Charles Couche

Charles Henri-François Couche (born July 24, 1815 in Saint-Cyr-l'École ; † July 24, 1879 ) was inspector general of the state mining companies and professor of railway science at the École des mines in Paris . In these two functions he was the author of numerous scientific works.

life and work

Charles Couche came as the son of the engineering scientist Jean Pierre and his wife Marie Eléonore, née Fleury, like his brother Edouard (1832–1885), who was later responsible for the alignment and construction of routes and bridges at Chemins de fer du Nord , early in contact with technology and construction. He also had the older brother Joseph (1813-1875) and the younger sister Lambertine (1822-1898).

In 1833 Couche graduated from the Polytechnic and won one of 48 places at the École des mines, which at that time was still called École nationale supérieure des mines de Paris and was just celebrating its 50th anniversary. On May 5, 1840, he graduated from the Corps des mines .

At this school he taught about railway technology from 1846 until his death in 1879. His publications on construction models of locomotives, wheel bearings, rail profiles and rolling resistance fall during this time of research and teaching. He also wrote about safety aspects and standardization. The persistence and rigor with which he publicized his concerns did not always add to his popularity. His critics also missed the creation of connections that could go beyond his field of knowledge. Particularly noteworthy, however, is his "masterful treatise on the track, the rolling stock and the technical operation of the railways ( Voie, matériel roulant et exploitation technique des chemins de fer ouvrage suivi d'un appendice sur les travaux d'art )" , published in 1867 .

At the same time, he worked for various well-known railway companies, but in 1849 he joined the mining company as secretaire of the "Commission des Annales des mines". In 1852 he received the Knight's Cross of the Legion of Honor and was appointed a member of the Steam Engine Commission in the Seine department. In 1857 he came to Chemins de fer de l'Est et des Ardennes as department head and from 1868 he held the same position at the Compagnie des chemins de fer de Paris à Lyon et à la Méditerranée . In addition, he became President of the Commission des inventions et règlements in 1877 and, the following year, Chairman of the Jury for Railway Products for the Paris World Exhibition in 1878 .

Works

• List of his works in the Bibliothèque nationale de France

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Publication in the Livre du Centenaire of the Ecole Polytechnique, 1897, Gauthier-Villars et fils, Volume 3
2. ^ Charles Couche: Voie, matériel roulant et exploitation technique des chemins de fer ouvrage suivi d'un appendice sur les travaux d'art . Dunod, Paris 1867
3. ↑ Charles Henri François COUCHE on geneanet.org