Portuguese Engineers Research Articles

Appropriation, Integration, and Nation Building: Portuguese Railways in the Second Half of the Nineteenth and Early Years of the Twentieth Century

AbstractIn 1850, after three decades of political turmoil, Portugal started investing in major public works, particularly, in the construction of a national railway network. This strategy followed closely the suggestions of the Saint-Simonian technocrats with whom Portuguese engineers had been engaging since the 1820s. Additionally, it came in response to the longtime neglect suffered by the Portuguese transportation system, which hindered communications and trade between different areas of the kingdom and with neighboring Spain. The main goal of the investment was to modernize the national transport system, attract to Portuguese harbors a large portion of the traffic between Europe, Africa, and America, and, in general terms, put the nation on the path of progress. By the end of the nineteenth century, total mileage of the Portuguese rail network exceeded 2,300 km. This article analyzes the role of railways in the improvement of communications between the Portuguese provinces, their appropriation in a unified nation-state, the degree of integration of the Portuguese economy with the Spanish and European economies, and the construction/reinvention of Portugal as a modern and technological nation. To achieve these goals, I will use three key concepts: territorial appropriation, circulation, and globalization. Sources include statistics of railway operation and previous works analyzing the impact of railways on the Portuguese transport system and economy, the outcomes of operating transnational lines, and the importance of technology for the reinvention of Portugal during the second half of the nineteenth century.

Mobilidade e expertise na contratação dos primeiros professores do Instituto Superior Técnico

No início do século XX os actores da renovação do ensino técnico em Portugal foram, por um lado, estrangeiros provenientes das principais universidades e escolas de engenharia europeias e, por outro, portugueses formados nas escolas estrangeiras que na altura eram uma referência a nível internacional. Nestas escolas serão recrutados os professores estrangeiros que integraram o primeiro grupo de docentes do Instituto Superior Técnico aos quais se associaram alguns professores do antigo Instituto Industrial e Comercial de Lisboa e outros docentes, que foram selecionados por se destacarem pelo seu saber técnico-científico e pela sua prática profissional.
 Um dos contributos centrais desta análise é, com base na análise crítica dos processos individuais dos primeiros professores estrangeiros do IST, verificar como foi decisiva a rede nacional e europeia de homens de ciência e engenheiros na contratação destes professores, e verificar como Portugal se inseria numa rede supranacional de mobilidade experts e de circulação de conhecimentos.

Inventing a European Nation: Engineers for Portugal, from Baroque to Fascism

Abstract This book deals with the simultaneous making of Portuguese engineers and the Portuguese nation-state from the mid seventeenth century to the late twentieth century. It argues that the diff...

Caminhos de ferro portugueses na década de 1890

Na historiografia ferroviária nacional, a década de 1890 praticamente não é analisada criticamente, por se ter tratado de um período de forte retração no setor, que contrastou com os pesados investimentos feitos nos decénios anteriores, especialmente o de 1880. Neste artigo, proponho uma análise global desta época, abrangendo tanto o setor ferroviário do continente como o das colónias, uma vez que a situação de um não pode ser totalmente compreendida sem se conhecer a situação do outro. Realço a oposição entre a manutenção da crença no technological fix, característica da Regeneração e da classe engenheira nacional coeva, e um pessimismo tecnológico advindo das desilusões com os resultados do investimento ferroviário e com as companhias privadas estrangeiras que o agenciaram, e que atingiram o seu auge com o ultimato de 1890 e com a bancarrota parcial de 1892. Recorrendo aos debates mantidos no parlamento, a relatórios de engenheiros coevos e à literatura existente, explicito como, no final do período em estudo, a fé na tecnologia prevaleceu e conseguiu suplantar um grave momento de crise.

