Antoine de Chézy (September 1, 1718 – October 5, 1798), also called Antoine Chézy, was a French physicist and hydraulics engineer who contributed greatly to the study of

fluid mechanics Fluid mechanics is the branch of physics concerned with the mechanics of fluids ( liquids, gases, and plasmas) and the forces on them. It has applications in a wide range of disciplines, including mechanical, aerospace, civil, chemical and ...

and designed a canal for the

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

water supply. He is known for developing a similarity parameter for predicting the flow characteristics of one channel based on the measurements of another, known today as the Chézy Formula or the Chézy Equation. The Chézy Equation is a pioneering formula in the field of fluid mechanics, and was expanded and modified by Irish engineer Robert Manning in 1889 as the Manning formula. The

Chézy Formula The Chézy formula is an semi-empirical resistance equation which estimates mean flow velocity in open channel conduits. The relationship was realized and developed in 1768 by French physicist and engineer Antoine de Chézy (1718–1798) while des ...

concerns the velocity of water flowing through conduits and is widely celebrated for its use in open channel flow calculations. By the definition of open channel, the Chézy formula also applies to partially-full pipe flow. Chézy was born September 1, 1718 in

Châlons-en-Champagne Châlons-en-Champagne () is a city in the Grand Est region of France. It is the capital of the department of Marne, despite being only a quarter the size of the city of Reims. Formerly called Châlons-sur-Marne, the city was officially renam ...

, France. Chézy graduated with honors from the Ecole des Ponts et Chaussées and worked closely with

Jean-Rodolphe Perronet Jean-Rodolphe Perronet (27 October 1708 – 27 February 1794) was a French architect and structural engineer, known for his many stone arch bridges. His best known work is the Pont de la Concorde (1787). Early life Perronet was born in Suresne ...

, the first director of the school. He contributed to a wide range of projects that we would describe today as

civil engineering Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewa ...

, including the construction of bridges, canals, and streets in Paris. Chézy and Perronet were tasked to assess the magnitude of water flow that could be diverted from the Yvette River to improve the Paris water supply. They sought to predict the flow of water in open channels based on analytical methods. In this pursuit, Chézy built model channels on which he ran tests to determine the factors that influence flow in an open channel. The famed

Chézy formula The Chézy formula is an semi-empirical resistance equation which estimates mean flow velocity in open channel conduits. The relationship was realized and developed in 1768 by French physicist and engineer Antoine de Chézy (1718–1798) while des ...

continues to be used in open channel analyses today. In 1798, he became Director of the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Ponts-et-Chaussées after teaching there for many years. Antoine de Chézy died October 5, 1798 in

after serving as director of the

École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées École may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * École, Savoi ...

for less than one year.115 experiments on the carrying capacity of large, riveted, metal conduits ... By Clemens Herschel. pg 118
/ref> His son was orientalist Antoine-Léonard de Chézy (1773–1832).

References

External links

History of the Chézy Formula
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chezy, Antoine De French civil engineers École des Ponts ParisTech alumni Corps des ponts People from Châlons-en-Champagne 1718 births 1798 deaths Hydraulic engineers French hydrologists