Karl-Eugen Kurrer, The History of the Theory of Structures. From Arc Analysis to Computational Mechanics

Abstract

Interest in the history of structures arose only after the second half of 20th century when the discipline—in obeyence to the celebrated Hegelian passage on Minerva’s owl—had reached a deep degree of maturity. This new trend was marked by the publication of two important works: Timoshenko’s “History of Strength of Materials” (1953), and Truesdell’s “The Rational Mechanics of Flexible or Elastic Bodies” as an introduction to one of the volumes of Euler’s Opera Omnia (1960). The two books are complementary. Timoshenko embraces the period from 1638 to 1950 describing with his congenial clarity all aspects of the evolution of the discipline, from its mathematical foundations to its technical applications. Truesdell analyzes a shorter interval of time, from 1638 to 1788. He considers only one-dimensional bodies like strings and beams, but neglects the engineering realizations that were nevertheless remarkable. His style is magmatic, his prose erudite, and his position constantly impassioned in judging the protagonists of his history. A third book on the history of structures was published by Gordon with the title “Structures, or Why Things do not Fall Down” (1978). The purpose of the book is merely expository, but its appealing choice of subjects, its brilliant style, its simplicity, have attracted