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Albert Caquot | |
|---|---|
 Albert Caquot, wearing a dark suit in the foreground, inÉcole Polytechnique premises, Paris, ca 1900. | |
| Born | 1 July 1881 |
| Died | 28 November 1976(1976-11-28) (aged 95) Paris, France |
| Education | École Polytechnique, 1899 Ponts et Chaussées |
| Occupations | Engineer and inventor |
Albert Irénée Caquot (French pronunciation:[albɛʁiʁenekako]; 1 July 1881 – 28 November 1976) was a French engineer. He received the “Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France)” (military honor) and wasGrand-croix of the Légion d’Honneur (1951). In 1962, he was awarded theWilhelm Exner Medal.[1] He was a member of theFrench Academy of Sciences from 1934 until his death in 1976.
Albert was born to Paul Auguste Ondrine Caquot and his wife, Marie Irma (nee Cousinard).[2] They owned a family farm inVouziers, in theArdennes, near the Belgian border. His father taught him modernism, by installing electricity and telephone as early as 1890. One year after high school, at eighteen years old, he was admitted at theEcole Polytechnique[2] ("year" 1899). Six years later, he graduated in theCorps des Ponts et Chaussées.
From 1905 to 1912, he was a project manager inTroyes (Aube) and was pointed out for civil work improvements he undertook with the city sewer system. This protected the city from the centennial flood of theRiver Seine in 1910. In 1912, he joined a leading structural engineering firm where he applied his unique talent as a structure designer.
Albert Caquot conducted research and immediately applied it in construction. His most notable contributions include the following:
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, desPonts et del’Aéronautique.
In the course of his career as a designer, 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 theChrist the Redeemer statue inRio de Janeiro (Brazil) at the peak ofCorcovado Mountain (1931)[3] and theGeorge V Bridge on the Clyde River inGlasgow (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.
During the course of his life, he committed alternately to structural and aeronautical engineering, following the rhythm imposed by the First and Second World Wars. Albert Caquot's aeronautics contributions included designing the "Caquot dirigible"[4] and technical innovations at the new French Aviation Ministry, where he created several Fluid Mechanics Institutes that still exist today.Marcel Dassault, whom Albert Caquot charged to develop several major aeronautical projects at the beginning of his career, and mentioned that he was one of the best engineers that aeronautics ever had. He (Albert Caquot) 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 anairship unit of the French army. At the beginning of First World War, he was mobilised with the 40e Compagnie d'Aérostiers equipped withDrachen typeairships as first lieutenant. He noticed the poor wind behavior of these sausage shaped captive balloons, which were ineffective except in calm conditions.
In 1914, he designed a new sausage-shaped dirigible equipped with three air-filled lobes spaced evenly around the tail as stabilizers. He moved the inner air balloonette from the rear to the underside of the nose, separate from the main gas envelope. The Caquot could hold in 90 km/h winds and remain horizontal. France manufactured "Caquot dirigibles" for all the allied forces, including the English and United States armies, for three years. The United States also manufactured nearly a thousand "Caquot R balloons" in 1918-1919. This balloon gave France and its allies an advantage in military observation, significantly contributing to the allies' supremacy in artillery and 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 calledMusée 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 research, prototypes, and mass production policy, which contributed quickly to France's leadership in the aeronautical industry. His main accomplishments are:
In 1933, after a budget cut prevented him from proceeding with his projects, he resigned and returned 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.
On 2 July 2001, a4.5-FRF (0.69-€) stamp was issued in France to celebrate Albert Caquot's legacy on the 120th anniversary of his birth and the 25th anniversary of his death. A “Caquotdirigeable" and thebridge of La Caille, two of his creations, surround his picture on the stamp.
Since 1989, thePrix Albert Caquot is awarded annually by theFrench Association of Civil and Structural Engineering.
