Albert Caquot
Encyclopedia
Albert Caquot was considered as the "best living French engineer" during half a century. He received the “Croix de guerre 1914-1918” (military honor) and was Grand-croix of the Légion d’Honneur
(1951). He was a member of the French Academy of Sciences
from 1934 to 1976.
, in the Ardennes
. His father taught him modernism, by installing at their place electricity and telephone as early as 1890. One year only after high school, at eighteen years old, he was admitted at the Ecole Polytechnique
. He graduated in the “Corps des Ponts et Chaussées”
.
(Aube), and was pointed out for major civil work improvements he undertook with the city sewer system. This protected the city from the centennial flood of the River Seine in 1910. In 1912, he joined a leading structural engineering firm where he applied his unique talent of structure designer.
Albert Caquot conducted outstanding research that was immediately applied in construction. His major contributions include:
In the course of his life, Albert Caquot taught mechanical science for a long time in three of the most prominent French engineering schools in Paris: Écoles nationales supérieures des Mines
, des Ponts
et de l’Aéronautique
.
In the course of his career, as both a highly creative designer and a tireless calculator, he designed more than 300 bridges and facilities among which several were world records at the time:
Two prestigious achievements made him famous internationally: the internal structure of the statue of Christ the Redeemer
in Rio de Janeiro
(Brazil) at the peak of Corcovado Mountain
(1931) and the , George V Bridge on the Clyde River in Glasgow
(Scotland) for which the Scottish engineers asked for his assistance.
In his late eighties, he developed a gigantic tidal power project to capture the tide energy in Mont St Michel bay, in Normandy.
, who was charged by Albert Caquot to develop several major aeronautical projects at the beginning of his career, wrote about him: "He was one of the best engineers than aeronautics ever had. He was visionary and ahead of his time. He led aeronautical innovations for forty years".
As early as 1901, already visionary, he performed his military service in an airship
unit of the French army. At the beginning of First World War, he naturally led an airship
unit as first lieutenant. He noticed the poor wind behavior of the spherical captive balloon, which tended to revolve on its ropes.
In 1914, he designed a new sausage-shaped dirigible equipped with three air-filled lobes spaced evenly around the tail as stablizers, and moved the inner air balloonette from the rear to the underside of the nose, separate from the main gas envelope. The Caquot was able to hold in 90 km/h winds and remain horizontal. During three years, France manufactured "Caquot dirigibles" for all the allied forces, including English and United States armies. The United States also manufactured nearly a thousand "Caquot R balloons" in 1918-1919. This balloon gave to France and its allies an advantage in military observation which significantly contributed to the allies’ supremacy in aviation and eventually to the final victory. In January 1918, Georges Clémenceau
named him technical director of the entire military aviation.
In 1919, Albert Caquot proposed the creation of the French aeronautical museum (today called Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace
, in Le Bourget). This museum is the oldest aeronautical museum in the world.
In 1928, Albert Caquot became the first executive director of the new Aviation ministry. He implemented a policy of research, prototypes and mass production which contributed quickly to France leadership in the aeronautical industry. His main accomplishments are:
In 1933, after a budget cut which prevented him from carrying forward his projects, he resigned and went back to structural engineering for several years.
In 1938, under the threat of the war, Albert Caquot was brought back to manage all the national aeronautical businesses. He resigned in January 1940.
(1951), pay tribute to his exceptional merits. He was a member of the French Academy of Sciences
for 41 years and served as their president from 1952 to 1961. During more than twenty years, he chaired numerous French scientific organizations, like the National Council of the French Engineers (CNISF), and was on the board of EDF
(Électricité de France), the main electricity generation and distribution company in France, during more than ten years. In 1961, at 80 years old, Albert Caquot resigned from all the presidencies which he had always assured voluntarily. Warm-hearted, attentive and available, he loved to withdraw within his family.
and the bridge of La Caille, two of his creations, surround his picture on the stamp.
Since 1989, the Prix Albert Caquot
is awarded annually by the French Association of Civil and Structural Engineering.
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
(1951). He was a member of the French Academy of Sciences
French Academy of Sciences
The French Academy of Sciences is a learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French scientific research...
from 1934 to 1976.
