Coulomb's Memoir on Statics

Coulomb read his "Essai" on some statical problems to the French Academy in 1773. It is a document of great importance in the history of engineering since it laid the foundations of the modern science of soil mechanics and also discussed three other major problems of eighteenth-century civil engineering: the bending of beams, the fracture of columns and the calculation of abutment thrusts developed by masonry arches.

Professor Heyman's book makes the "Essai" accessible to a...
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Coulomb read his "Essai" on some statical problems to the French Academy in 1773. It is a document of great importance in the history of engineering since it laid the foundations of the modern science of soil mechanics and also discussed three other major problems of eighteenth-century civil engineering: the bending of beams, the fracture of columns and the calculation of abutment thrusts developed by masonry arches.

Professor Heyman's book makes the "Essai" accessible to a wide range of engineers and historians of technology. It is here reproduced in full with an annotated English translation, a chapter elucidating Coulomb's references and with full discussion of the technical problems it treats. It concludes with some brief historical notes on Coulomb's life and technical education in eighteenth-century France.
Contents: The ESSAICoulomb's ReferencesThe Strength and Stiffness of BeamsCoulomb's EquationThe Thrust of SoilThe Thrust of ArchesSome Historical Notes
Readership: Engineers and researchers in the history of science and engineering.
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