Elfyn Richards
Encyclopedia
Professor Elfyn John Richards (28 December 1914–7 September 1995) was a Welsh
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...

 aeronautical engineer, the first professor of this subject at Southampton University, and the second Vice-Chancellor of Loughborough University of Technology
Loughborough University
Loughborough University is a research based campus university located in the market town of Loughborough, Leicestershire, in the East Midlands of England...

.

Life

Richards (sometimes known as “Sam”) was born in Barry, Glamorgan on 28 December 1914, and studied at Barry Grammar School, University College of Wales, Aberystwyth, and St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's alumni include nine Nobel Prize winners, six Prime Ministers, three archbishops, at least two princes, and three Saints....

, where he read mathematics and physics. He married 3 times: first in 1941 to Eluned Jones (d. 1978) with whom he had 3 daughters, then in 1986 to Olive Meakin (d. 1989) and in 1990 to Miriam Davidson, who survived him. He died in Romsey
Romsey
Romsey is a small market town in the county of Hampshire, England.It is 8 miles northwest of Southampton and 11 miles southwest of Winchester, neighbouring the village of North Baddesley...

, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...

 on 7 September 1995.

Work

Richards began his career at the Bristol Aeroplane Company
Bristol Aeroplane Company
The Bristol Aeroplane Company, originally the British and Colonial Aeroplane Company, was both one of the first and one of the most important British aviation companies, designing and manufacturing both airframes and aero engines...

, then moved to the National Physical Laboratory studying aerofoil design. In 1945 he became Chief Aerodynamicist at Vickers-Armstrong, working on designs for the Vickers Valiant
Vickers Valiant
The Vickers-Armstrongs Valiant was a British four-jet bomber, once part of the Royal Air Force's V bomber nuclear force in the 1950s and 1960s...

, Vickers Viscount
Vickers Viscount
The Vickers Viscount was a British medium-range turboprop airliner first flown in 1948 by Vickers-Armstrongs, making it the first such aircraft to enter service in the world...

 and Vickers Valiant
Vickers Valiant
The Vickers-Armstrongs Valiant was a British four-jet bomber, once part of the Royal Air Force's V bomber nuclear force in the 1950s and 1960s...

 aircraft. During this period he developed a research interest in aircraft noise. In 1950 he became the first Professor of Aeronautical Engineering at Southampton University, and in 1963 became Professor of Applied Acoustics at the same university. From 1967 to 1975 he was Vice-Chancellor of Loughborough University of Technology. After this he returned to Southampton University, taking up a chair in the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research.

Honours

Richards was awarded the OBE in 1958 for his work on noise. He was awarded the Taylor Gold Medal of the Royal Aeronautical Society
Royal Aeronautical Society
The Royal Aeronautical Society, also known as the RAeS, is a multidisciplinary professional institution dedicated to the global aerospace community.-Function:...

, the James Watt Medal of the Institution of Civil Engineers
Institution of Civil Engineers
Founded on 2 January 1818, the Institution of Civil Engineers is an independent professional association, based in central London, representing civil engineering. Like its early membership, the majority of its current members are British engineers, but it also has members in more than 150...

, and the Silver Medal of the Royal Society of Arts
Royal Society of Arts
The Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce is a British multi-disciplinary institution, based in London. The name Royal Society of Arts is frequently used for brevity...

. He served as President of the British Acoustical Society (1968-70) and President of the Society of Environmental Engineers
Society of Environmental Engineers
The Society of Environmental Engineers is a British professional engineering institution founded in 1959. It is licensed by the Engineering Council UK to assess candidates for inclusion on ECUK's Register of Professional Engineers and Technicians. The Society publishes the quarterly journal...

 (1971-73). He is commemorated in Elvyn Richards student accommodation at Loughborough University.

Publications

Noise and Acoustic Fatigue in Aeronautics by Elfyn John Richards & D. J. Mead (Wiley) ISBN 0471719447

External Links

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