The Experimental Contribution of Petrus Van Musschenbroek to the Discovery of a Buckling Formula in the Early 18th Century

Article

Authorship

Godoy, Luis Augusto ; Elishakoff, Isaac

Date

2020

Publishing House and Editing Place

WORLD SCIENTIFIC PUBL CO PTE LTD

Magazine

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF STRUCTURAL STABILITY AND DYNAMICS, vol. 20 (pp. 1-31) WORLD SCIENTIFIC PUBL CO PTE LTD

Summary Information provided by the agent in SIGEVA

This paper concentrates on the work by Petrus van Musschenbroek published in 1729, constituting apparently the first study in the literature on column buckling. To understand the significance of Musschenbroek's contribution, we provide the combined personal, historic and scientific contexts in which he carried out his studies; he was the first researcher to deal with the failure of compressed elements as a new phenomenon. Most unfortunately, his name is not currently known except for a sma... This paper concentrates on the work by Petrus van Musschenbroek published in 1729, constituting apparently the first study in the literature on column buckling. To understand the significance of Musschenbroek's contribution, we provide the combined personal, historic and scientific contexts in which he carried out his studies; he was the first researcher to deal with the failure of compressed elements as a new phenomenon. Most unfortunately, his name is not currently known except for a small circle of historians of science, whereas engineering students at present are told that buckling should be associated with the name of Leonhard Euler. We fully share the idea of Benvenuto stating that "Musschenbroek's experimental law is of considerable historical interest." The contributions in his 1729 book are shown not only to include his experimental work but Musschenbroek also devised a design procedure for column buckling.