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> Concrete Issue: 2010-3 Section: 14-16

Romanian

 

He is also the father of the asphalt. Developing the oil extraction in Prahova Valley needed the Bucharest-Doftana road construction, and the solution found by George Constantinescu was very similar to the present bitumen. He used hot crude oil poured on stones, this being the first attempt to realize an asphalted road.

George Constantinescu was known in his time in the Europe and worldwide. Since he was 45 he was considered one of the seventeen leaders of the scientific world. The recognition of George Constantinescu at worldwide level is attested by a picture entitled Leaders in the March of Progress or Pioneers on the Progress Way, published by the British The Graphic in 26 of January 1926, where he appears in line with the most representative figures of the scientific word of the first quarter of the 20th Century starting with Einstein, Edison, Kelvin, Rutherford and Marie Curie.

The Romanian School of Structure Engineering was and is recognized at the European level. Numerous engineers like George Constantinescu brought decisive contribution to building quality improvement. One may give many examples of famous engineers, contemporary with George Constantinescu: Anghel Saligny, Elie Radu, Henry Coandă.

Back to George Constantinescu one must mention that he had over 317 patents, many of them patented in Denmark, Swiss, Austria, Germany, United Kingdom, France, USA and Romania, as well as other never published. The patents are in Romanian, English, French, German or Danish, according to the country where these were obtained. A short calculation shows that from the first invention in 1907 till his disappearance (1965) on average every fourth month was issued a patent. And if one considers the most prolific years would be a patent per month!

Many of George Constantinescu’s previsions appeared or disappeared; many are in use today or renew the interest for use. He conquered the academic fame and professional honor at home as well as abroad, but he was less rewarded for what he was done in the field of construction materials. As most of the inventors, he was disappointed in his efforts to convince the industry and the officials of the value of his ideas. There were other interests of businessmen indeed.

George Constantinescu had numerous contributions in engineering, but nowadays he is less known by the Romanians if compared with Henry Coandă or Aurel Vlaicu. Therefore we aimed to drive the attention on this. It should be a promoting movement of the most valuable Romanians!

In Bucharest is a street with George Constantinescu name. In 1961 The Polytechnic School of Bucharest conferred the title of Doctor Honoris Causa and on 3rd of February 1965 he became full member of the Romanian Academy.

 

Still remains for us, the Romanians, to reset him on the position he deserves in our souls and memory, in our esteem. One may say that a big part of the present but also of the future was gifted to the humanity by Romanian Scientists as George Constantinescu. The Romanian engineers, builders and architects were permanently co-operate with their European fellows to put Bucharest in line with the other European capital cities. In that time many sculptors, architects, painters, engineers worked for the buildings of Bucharest and meantime many important Romanians were living and working abroad for shorter or longer periods of time. In Bucharest were many foreign businessmen who invested in industrial or public buildings, palaces. The Bucharest had always a European look. At the end of the 19th Century and the beginning of the 20th Century there were built cultural institutions, public buildings, administrative, courts, sanitary and military facilities based on models from Paris, Vienna, London, Saint-Petersburg. The reinforced concrete technique allowed building more and more high edifices. Many of them are in very good shape today. Gathering together the skills of the Romanians engineers and architects as well as of other Romanian scientists or talented artists we can see our real contribution to the European and world civilization and culture.

The concrete buildings achieved at the beginning of the 20th Century by George Constantinescu showed that the theory issued by him when he was 25 proved to be fully accurate: an original Theory of Recessed Arches Calculation. The Romanian inventor George Constantinescu remained and will remain in the world technique and science history. He was part of the discoverers and inventors team, of the big technique creators who must create a new science to make possible their inventions.

We may say that a big part of the present and future as well was given to the humanity by Romanian scientists as George Constantinescu. Together with other Romanians of genius one may see our contribution to the world treasure.

George Constantinescu represents one of brilliant Romanian minds of the beginning of the 20th Century, one of the Romanians who showed that Romania is in line with the other European Countries. He was a bridge, a link for the international technical culture. He brought his contribution to the European technical-scientific patrimony.

 

Bibliography

 

Iconography

 

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Dobrin Andrei, Biolan Radu :: 30/05/2011 :: Pageviews: 11113