The implementation and development of narrow-gauge railways in Portugal as a case of knowledge transfer (c. 1850–c. 1910)

When Portugal began building railways in its mainland territory in the 1850s, the main goal was to connect its harbours (mainly Lisbon) to the border with Spain (and beyond to Central Europe). This strategy left out of the network vast areas of the nation, some of which were perceived as very rugged, poor, and with low economic potential, where the construction of a railway was not cost effective. The same quandaries existed in the colonies, where investment in public works started in the 1870s. To bring railroads to these regions, it was necessary to find a low-cost technical solution. That solution was narrow-gauge railroads. In this paper, we analyse how this technology was transferred from Central Europe to Portugal and its colonies via a travel circuit of learning by Portuguese engineers and how it was developed through a mixture of Portuguese and foreign expertise.

Going public: The first Portuguese National Engineering Meeting and the popularization of the image of the engineer as an artisan of progress (Portugal, 1931)

In this paper, we explore the use of the Portuguese generalist press as a tool to convey to the lay public the image of the engineer as the main artisan of progress and of the modern twentieth century society. In 1931, Portuguese engineers met for the first time in a national congress. Besides the obvious intention of asserting their professional identity, the first National Engineering Meeting, explicitly aimed at publicizing the work of Portuguese engineers as key players in the progress and wealth of the country, thus regaining their space as protagonists in the ‘new Portugal’. We argue that Portuguese engineers organized their first National Meeting as a way of lobbying the new Ditadura Nacional (National Dictatorship) government. They felt that they had lost power as decision-makers during the republican period (1910–1926) and they wanted to show the new leaders that they were the vital force in the building of a ‘new Portugal.’ Their strategy was to show their professional success and potential, both in a formal and academic milieu (papers presented at the conference) and in an informal techno-dazzling atmosphere (the exhibition) directed toward the general public.

From Vitruvius' ceramic powder additives to modern restoration

O texto pretende dar uma visão geral do uso das argamassas de cal aditivadas com pó cerâmico e as vantagens conseguidas através das reações pozolânicas obtidas. Destacam-se as principais referências explícitas desta técnica nos antigos autores, principiando por Vitrúvio, passando através dos mais importantes teóricos do Renascimento até chegar aos engenheiros militares dos séculos XVII e XVIII, particularmente os engenheiros portugueses que tiveram forte influência nas técnicas construtivas do Além-mar. Alguns equívocos na interpretação dos textos antigos, em relação às propriedades do aditivo de pó cerâmico são também, apontados. O trabalho, em seguida, trata da descrição e comentário dos ensaios e observações de laboratório, levados a efeito nas argamassas aditivadas em questão. Entre estes destacam-se o tempo de endurecimento, a resistência mecânica (compressão axial e tração por compressão diametral), capilaridade ascendente, porosidade total acessível à água, envelhecimento acelerado em solução de Na2 SO4 , perda ao fogo, fluorescência de raios-x, permeabilidade ao vapor d'água e outros procedimentos que contribuem para a avaliação do comportamento das argamassas de cal aditivadas com cocciopesto e as reações pozolânicas acorridas no material. Como a teoria não teria sentido se não tivesse que ser necessariamente materializada na prática, o texto termina com a descrição da aplicação da argamassa aditivada com pó cerâmico, em um caso concreto de restauração, com a descrição dos resultados obtidos.

Innovative and Contemporary Porto Bridges

The bridges built in Oporto (Porto) during the 19th century were presented in a companion paper. The individuality and elegance of these works, together with the expressiveness of the materials used in their construction (iron and steel), contributed to a large extent to the unique identity and physical appearance of the city. The tendency to erect audacious and elegant bridges was maintained in the 20th century with the construction of new reinforced and prestressed concrete bridges, two of them holding world records. In contrast with the 19th century bridges, where both designers and constructors were foreign, all these bridges were designed and constructed by Portuguese engineers.

Engineering courses and accreditation in Portugal

The Accreditation System for Engineering Courses was launched by the Ordem dos Engenheiros (OE—Institute of Portuguese Engineers) in 1994. Although the process was not easily accepted at first, it eventually took hold as engineering schools became aware of the public's interest in the system. Today, accreditation is an 'open door' to the OE since it exempts applicants from writing the admission exam. In fact, it is a 'seal of quality'—a guarantee of the initial education quality on the engineer's path to professional practise. This paper describes our system and what we have learned from implementing it, from the experience of others and from our own mistakes; but note that what is written is not a Utopia— the system does work.