Biography
His parents, Paul and Marie-Irma Caquot owned a family farm in VouziersVouziers
Vouziers is a commune of the Ardennes department in northern France.Vouziers is the burial place of the pioneer First World War fighter pilot Roland Garros, from whom the tennis location is named....
, in the Ardennes
Ardennes
The Ardennes is a region of extensive forests, rolling hills and ridges formed within the Givetian Ardennes mountain range, primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, but stretching into France , and geologically into the Eifel...
. His father taught him modernism, by installing at their place electricity and telephone as early as 1890. One year only after high school, at eighteen years old, he was admitted at the Ecole Polytechnique
École Polytechnique
The École Polytechnique is a state-run institution of higher education and research in Palaiseau, Essonne, France, near Paris. Polytechnique is renowned for its four year undergraduate/graduate Master's program...
. He graduated in the “Corps des Ponts et Chaussées”
Corps of Bridges and Roads (France)
The Corps of Bridges is a great technical corps of the French state. It is formed of the State Engineers of the Bridges.People entering the Corps are educated at the École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées...
.
The scientist and designer
From 1905 to 1912, he was a project manager in TroyesTroyes
Troyes is a commune and the capital of the Aube department in north-central France. It is located on the Seine river about southeast of Paris. Many half-timbered houses survive in the old town...
(Aube), and was pointed out for major civil work improvements he undertook with the city sewer system. This protected the city from the centennial flood of the River Seine in 1910. In 1912, he joined a leading structural engineering firm where he applied his unique talent of structure designer.
Albert Caquot conducted outstanding research that was immediately applied in construction. His major contributions include:
- reinforced concreteReinforced concreteReinforced concrete is concrete in which reinforcement bars , reinforcement grids, plates or fibers have been incorporated to strengthen the concrete in tension. It was invented by French gardener Joseph Monier in 1849 and patented in 1867. The term Ferro Concrete refers only to concrete that is...
design, and structural engineering in a broader sense. In 1930, he defined the intrinsic curve and explained why the elasticity theory was not sufficient any more for modern structures design. - geotechnicsGeotechnicsGeotechnics is the application of scientific methods and engineering principles to the acquisition, interpretation, and use of knowledge of materials of the Earth's crust and earth materials for the solution of engineering problems...
and foundationFoundation (architecture)A foundation is the lowest and supporting layer of a structure. Foundations are generally divided into two categories: shallow foundations and deep foundations.-Shallow foundations:...
design. He stated the corresponding states theorem (CST). In 1933, his publication on the stability of pulverulent and coherent material received an admiring report from the French Academy of SciencesFrench Academy of SciencesThe French Academy of Sciences is a learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French scientific research...
, where he was elected life member in 1934. In 1948, with Jean Kérisel (1908–2005), his son-in-law and disciple, he developed an advanced theory extremely important for passive earth pressure (LINK) where there is soil-wall friction. This principle has been broadly applied ever since for the design of ground engineering structures such as retaining walls, tunnels and foundation piles. - the revival of cable-stayed bridges with reinforced concrete (Donzère Mondragon bridge, 1952), which he envisioned with long spans, even crossing the English Channel. In 1967, he designed a conceptual double-deck bridge of this type with 810 m-wide spans and two 25 m-wide decks stages accommodating 8 lanes for cars, 2 for rail and 2 for skytrain.
In the course of his life, Albert Caquot taught mechanical science for a long time in three of the most prominent French engineering schools in Paris: Écoles nationales supérieures des Mines
École nationale supérieure des mines de Paris
The École Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Paris was created in 1783 by King Louis XVI in order to train intelligent directors of mines. It is one of the most prominent French engineering schoolsThe École Nationale Supérieure des Mines de Paris (also known as Mines ParisTech, École des Mines de...
, des Ponts
École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées
Founded in 1747, the École nationale des ponts et chaussées , often referred to as les Ponts, is the world's oldest civil engineering school...
et de l’Aéronautique
École Nationale Supérieure de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace
The École Nationale Supérieure de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace , founded in 1909, is one of the most prestigious and selective grandes écoles in France. It was the world's first dedicated aerospace engineering school and is considered to be one of the best in Europe in that field...
