scientists and practitioners working on structure-related issues of historical constructions




Epistemology and Natural Philosophy in the 18th Century


Book Description

This book documents the process of transformation from natural philosophy, which was considered the most important of the sciences until the early modern era, into modern disciplines such as mathematics, physics, natural history, chemistry, medicine and engineering. It focuses on the 18th century, which has often been considered uninteresting for the history of science, representing the transition from the age of genius and the birth of modern science (the 17th century) to the age of prodigious development in the 19th century. Yet the 18th century, the century of Enlightenment, as will be demonstrated here, was in fact characterized by substantial ferment and novelty. To make the text more accessible, little emphasis has been placed on the precise genesis of the various concepts and methods developed in scientific enterprises, except when doing so was necessary to make them clear. For the sake of simplicity, in several situations reference is made to the authors who are famous today, such as Newton, the Bernoullis, Euler, d’Alembert, Lagrange, Lambert, Volta et al. – not necessarily because they were the most creative and original minds, but mainly because their writings represent a synthesis of contemporary and past studies. The above names should, therefore, be considered more labels of a period than references to real historical characters.




Nexus Network Journal 9,2


Book Description

This issue is dedicated to Mechanics in Architecture. It explores the latest findings in the science of structural mechanics, including the behavior of structures, internal forces, and deformation. It also explores the development of new structural systems designed to resist thrusts resulting from new architectural forms. Some of the papers published in this issue were presented at the Nexus 2006 during a special session dedicated to mechanics.