Bridging Theory and Practice — Claude Louis Marie Henri Navier
Although known today primarily for his theoretical work on fluid mechanics, Claude-Louis Navier melded theory with engineering practice during an important period in the development of this new profession. Navier’s education was guided by his uncle, Émiland Gauthey, who was one of France’s leading engineers. Navier attended the Ecole Polytechnique, where he learned the latest developments in mechanical sciences under the mentorship of Joseph Fourier, and the Ecole des Ponts et Chaussées. Soon after graduation, Navier was recruited to the task of updating and publishing reference guides to engineering practice written by his uncle. This set Navier on a career as a theoretician with the objective of using theoretical analysis based on mechanics to extend existing engineering knowledge, which was largely empirical in nature. The scope of Navier’s investigations ranged beyond engineering design. For example, in one influential study Navier showed that economics favored the use of the novel technology of railroads over canals for the transportation of freight.
Navier’s otherwise brilliant career was marked by a monumental failure. Increasing use of iron as a construction material introduced the possibility of building suspension bridges capable of carrying heavy loads, such as a railroad train, over large spans. This offered a cheaper alternative to the traditional stone arched bridge. Navier attacked this problem with his characteristic combination of theory and practice. After a tour of England to absorb the state-of-the-art in innovative bridge design, Navier published a report in which he developed the theoretical basis for the design of suspension bridges. He was then given the opportunity to put theory into practice as the lead engineer for a for a new suspension bridge over the Seine at the site of the present-day Pont Alexander.
Disaster befell the project in the night of 6–7 September 1826. Water gushing from a broken water main undermined the foundations of the nearly-completed bridge. Efforts to repair the damage were hampered by the onset of winter weather. However, the municipal leaders of Paris were never happy with the project, and they succeeded in having what will always be known as Navier’s bridge destroyed.
Claude-Louis Navier is one of the 72 engineers and scientists named on the Eiffel Tower.