.
In the course of his career, as both a highly creative designer and a tireless calculator, he designed more than 300 bridges and facilities among which several were world records at the time:
- the bridge of La Madeleine, in Nantes (1928), a concrete cantilever bridge over the River Loire,
- the Lafayette Bridge crossing the tracks of the Gare de l’Est in Paris (1928). This is a struss bridge in reinforced concrete, where concrete vibrators using compressed air were used for the first time in history.
- the bridge of La Caille (1928), on the ravine of Usses, in the Alps, close to Annecy. This is a 140-m-span concrete arc bridge.
- the great Louis JoubertLouis Joubert LockThe Louis Joubert Lock also known as the Normandie Dock, is a lock and major dry dock located in the port of Saint-Nazaire, in Loire-Atlantique northwestern France...
dry dockDry dockA drydock is a narrow basin or vessel that can be flooded to allow a load to be floated in, then drained to allow that load to come to rest on a dry platform...
in the port of Saint-NazaireSaint-NazaireSaint-Nazaire , is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France.The town has a major harbour, on the right bank of the Loire River estuary, near the Atlantic Ocean. The town is at the south of the second-largest swamp in France, called "la Brière"...
(1935).
- Dam of La Girotte (1944–49),
- Dam of Donzère-Mondragon, which comprises the Bollène lock, the world’s tallest lockLock (water transport)A lock is a device for raising and lowering boats between stretches of water of different levels on river and canal waterways. The distinguishing feature of a lock is a fixed chamber in which the water level can be varied; whereas in a caisson lock, a boat lift, or on a canal inclined plane, it is...
(1950). - the Bildstock tunnel (1953–1955),
- the world’s largest tidal power plant on the River RanceRance tidal power plantThe Rance Tidal Power Station is the world's first tidal power station and also the world's second biggest tidal power station. The facility is located on the estuary of the Rance River, in Brittany, France. Opened on the 26th November 1966, it is currently operated by Électricité de France, and is...
, in Brittany (1961–1966). In his eighties, Albert Caquot made a critical contribution to the construction of the dam, designing an enclosure in order to protect the construction site from the 12-m-high ocean tides and the strong streams.
Two prestigious achievements made him famous internationally: the internal structure of the statue of Christ the Redeemer
Christ the Redeemer (statue)
Christ the Redeemer is a statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; considered the largest Art Deco statue in the world and the 5th largest statue of Jesus in the world. It is tall, including its pedestal, and wide. It weighs 635 tonnes , and is located at the peak of the Corcovado...
in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
(Brazil) at the peak of Corcovado Mountain
Christ the Redeemer (statue)
Christ the Redeemer is a statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; considered the largest Art Deco statue in the world and the 5th largest statue of Jesus in the world. It is tall, including its pedestal, and wide. It weighs 635 tonnes , and is located at the peak of the Corcovado...
(1931) and the , George V Bridge on the Clyde River in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
(Scotland) for which the Scottish engineers asked for his assistance.
In his late eighties, he developed a gigantic tidal power project to capture the tide energy in Mont St Michel bay, in Normandy.
The aeronautical engineer
During the course of his life, he committed himself alternatively to structural and aeronautical engineering following the rhythm imposed by the First and Second World Wars. Albert Caquot’s contributions to aeronautics are priceless, from the design of the “Caquot dirigible” to the launching of technical innovations at the new French Aviation Ministry, where he created several Fluid Mechanics Institutes that still exist today. Marcel DassaultMarcel Dassault
Marcel Dassault, born Marcel Bloch was a French aircraft industrialist.-Biography:Dassault was born in Paris. After graduating from the lycée Condorcet, Breguet School and Supaero, he invented a type of aircraft propeller used by the French army during World War I and founded the Société des...
, who was charged by Albert Caquot to develop several major aeronautical projects at the beginning of his career, wrote about him: "He was one of the best engineers than aeronautics ever had. He was visionary and ahead of his time. He led aeronautical innovations for forty years".
