Coulomb's Memoir on Statics: An Essay in the History of Civil Engineering

Abstract

Coulomb read his Essai on statical 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 18th-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 seeks tomake 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 18th-century France.