Robert H. Scanlan (1914-2001) was an American civil and aeronautical engineer who came to be widely recognized as a leader in the analysis of wind effects on large structures. Scanlan created the concept of flutter derivatives to aid in the representation of self-excited forces in theoretical models. His research in the area of bridge

aerodynamics Aerodynamics, from grc, ἀήρ ''aero'' (air) + grc, δυναμική (dynamics), is the study of the motion of air, particularly when affected by a solid object, such as an airplane wing. It involves topics covered in the field of fluid dy ...

made possible the construction of larger, sturdier, and more cost-effective bridges. Scanlan worked in both industry and academia, and his employers included

Republic Aviation The Republic Aviation Corporation was an American aircraft manufacturer based in Farmingdale, New York, on Long Island. Originally known as the Seversky Aircraft Company, the company was responsible for the design and production of many important ...

, the

Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic ...

, the French agencies CNRS and

ONERA The Office National d'Etudes et de Recherches Aérospatiales (ONERA) is the French national aerospace research centre. It is a public establishment with industrial and commercial operations, and carries out application-oriented research to supp ...

, Schlumberger, the

Case Institute of Technology Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) is a Private university, private research university in Cleveland, Cleveland, Ohio. Case Western Reserve was established in 1967, when Western Reserve University, founded in 1826 and named for its location i ...

Princeton University Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ...

, and

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hemisphere. It consi ...

. In the course of his life, Scanlan published two textbooks, "Aircraft Vibration and Flutter" and "Wind Effects on Large Structures," which are used by engineers worldwide.

Early career

Robert Scanlan was born in Chicago in 1914. He attended the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chic ...

, where he completed a bachelor's and a master's degree in mathematics. The next step in his education was to attend

MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the m ...

, where he earned a doctorate in mathematics and physics. He was hired as an aeronautical engineer for

in New York, where he served as Chief of Aeroelasticity during World War Two. Following his wartime work, Scanlan was employed by the

, and later became a professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. During this time, his energy was devoted to research in aeronautics and

aeroelasticity Aeroelasticity is the branch of physics and engineering studying the interactions between the inertial, elastic, and aerodynamic forces occurring while an elastic body is exposed to a fluid flow. The study of aeroelasticity may be broadly classi ...

, and he published "Aircraft Vibration and Flutter," which is considered to be a fundamental textbook on concepts in elasticity. Scanlan eventually travelled to France, where he studied at the

Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...

, completing a doctoral degree in mechanics. While in France, he was employed at CNRS (National Center for Scientific Research) and

(French National Aerospace Research Center).

Later career

After his time in France, Scanlan came back to the U.S. and accepted a job at Schlumberger, a leading oilfield services provider, and later became a member of the faculty at the

and

. Finally, in 1984 he joined the Department of Civil Engineering at

, where he stayed until his death. While at the latter two universities, Scanlan began to focus on what became known as wind engineering, and the rest of his career centered on this field. He began working on analyzing the

and

of extensive structures like skyscrapers, bridges, and cooling towers. Along with former student Emil Simiu, Scanlan co-authored the book "Wind Effects on Structures," which is considered to be an essential reference concerning the dynamics of structures in response to air currents. Robert Scanlan died at the age of 86 on May 27, 2001 in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. His death was attributed to heart failure.

Contributions to Bridge Aerodynamics

Some of Robert Scanlan's most important contributions in the field of engineering were in the area of bridge

. These included the introduction of flutter derivatives, which became widely used to analyze the

of bridges under wind loading, advances in the analysis of

vortex In fluid dynamics, a vortex ( : vortices or vortexes) is a region in a fluid in which the flow revolves around an axis line, which may be straight or curved. Vortices form in stirred fluids, and may be observed in smoke rings, whirlpools in ...

-induced vibrations, and buffeting of incomplete bridges experiencing yawed wind. During his lifetime, Scanlan served as the main aerodynamic consultant for the San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge, the Golden Gate Bridge, and the

Kap Shui Mun Bridge The Kap Shui Mun Bridge (KSMB) in Hong Kong, part of Lantau Link of Route 8, is one of the longest cable-stayed bridges in the world that transports both road and railway traffic, with the upper deck used for motor vehicles and the lower deck u ...

in Hong Kong.

Awards, Honors, and Memberships

Scanlan was a well-respected engineer and was awarded many honors during his life. These included the James Croes Medal, the Nathan Newmark Medal, the von Karmen Medal, and the Wellington Prize of the

American Society of Civil Engineers American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

(ASCE). Scanlan was active in the ASCE, of which he was an honorary member, and his other affiliations included the American Academy of Mechanics and the

National Academy of Engineering The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Engineering is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of ...

. As a faculty member at Johns Hopkins University, Scanlan was given the title of Homewood Professor, an honor awarded to distinguished members of the faculty who are not tenured. Following his death, the ASCE established the Robert H. Scanlan Medal, which is awarded annually to a person who has made significant contributions in the field of engineering mechanics.

Family

At the time of his death in 2001, Scanlan's family included his wife Elizabeth, his daughters Kate and Jean, his sons Robert and Glenn, eight grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scanlan, Robert H. American civil engineers University of Chicago alumni University of Paris alumni Princeton University faculty Massachusetts Institute of Technology School of Science alumni Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute faculty Johns Hopkins University faculty 1914 births 2001 deaths Aerodynamicists 20th-century American engineers