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The Life of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Civil Engineer
Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1806 1859) was one of the outstanding civil engineers of the nineteenth century. He began his professional life while still in his teens, as his father's chief assistant engineer on the Thames Tunnel, and remains famous for projects including the Clifton Suspension Bridge and the SS Great Eastern. This study by his elder son, who was assisted in technical details by his engineer brother and by colleagues of their father, was published in 1870. The opening and closing chapters discuss Brunel's childhood and his private life, but the main body of the book presents Brunel's work thematically, with sections on bridges, railways, steamships, and dock and pier works. In all these areas Brunel was an innovator, pioneering the use of new materials and revolutionising early Victorian transport networks. The book also includes reports to the directors of the Great Western Railway and Great Western Steamship Company.
- GenresHistory
614 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1972
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About the author
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
11 books1 followerIsambard Kingdom Brunel, FRS (/ˈɪzəmbɑrd bruːˈnɛl/; 9 April 1806 – 15 September 1859), was a British mechanical and civil engineer who built dockyards, the Great Western Railway, a series of steamships including the first propeller-driven transatlantic steamship and numerous important bridges and tunnels. His designs revolutionised public transport and modern engineering.
Though Brunel's projects were not always successful, they often contained innovative solutions to long-standing engineering problems. During his short career, Brunel achieved many engineering "firsts", including assisting in the building of the first tunnel under a navigable river and development of SS Great Britain, the first propeller-driven ocean-going iron ship, which was at the time (1843) also the largest ship ever built.
Brunel set the standard for a very well built railway, using careful surveys to minimise grades and curves. This necessitated expensive construction techniques and new bridges and viaducts, and the two-mile-long Box Tunnel. One controversial feature was the wide gauge, a "broad gauge" of 7 ft 1⁄4 in (2,140 mm), instead of what was later to be known as 'standard gauge' of 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm). The wider gauge added to passenger comfort but made construction much more expensive and caused difficulties when eventually it had to interconnect with other railways using the narrower gauge. As a result of the Railway Regulation (Gauge) Act 1846, the gauge was changed to standard gauge throughout the GWR network.
Brunel astonished Britain by proposing to extend the Great Western Railway westward to North America by building steam-powered iron-hulled ships. He designed and built three ships that revolutionised naval engineering.
In 2002, Brunel was placed second in a BBC public poll to determine the "100 Greatest Britons". In 2006, the bicentenary of his birth, a major programme of events celebrated his life and work under the name Brunel 200.
A celebrated engineer in his era, Brunel remains revered today, as evidenced by numerous monuments to him. There are statues in London at Temple (pictured), Brunel University and Paddington station, and in Bristol, Plymouth, Swindon, Milford Haven and Saltash.
Though Brunel's projects were not always successful, they often contained innovative solutions to long-standing engineering problems. During his short career, Brunel achieved many engineering "firsts", including assisting in the building of the first tunnel under a navigable river and development of SS Great Britain, the first propeller-driven ocean-going iron ship, which was at the time (1843) also the largest ship ever built.
Brunel set the standard for a very well built railway, using careful surveys to minimise grades and curves. This necessitated expensive construction techniques and new bridges and viaducts, and the two-mile-long Box Tunnel. One controversial feature was the wide gauge, a "broad gauge" of 7 ft 1⁄4 in (2,140 mm), instead of what was later to be known as 'standard gauge' of 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm). The wider gauge added to passenger comfort but made construction much more expensive and caused difficulties when eventually it had to interconnect with other railways using the narrower gauge. As a result of the Railway Regulation (Gauge) Act 1846, the gauge was changed to standard gauge throughout the GWR network.
Brunel astonished Britain by proposing to extend the Great Western Railway westward to North America by building steam-powered iron-hulled ships. He designed and built three ships that revolutionised naval engineering.
In 2002, Brunel was placed second in a BBC public poll to determine the "100 Greatest Britons". In 2006, the bicentenary of his birth, a major programme of events celebrated his life and work under the name Brunel 200.
A celebrated engineer in his era, Brunel remains revered today, as evidenced by numerous monuments to him. There are statues in London at Temple (pictured), Brunel University and Paddington station, and in Bristol, Plymouth, Swindon, Milford Haven and Saltash.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
December 8, 2018
I actually got this from Gutenberg.org. This was written in the late 1800's by (I think) Brunels son.
The writing style then was very verbose, so this is tedious to read. It would also help if I was an actual
civil engineer and not just an ex-physics major who took a class in Statics.
The descriptions of Brunels bridges and railways use a lot of technical terms and it would be good if I understood more about the British economy and government in the 1800's. There aren't many pictures in here either.
More recent bibliographies would be an easier read.
Brunel accomplished amazing things back then. He and his father built the first tunnel under the Thames. He built railways, many bridges (a number of which are still in use), steam ships and other things.
He was an astonishing engineer and well worth learning more about, but I think you should read other books about him rather then this one.
The writing style then was very verbose, so this is tedious to read. It would also help if I was an actual
civil engineer and not just an ex-physics major who took a class in Statics.
The descriptions of Brunels bridges and railways use a lot of technical terms and it would be good if I understood more about the British economy and government in the 1800's. There aren't many pictures in here either.
More recent bibliographies would be an easier read.
Brunel accomplished amazing things back then. He and his father built the first tunnel under the Thames. He built railways, many bridges (a number of which are still in use), steam ships and other things.
He was an astonishing engineer and well worth learning more about, but I think you should read other books about him rather then this one.
Displaying 1 of 1 review