As early as 1901, already visionary, he performed his military service in an airship
Airship
An airship or dirigible is a type of aerostat or "lighter-than-air aircraft" that can be steered and propelled through the air using rudders and propellers or other thrust mechanisms...
unit of the French army. At the beginning of First World War, he naturally led an airship
Airship
An airship or dirigible is a type of aerostat or "lighter-than-air aircraft" that can be steered and propelled through the air using rudders and propellers or other thrust mechanisms...
unit as first lieutenant. He noticed the poor wind behavior of the spherical captive balloon, which tended to revolve on its ropes.
In 1914, he designed a new sausage-shaped dirigible equipped with three air-filled lobes spaced evenly around the tail as stablizers, and moved the inner air balloonette from the rear to the underside of the nose, separate from the main gas envelope. The Caquot was able to hold in 90 km/h winds and remain horizontal. During three years, France manufactured "Caquot dirigibles" for all the allied forces, including English and United States armies. The United States also manufactured nearly a thousand "Caquot R balloons" in 1918-1919. This balloon gave to France and its allies an advantage in military observation which significantly contributed to the allies’ supremacy in aviation and eventually to the final victory. In January 1918, Georges Clémenceau
Georges Clemenceau
Georges Benjamin Clemenceau was a French statesman, physician and journalist. He served as the Prime Minister of France from 1906 to 1909, and again from 1917 to 1920. For nearly the final year of World War I he led France, and was one of the major voices behind the Treaty of Versailles at the...
named him technical director of the entire military aviation.
In 1919, Albert Caquot proposed the creation of the French aeronautical museum (today called Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace
Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace
The French Air and Space Museum is a French museum, located in the south-eastern edge of Le Bourget Airport, north of Paris, and in the commune of Le Bourget. It was created in 1919 from a proposition of Albert Caquot .-Description:Occupying over of land and hangars, it is one of the oldest...
, in Le Bourget). This museum is the oldest aeronautical museum in the world.
In 1928, Albert Caquot became the first executive director of the new Aviation ministry. He implemented a policy of research, prototypes and mass production which contributed quickly to France leadership in the aeronautical industry. His main accomplishments are:
- the development of fluid mechanics research and education. He created in 1928 the Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’AéronautiqueÉcole Nationale Supérieure de l'Aéronautique et de l'EspaceThe École Nationale Supérieure de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace , founded in 1909, is one of the most prestigious and selective grandes écoles in France. It was the world's first dedicated aerospace engineering school and is considered to be one of the best in Europe in that field...
(Sup' Aero), the leading engineering school in aeronautics that contributed to French scientific excellence in aeronautics and led to the creation of several institutions like ONERA (National Office of Aerospace Studies and Research) in 1946 and the CNESCNESThe is the French government space agency . Established under President Charles de Gaulle in 1961, its headquarters are located in central Paris and it is under the supervision of the French Ministries of Defence and Research...
(National Center of Space Studies) in 1952. The school still exists today. - the construction of the gigantic Chalais-Meudon Wind Tunnel in 1929 (120 m-long and 25 m-high) allowing to test an aircraft in real conditions, with engine running and the pilot on board. This wind tunnel was the largest of the world at the time and it was used to test the Dassault Mirage IIIDassault Mirage IIIThe Mirage III is a supersonic fighter aircraft designed by Dassault Aviation during the late 1950s, and manufactured both in France and a number of other countries. It was a successful fighter aircraft, being sold to many air forces around the world and remaining in production for over a decade...
, the Sud Aviation CaravelleSud Aviation CaravelleThe Sud Aviation SE 210 Caravelle was the first short/medium-range jet airliner produced by the French Sud Aviation firm starting in 1955 . The Caravelle was one of the more successful European first generation jetliners, selling throughout Europe and even penetrating the United States market, with...
and the ConcordeConcordeAérospatiale-BAC Concorde was a turbojet-powered supersonic passenger airliner, a supersonic transport . It was a product of an Anglo-French government treaty, combining the manufacturing efforts of Aérospatiale and the British Aircraft Corporation...
, but also cars like the Peugeot 4 CV and the VW Beetle.
In 1933, after a budget cut which prevented him from carrying forward his projects, he resigned and went back to structural engineering for several years.
