Tung Hua Lin
Encyclopedia
Tung Hua Lin was a Chinese
-American
aerospace
and structural engineer
best known for designing China's first twin engine
aircraft
during World War II
.
agency. In 1914, his family moved to Beijing
. He enrolled in Huiwen High School in 1924, graduating in 1928. After graduation, he entered Yenching University
, majoring in physics, but the following year transferred to Chiaotung University's Tangshan
, Hebei
campus (present-day Southwest Jiaotong University
), graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1933. He then won a Chinese National Fellowship to study in the United States
in 1933. He completed his master of science degree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
in 1936. He returned to teach at Tsing Hua University in 1937. His cousin Tung-Yen Lin was also one of the outstanding structural engineers of the 20th century.
during World War II
. His production team worked in a cave
to protect against bombing by the Japan
ese. He lacked modern design tools such as wind tunnel
s to test the aircraft. The C-0101 which he designed was test flown
from Chungking to Chengdu
on November 18, 1944. Lin was awarded a medal by the Chinese government for his efforts.
in China. They approached the St. Louis, Missouri
-based McDonnell Aircraft
about mass-producing their aircraft, but as the price quoted was too expensive, they instead chose Gloucester, England's Gloster Aircraft Company
; Lin was part of a 20-person design team who moved to England to work with them in 1947. However, due to a lack of funding, they had to halt production in 1949, whereupon Lin moved to the United States. There, he taught at the University of Detroit while studying for his doctorate at the University of Michigan
. He became a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles
in 1955; while there, he published the Theory of Inelastic Structure in 1968. He retired in 1978.
Lin was awarded the Theodore von Kármán
Medal by the American Society of Civil Engineers
in 1988. His research on earthquake
stress
in construction materials led to a fellowship in the National Academy of Engineering
in 1990. Taiwan
's Academia Sinica
named him as a member in 1996. He died of heart failure in June 2007.
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
-American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
aerospace
Aerospace
Aerospace comprises the atmosphere of Earth and surrounding space. Typically the term is used to refer to the industry that researches, designs, manufactures, operates, and maintains vehicles moving through air and space...
and structural engineer
Structural engineer
Structural engineers analyze, design, plan, and research structural components and structural systems to achieve design goals and ensure the safety and comfort of users or occupants...
best known for designing China's first twin engine
Aircraft engine
An aircraft engine is the component of the propulsion system for an aircraft that generates mechanical power. Aircraft engines are almost always either lightweight piston engines or gas turbines...
aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Early life and career
Lin was born in Chungking in May 1911. His grandfather was head of the local telegraphTelegraphy
Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages via some form of signalling technology. Telegraphy requires messages to be converted to a code which is known to both sender and receiver...
agency. In 1914, his family moved to Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
. He enrolled in Huiwen High School in 1924, graduating in 1928. After graduation, he entered Yenching University
Yenching University
Yenching University was a university in Beijing, China. It integrated three Christian colleges in the city in 1919. Yenching is an alternative name of Beijing - derived from its status as capital of Yan state, one of the seven Warring States from 5th century BC to 3rd century BC.The university...
, majoring in physics, but the following year transferred to Chiaotung University's Tangshan
Tangshan
"唐山"redirects here. For an alternative name of China, see Names of China#TangTangshan is a largely industrial prefecture-level city in Hebei province, People's Republic of China. It has become known for the 1976 Tangshan earthquake which measured 7.8 on the Richter scale and killed at least...
, Hebei
Hebei
' is a province of the People's Republic of China in the North China region. Its one-character abbreviation is "" , named after Ji Province, a Han Dynasty province that included what is now southern Hebei...
campus (present-day Southwest Jiaotong University
Southwest Jiaotong University
Southwest Jiaotong University is one of the oldest universities in mainland China.-About SWJTU:The university was originally founded at Shanhaiguan, Hebei in 1896, and it is currently located in Chengdu, Sichuan, a major city in the southwest part of the country...
), graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1933. He then won a Chinese National Fellowship to study in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1933. He completed his master of science degree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
in 1936. He returned to teach at Tsing Hua University in 1937. His cousin Tung-Yen Lin was also one of the outstanding structural engineers of the 20th century.
