Gustave-Adolphe Hirn (21 August 1815 – 14 January 1890) was a French

physicist A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe. Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate caus ...

astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses their studies on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. They observe astronomical objects such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, g ...

. mathematician and engineer who made important measurements of the

mechanical equivalent of heat In the history of science, the mechanical equivalent of heat states that motion and heat are mutually interchangeable and that in every case, a given amount of work would generate the same amount of heat, provided the work done is totally converte ...

and contributions to the early development of

thermodynamics Thermodynamics is a branch of physics that deals with heat, work, and temperature, and their relation to energy, entropy, and the physical properties of matter and radiation. The behavior of these quantities is governed by the four laws of the ...

. He further applied his science in the practical development of

steam engine A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. The steam engine uses the force produced by steam pressure to push a piston back and forth inside a cylinder. This pushing force can be trans ...

Life

Hirn was born in Logelbach, near

Colmar Colmar (, ; Alsatian: ' ; German during 1871–1918 and 1940–1945: ') is a city and commune in the Haut-Rhin department and Grand Est region of north-eastern France. The third-largest commune in Alsace (after Strasbourg and Mulhouse), it is ...

into the prosperous textile-manufacturing family Haussmann.

Baron Haussmann Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knigh ...

was a cousin. At 19, he entered his grandfather's cotton factory as a

chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties. Chemists carefully describe th ...

. Later he worked as an engineer, and began research on mechanics, especially on calorics. Hirn carried out numerous experiments during his career, demonstrating the relevance of Carnot's principle in animated engines: the equivalence of thermal and mechanical energy. His work on thermodynamics is considered a major work of the 19th century. Indeed, he deduced from his work an equation of state that introduced both the notion of free volume and internal pressure, notions that would reappear with the work of van der Waals with a different corpuscular conception. He was made a member of the

French Academy of Science The French Academy of Sciences (French: ''Académie des sciences'') is a learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French scientific research. It was at th ...

in 1867; in 1880 founded a

meteorological Meteorology is a branch of the atmospheric sciences (which include atmospheric chemistry and physics) with a major focus on weather forecasting. The study of meteorology dates back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not ...

observatory near Colmar; and later devoted himself to

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies astronomical object, celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and chronology of the Universe, evolution. Objects of interest ...

. Hirn was educated in the shop, and his works are marked by much practical criticism of mere academic theory. Hirn invented the pandynanometer in 1880 and published a theory of the origin and chemical composition of

Saturn's rings The rings of Saturn are the most extensive ring system of any planet in the Solar System. They consist of countless small particles, ranging in size from micrometers to meters, that orbit around Saturn. The ring particles are made almost entirel ...

, exchanging correspondence with Urbain Jean Joseph Leverrier. In 1886, he was elected as a member to the

American Philosophical Society The American Philosophical Society (APS), founded in 1743 in Philadelphia, is a scholarly organization that promotes knowledge in the sciences and humanities through research, professional meetings, publications, library resources, and communit ...

. He made significant contributions to the field of

tribology Tribology is the science and engineering of interacting surfaces in relative Motion (physics), motion. It includes the study and application of the principles of friction, lubrication and wear. Tribology is highly interdisciplinary, drawing on m ...

. His study of

friction Friction is the force resisting the relative motion of solid surfaces, fluid layers, and material elements sliding against each other. There are several types of friction: *Dry friction is a force that opposes the relative lateral motion of t ...

in journal bearings revealed all the essential features of fluid film

lubrication Lubrication is the process or technique of using a lubricant to reduce friction and wear and tear in a contact between two surfaces. The study of lubrication is a discipline in the field of tribology. Lubrication mechanisms such as fluid-lubric ...

, although it lacked theoretical justification. For this contribution, he was named as one of the 23 "Men of Tribology" by

Duncan Dowson Duncan Dowson (31 August 1928 – 6 January 2020) was a British engineer and Professor of Engineering Fluid Mechanics and Tribology at the University of Leeds. Biography Dowson's father, Wilfrid Dowson, was an ornamental blacksmith, and as ...

. He died in Logelbach in 1890.

Honours

*Chevalier of the

Légion d'Honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

, (1865)

Bibliography

Works by Hirn

*Hirn G.A. (1849) “Nouvelles recherches sur le frottement des corps solides”, ''Comptes Rendus'', 28, p. 290 * - (1855a) “Etudes sur les principaux phénomènes que présentent les frottements médiats et sur les diverses manières de déterminer la valeur mécanique des matières employées au graissage des machines”, ''Bulletin de la Société Industrielle de Mulhouse'', 26, p. 202 * - (1855b) “Notice sur les lois de la production du calorique par les frottements médiats”, ''Bulletin de la Société Industrielle de Mulhouse'', 26, p. 238 * - (1862) ''Théorie mécanique de la chaleur'' (Paris, Lieber) * - (1863) ''Exposition analytique et expérimentale de la théorie de la chaleur'' (Paris, Mallet Bachelet) * - (1869) ''Analyse de l'univers'' * - (1870) ''Les paradynamometres'' * - (1872) ''Mémoire sur les anneaux de Saturne'' * - (1878) ''Étude sur une classe particuliere de tourbillons'' * - (1882) “Recherches expérimentales sur la relation qui existe entre la résistance de l'air et sa température. Conséquences physiques et philosophiques qui découlent de ces expériences”, ''Mémoires de l'Académie Royale des sciences, des lettres et des beaux-arts de Belgique'', 63, p. 91 * - (1882) ''La vie future et la science moderne'' * - (1887) "La thermodynamique et le travail chez les êtres vivants", ''Revue Scientifique'', 22, May, (Paris, Bureau des revues), pp. 673–684 * - (1889) ''Constitution de l'espace celeste''

Other

*Donkin, B. (1893
“Life and work of G.A. Hirn”
''

Cassier's Magazine ''Cassier's Magazine: An Engineering Monthly'' was an engineering magazine, published by the Cassier Magazine Company from 1891 to 1913. History The magazine was established by Louis Cassier (1862–1906) in 1891. He was the editor until his dea ...

'', pp. 233–239 * (in French) * *Papanelopoulou, F., 'Gustave-Adolphe Hirn (1815-1890): engineering thermodynamics in mid-nineteenth-century France', ''British Journal for the History of Science'' (2006), 39(2), 231-254

References

External links

Short biography
(in French)

by Faidra Papanelopoulou
The Body and the Metaphors of the Engine
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hirn, Gustave-Adolphe 1815 births 1890 deaths French physicists 19th-century French engineers 19th-century French astronomers Tribologists Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Members of the French Academy of Sciences Members of the American Philosophical Society