Henri Navier

Claude Louis Marie Henri Navier , born with Dijon the February 10th 1785 and died in Paris the August 21st 1835 is an engineer and scientific French. Mechanical specialist in , it establishes in 1821 and 1822 the Navier-Stokes equations, describing the Mécanique fluids.

Biography

He becomes orphan at nine years, after the death of his father, former deputy during the Révolution. His/her uncle Emiland Gauthey, engineer of the Body of the Highways Departments deals with his education and pushes it to present itself to the Polytechnic school. Although being among the last receipts in 1802, it succeeds there its schooling and its classification enable him to integrate the Body of the Highways Departments to take the succession of his/her uncle as an general inspector.

He then directs the construction of the bridges of Choisy, Asnières and Argenteuil in the department of the the Seine. In Paris, it builds the footbridge of the island of the City, but cannot conclude its great project of suspended bridge close to the Invalides, the Municipal council of Paris pretexting a compressing of ground to make destroy the bridge.

In 1824, it enters to the Academy of Science. In 1830, he becomes professor with the National school of the Highways Departments, then the following year professor of analysis and mechanics at the Polytechnic school to replace Augustin Louis Cauchy, resigner. It is made chevalier of the Legion of Honor in 1831.

Principal work

Henri Navier is at the origin of the general theory of the elasticity in 1821. One owes him several memories on the ship canals (1816). He is also a specialist in the Railroad, after several stays of study in England.

Its approach of teacher testifies to a preoccupation with a physical justification of the empirical laws which prevailed then in the engineerings. Thus, he is the author of a treaty on the suspended bridges (1832), where he develops the laws governing the balance of the elastic solids. He also works on the practical applications of the series S introduced by Joseph Fourier, his former professor.

Its major contribution remains however the Navier-Stokes equations, equations central of the Mécanique of the fluids. In the complex problems, their resolution requires powerful computers, in particular in aeronautics, in sciences of the atmosphere and in oceanography. The computer “Navier-Stokes Computer” developped at the point by the University Princeton and Concurrent Corp Computer. is currently used by NASA to study a project of supersonic aircraft.

Homages

Its name is registered on the Eiffel Tower.

External bond

Biographical note

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