Zhong Wanxie (; born 24 February 1934), also known as Wan-Xie Zhong, is a Chinese civil engineer and physicist. He is a professor at the

Dalian University of Technology Dalian University of Technology (DUT) (), colloquially known in Chinese as Dagong (), is a public research university located in Dalian, Liaoning, China, with an additional campus in Panjin, Liaoning. Established in April 1949, it is the ...

who specializes in computational mechanics and engineering mechanics. He pioneered computational mechanics in China and served as the founding Chairman of the Chinese Association for Computational Mechanics and an executive committee member of the International Association for Computational Mechanics. He was elected an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1993.

Biography

Zhong was born on 24 February 1934 in

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

Republic of China Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the northeast ...

. His father, Zhong Zhaolin (钟兆琳), was a distinguished professor of electrical engineering at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. After graduating from Tongji University in 1956, he entered the Institute of Mechanics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and studied under

Qian Weichang Qian Weichang or Chien Wei-zang (; 9 October 1912 – 30 July 2010) was a Chinese physicist and applied mathematician, as well as academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He served as President of Shanghai University. Career Qian was b ...

and

Hu Haichang Hu Haichang (; April 25, 1928 – February 21, 2011) was a Chinese mechanical and aerospace engineer. He was in charge of the early phase development for the Dong Fang Hong I, China's first artificial satellite. Hu was an academician of the Chine ...

. From 1958, he taught mechanics at the

University of Science and Technology of China A university () is an educational institution, institution of higher education, higher (or Tertiary education, tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. Universities ty ...

. In 1962, on the recommendation of Hu Haichang, Zhong was transferred to the

(DUT) to work under Qian Lingxi. Their collaboration soon bore fruit. They published two papers in ''Science in China'' and ''Acta Mechanica Sinica'', on the "general variational theory of limit analysis and plasticity". The research was used in

submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

design and was awarded national prizes. He remained a professor at DUT for the rest of his career. In the early 1970s, Zhong pioneered computational mechanics, the use of computer technology in mechanics, in China. He led a team of scientists, including Cheng Gengdong, that designed engineering software using

group theory In abstract algebra, group theory studies the algebraic structures known as group (mathematics), groups. The concept of a group is central to abstract algebra: other well-known algebraic structures, such as ring (mathematics), rings, field ...

. It was successfully used to design major projects such as the Shanghai TV Tower, the Liaoning Indoor Stadium, and the

Shanghai Indoor Stadium Shanghai Indoor Stadium, () also known as the Shanghai Grand Stage, is a multi-purpose gymnasium in Shanghai. Hailed as a great feat of engineering at the time of its construction, the building is now considered dated and out-classed by newly ...

. In 1984, he was elected the first chairman of the newly established Chinese Association for Computational Mechanics (CACM). Two years later, he was elected an executive committee member of the International Association for Computational Mechanics (IACM). Zhong was elected an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1993. He was awarded the

State Natural Science Award The State Science and Technology Prizes () are the highest honors conferred by the national government of the People's Republic of China in science and technology, in order to recognize citizens and organizations who have made remarkable contribut ...

multiple times and the

Ho Leung Ho Lee Prize The Ho Leung Ho Lee Foundation (HLHL, ) is a Hong Kong-based non-government organisation which annually bestows prizes upon Chinese scientists. It was established on 30 March 1994, with funds donated from the charitable foundations of Ho Sin Han ...

in Mathematics and Mechanics. He is an honorary professor of the

University of Hong Kong The University of Hong Kong (HKU) (Chinese: 香港大學) is a public research university in Hong Kong. Founded in 1887 as the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese, it is the oldest tertiary institution in Hong Kong. HKU was also the fi ...

and the University of Wales.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zhong, Wanxie 1934 births Living people Chinese civil engineers Nanyang Model High School alumni Tongji University alumni Educators from Shanghai Engineers from Shanghai Members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences People of the Republic of China Physicists from Shanghai University of Science and Technology of China faculty Dalian University of Technology faculty