World War II
Lin was asked to design aircraftAeronautics
Aeronautics is the science involved with the study, design, and manufacturing of airflight-capable machines, or the techniques of operating aircraft and rocketry within the atmosphere...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. His production team worked in a cave
Cave
A cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to natural cavities some part of which is in total darkness. The word cave also includes smaller spaces like rock shelters, sea caves, and grottos.Speleology is the science of exploration and study...
to protect against bombing by the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese. He lacked modern design tools such as wind tunnel
Wind tunnel
A wind tunnel is a research tool used in aerodynamic research to study the effects of air moving past solid objects.-Theory of operation:Wind tunnels were first proposed as a means of studying vehicles in free flight...
s to test the aircraft. The C-0101 which he designed was test flown
Flight test
Flight test is a branch of aeronautical engineering that develops and gathers data during flight of an aircraft and then analyzes the data to evaluate the flight characteristics of the aircraft and validate its design, including safety aspects...
from Chungking to Chengdu
Chengdu
Chengdu , formerly transliterated Chengtu, is the capital of Sichuan province in Southwest China. It holds sub-provincial administrative status...
on November 18, 1944. Lin was awarded a medal by the Chinese government for his efforts.
Postwar career
After the war, Lin was a member of a mission to design jet aircraftJet aircraft
A jet aircraft is an aircraft propelled by jet engines. Jet aircraft generally fly much faster than propeller-powered aircraft and at higher altitudes – as high as . At these altitudes, jet engines achieve maximum efficiency over long distances. The engines in propeller-powered aircraft...
in China. They approached the St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
-based McDonnell Aircraft
McDonnell Aircraft
The McDonnell Aircraft Corporation was an American aerospace manufacturer based in St. Louis, Missouri. The company was founded on July 16, 1939 by James Smith McDonnell, and was best known for its military fighters, including the F-4 Phantom II, and manned spacecraft including the Mercury capsule...
about mass-producing their aircraft, but as the price quoted was too expensive, they instead chose Gloucester, England's Gloster Aircraft Company
Gloster Aircraft Company
The Gloster Aircraft Company, Limited, known locally as GAC, was a British aircraft manufacturer. The company produced a famous lineage of fighters for the Royal Air Force : the Grebe, Gladiator, Meteor and Javelin. It also produced the Hawker Hurricane and Hawker Typhoon for the parent company...
; Lin was part of a 20-person design team who moved to England to work with them in 1947. However, due to a lack of funding, they had to halt production in 1949, whereupon Lin moved to the United States. There, he taught at the University of Detroit while studying for his doctorate at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
. He became a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles
Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science
The Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of California, Los Angeles was opened with an enrollment of 379 students in the fall of 1945. It opened as the College of Engineering until it was changed to school on February 21, 1969. The School now has seven...
in 1955; while there, he published the Theory of Inelastic Structure in 1968. He retired in 1978.
Lin was awarded the Theodore von Kármán
Theodore von Karman
Theodore von Kármán was a Hungarian-American mathematician, aerospace engineer and physicist who was active primarily in the fields of aeronautics and astronautics. He is responsible for many key advances in aerodynamics, notably his work on supersonic and hypersonic airflow characterization...
Medal by the American Society of Civil Engineers
American Society of Civil Engineers
The American Society of Civil Engineers is a professional body founded in 1852 to represent members of the civil engineering profession worldwide. It is the oldest national engineering society in the United States. ASCE's vision is to have engineers positioned as global leaders who strive toward...
in 1988. His research on earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
stress
Stress (physics)
In continuum mechanics, stress is a measure of the internal forces acting within a deformable body. Quantitatively, it is a measure of the average force per unit area of a surface within the body on which internal forces act. These internal forces are a reaction to external forces applied on the body...
in construction materials led to a fellowship in the National Academy of Engineering
National Academy of Engineering
The National Academy of Engineering is a government-created non-profit institution in the United States, that was founded in 1964 under the same congressional act that led to the founding of the National Academy of Sciences...
in 1990. Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
's Academia Sinica
Academia Sinica
The Academia Sinica , headquartered in the Nangang District of Taipei, is the national academy of Taiwan. It supports research activities in a wide variety of disciplines, ranging from mathematical and physical sciences, to life sciences, and to humanities and social sciences.Academia Sinica has...
named him as a member in 1996. He died of heart failure in June 2007.
Publications
-
- ChineseChinese languageThe Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
edition:
- Chinese