In 1938, under the threat of the war, Albert Caquot was brought back to manage all the national aeronautical businesses. He resigned in January 1940.
The man
He always had a great independence of mind and an incredible selflessness. The numerous honors he received from multiple countries, for example the dignity of Grand-croix de la Légion d’Honneur in FranceLégion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
(1951), pay tribute to his exceptional merits. He was a member of the French Academy of Sciences
French Academy of Sciences
The French Academy of Sciences is a learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French scientific research...
for 41 years and served as their president from 1952 to 1961. During more than twenty years, he chaired numerous French scientific organizations, like the National Council of the French Engineers (CNISF), and was on the board of EDF
Électricité de France
Électricité de France S.A. is the second largest French utility company. Headquartered in Paris, France, with €65.2 billion in revenues in 2010, EDF operates a diverse portfolio of 120,000+ megawatts of generation capacity in Europe, Latin America, Asia, the Middle East and Africa.EDF is one of...
(Électricité de France), the main electricity generation and distribution company in France, during more than ten years. In 1961, at 80 years old, Albert Caquot resigned from all the presidencies which he had always assured voluntarily. Warm-hearted, attentive and available, he loved to withdraw within his family.
Homage
On 2 July 2001, a 4.5-FRF (0.69-€) stamp was issued in France to celebrate Albert Caquot’s legacy on the 120e anniversary of his birth and the 25e anniversary of his death. A “Caquot dirigeable”Airship
An airship or dirigible is a type of aerostat or "lighter-than-air aircraft" that can be steered and propelled through the air using rudders and propellers or other thrust mechanisms...
and the bridge of La Caille, two of his creations, surround his picture on the stamp.
Since 1989, the Prix Albert Caquot
Prix Albert Caquot
The Prix Albert Caquot is an annual prestigious award presented by the French Association of Civil Engineering. It is named after Albert Caquot, a famous and influential French civil engineer. The award is given for a lifetime of scientific and technical achievements, as well as high ethical...
is awarded annually by the French Association of Civil and Structural Engineering.
Additional sources
Biographies- « Albert Caquot 1881-1976 - Savant, soldat et bâtisseur », Jean Kérisel – August 2001
- Bulletin of the SABIX, special number 28 about Albert Caquot, July 2001
- Le Curieux Vouzinois, "Hyppolyte Taine and Albert Caquot", by Jean Kerisel, Vouziers (the Ardennes), 25 March 2001
- Sciences Ouest, numero 112, "L'Ecole Polytechnique et la Bretagne. Le barrage et l'usine maremotrice de la Rance", June 1995
- L'Union, "Une journee particuliere en hommage a Albert Caquot", Vouziers (the Ardennes), 25 March 1995
- La Jaune et la Rouge, "Albert Caquot (X 1899)", by Robert Paoli (X 1931), November 1993
See also
- AirshipAirshipAn airship or dirigible is a type of aerostat or "lighter-than-air aircraft" that can be steered and propelled through the air using rudders and propellers or other thrust mechanisms...
- French Academy of Science
- École PolytechniqueÉcole PolytechniqueThe École Polytechnique is a state-run institution of higher education and research in Palaiseau, Essonne, France, near Paris. Polytechnique is renowned for its four year undergraduate/graduate Master's program...
, France - Ecole Nationale des Ponts et ChausséesÉcole Nationale des Ponts et ChausséesFounded in 1747, the École nationale des ponts et chaussées , often referred to as les Ponts, is the world's oldest civil engineering school...
- Musée de l'Air et de l'EspaceMusée de l'Air et de l'EspaceThe French Air and Space Museum is a French museum, located in the south-eastern edge of Le Bourget Airport, north of Paris, and in the commune of Le Bourget. It was created in 1919 from a proposition of Albert Caquot .-Description:Occupying over of land and hangars, it is one of the oldest...
, Le Bourget
External links
- Biography on the Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussees website (in French)
- Biography on the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Mines de Paris website (in French)
- Biography on the Vouziers city website (in French)
- Biography on the planete-TP website (in French)
- French stamp issued in July 2001
- List of Albert Caquot awards (AFGC) since 1989