Professsor ION STROESCU’s activities and achievements at the Polytechnic School and the University of Bucharest

Abstract

The authors of this exposure are graduates of the Faculty of Aircraft, the Aviation Department, respectively, within the Polytechnic Institute of Bucharest, now The “Politehnica” University of Bucharest. During the studies I learned very little about Professor Ion Stroescu. V.N. Constantinescu, professor in ordinary of the Aerodynamics course, after Academician Elie Carafoli’s retirement, told us that when designing the Polizu wind tunnel, discussions of following kind took place: Prof. Ion Stroescu, the wind tunnel’s designer, proposed a specific curvature of the walls. Acad. Carafoli interfered: “What? Just like that, without calculation? I will calculate the optimum shape myself”. After several days, during which he performed the calculations, Academician Carafoli gave the answer: “It remains as it was designed”. The story shows the great intuition of the drawing and physical education teacher Ion Stroescu in the field of experimental aerodynamics. Our exposure is based on Viorel Vioreanu’s work issued in 1978. We also considered the speeches of academicians Victor Valcovici, Elie Carafoli and Mitu Dumitrescu in a Festive meeting to celebrate 50 years of activity in the field of aviation and experimental aerodynamics and Prof. Ion Stroescu’s 70 years of life, an event organized by the Romanian Academy and the Institute of Applied Mechanics “Traian Vuia” on January 31, 1959, and also other works. In 1929, Ion Stroescu became assistant and close collaborator of Professor Elie Carafoli, at the Department of Aeronautics and Aerodynamics of the Polytechnic School. In the Yearbook of the “Royal Polytechnic School Carol II” of Bucharest, published in the academic year 19341935, on page 45, chapter “Personnel of the educational laboratories” we can find the following: “12. Laboratory of Aerodynamics: Head of laboratory: Professor PhD.Eng. Elie Carafoli; Secondary Teacher assigned to this laboratory: Ion Stroescu”, and other three more employees: laboratory assistant, mechanic, and modeler. Ion Stroescu’s activity, together with the two great teachers, Elie Carafoli, at the Polytechnic School and Victor Valcovici, at the University of Bucharest is closely related to the study, design and construction of wind tunnels. Prof. Ion Stroescu built the first wind tunnel in Romania in 1927, at the high school in Ramnicu Sarat. The project was done in 1926, but a wind tunnel project was submitted by Ion Stroescu to the Ministry of War, in 1915. The wind tunnel in 1927, although having a short life, was mentioned in the publications of the time. “Der Flugtechnic” of 11 May 1928 wrote “Professor Stroescu is a true pioneer in the field of Aeronautics. He built in Ramnicu Sarat the first aerodynamic wind tunnel in Romania, of Eiffel type, equipped with a balance of Stroescu type”. Ion Stroescu’s wind tunnel, equipped with a Ford automobile engine of 12 CP, to which a plane propeller was adapted to make a speed of about 31 m/ s, had a cylindrical experimental area with a diameter of 1.50 m (Figure 1).