Leon Moisseiff

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Leon Solomon Moisseiff (born November 10, 1872 in Riga , Latvia , † September 3, 1943 in Belmar , New Jersey , USA ) was a Latvian- American bridge engineer who gained reputation through the application of deflection theory to suspension bridges and through the collapse the Tacoma Narrows Bridge he planned suffered a tragedy.

Life

Leon Solomon Moisseiff emigrated with his family in 1891 from Latvia, which was part of the Russian Empire, to the United States. He studied at Columbia University , where he completed his training as a civil engineer in 1895 . At that time, he also received American citizenship.

In 1898 he began his career in the Bridge Department of New York City . Under Othniel Foster Nichols, who was appointed Chief Engineer for the new bridge over the East River in 1904 , he developed a design for a steel suspension bridge, in which he developed and first applied the deflection theory , which goes back to Joseph Melan . This new static calculation method made it possible to build suspension bridges that were much lighter and consequently cheaper and quicker than before. With the Manhattan Bridge opened in 1909 and completed the following year , he gained national reputation as an expert on suspension bridges. In 1910 he was appointed chief engineer of the Bridge Department. In 1915 he opened his own office as a consulting engineer.

He was involved in the planning of numerous other suspension bridges, such as B. the

and as a consulting engineer for the

When the first draft of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge by Clark Eldrige was deemed too expensive, Leon S. Moisseiff offered to create a draft for a cheaper bridge. The bridge he planned and built between 1938 and 1940 was the third longest suspension bridge and was extremely narrow and light. Immediately after the opening, she showed her susceptibility to wind through vibrations and twisting, which earned her the nickname Galloping Gertie . After only four months, a stormy wind caused such strong vibrations that the bridge collapsed. This catastrophe, which at the time was almost incomprehensible, but caused a sensation, ended the career of 68-year-old Leon S. Moisseiff. He died three years later in his home town of Belmar, south of New York City.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Leon S. Moisseiff, Bridge Builder and Jewish Writer, Dead. in the Jewish Telegraphic Agency of September 7, 1943.
  2. ↑ Gerhard Mehlhorn (Ed.): Handbook Bridges: Designing, Constructing, Calculating, Building and Receiving . 2nd edition Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2007, 2010, ISBN 978-3-642-04422-9 . P. 69
  3. ↑ Tadaki Kawada: History of the Modern Suspension Bridge: Solving the Dilemma Between Economy and Stiffness . ASCE Publications, Reston, Virginia 2010, ISBN 978-0-7844-1018-9 . P. 104 f
  4. ↑ Leon Solomon Moisseiff. In: Structurae
  5. ^ Benjamin Franklin Bridge - Historic Overview
  6. ^ Philip P. Mason: The Ambassador Bridge . Wayne State University Press, Detroit, Michigan 1987, ISBN 0-8143-1840-1 . P. 89
  7. ↑ Gerhard Mehlhorn (Ed.): Handbook Bridges: Designing, Constructing, Calculating, Building and Receiving . 2nd edition Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2007, 2010, ISBN 978-3-642-04422-9 . P. 71
  8. ↑ Honoring the 75th anniversary of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge by the Hon. Barbara Lee of California, in the House of Representatives on November 15, 2011
  9. ↑ Gerhard Mehlhorn (Ed.): Handbook Bridges: Designing, Constructing, Calculating, Building and Receiving . 2nd edition Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2007, 2010, ISBN 978-3-642-04422-9 . P. 71
personal data
SURNAME Moisseiff, Leon
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Moisseiff, Leon Solomon (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Latvian-American bridge construction engineer
DATE OF BIRTH November 10, 1872
PLACE OF BIRTH Riga , Latvia
DATE OF DEATH September 3, 1943
Place of death Belmar , New Jersey , USA