Lloyd Hamilton Donnell (May 25, 1895 – November 7, 1997) was an American

mechanical engineer Mechanical may refer to: Machine * Machine (mechanical), a system of mechanisms that shape the actuator input to achieve a specific application of output forces and movement * Mechanical calculator, a device used to perform the basic operations o ...

, and Professor of

Mechanical Engineering Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines and mechanism (engineering), mechanisms that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and engineering mathematics, mathematics principl ...

at the

Illinois Institute of Technology The Illinois Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Illinois Tech and IIT, is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Tracing its history to 1890, the present name was adopted upon the m ...

. He is considered internationally renowned expert in engineering mechanics, specifically known for his work on shell analysis and thin-shell structure. He was recipient of the 1969

ASME Medal The ASME Medal, created in 1920, is the highest award bestowed by the ASME (founded as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers) Board of Governors for "eminently distinguished engineering achievement". The award has been presented every year ...

Biography

Youth, education and early career

Donnell was born

Kents Hill, Maine Kents Hill is an unincorporated village in the northwestern corner of the town of Readfield in Kennebec County, Maine Kennebec County is a county located in the South-central portion of the U.S. state of Maine. At the 2020 census, the popu ...

in 1895, son of Albert Webb Donnell and Annie Morrell Hamilton Donnell. His father was a teacher and his mother an author.Lloyd H. Donnell - NNDB
at ''nndb.com,'' 2014. Accessed 2017-07-19. After regular education he obtained his BSc in Mechanical Engineering from the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

in 1915. In 1930 he also obtained his PhD at the University of Michigan under

Stephen Timoshenko Stepan Prokopovich Timoshenko (, ; , ; – May 29, 1972), later known as Stephen Timoshenko, was a Ukrainian and later an American engineer and academician. He is considered to be the father of modern engineering mechanics. An inventor an ...

. After his graduation in 1915, Donnell had started teaching at

. From 1930 to 1933 he was research assistant at the Aeronautical Laboratory of Caltech at

Theodore von Kármán Theodore von Kármán ( , May 11, 1881May 6, 1963) was a Hungarian-American mathematician, aerospace engineer, and physicist who worked in aeronautics and astronautics. He was responsible for crucial advances in aerodynamics characterizing ...

. From 1933 to 1939 he was engineer at Goodyear Zeppelin Company, where he worked on the design of airships.

Further career and acknowledgment

In 1939 Donnell joined the Illinois Institute of Technology faculty, where he served as Professor of Mechanical Engineering until his retirement in 1962. Afterwards he was Professor at

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

, and in 1974 guest professor at the

University of Houston The University of Houston (; ) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas, United States. It was established in 1927 as Houston Junior College, a coeducational institution and one of multiple junior colleges formed in ...

. Donnell was founding editor of the engineering journal ''Applied Mechanics Reviews''. He was awarded the honorary doctor degree by the

. In 1960 he received the

Worcester Reed Warner Medal Worcester Reed Warner (May 16, 1846 – June 25, 1929) was an American mechanical engineer, entrepreneur, manager, astronomer, and philanthropist. With Ambrose Swasey he cofounded the Warner & Swasey Company. Biography Life and career War ...

of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME),''Journal of Engineering for Power,'' 1964. p. 644 the

Theodore von Karman Medal The Theodore von Karman Medal in Engineering Mechanics is awarded annually to an individual in recognition of his distinguished achievement in engineering mechanics, applicable to any branch of civil engineering. This award was established and endo ...

in 1968 and the

in 1969.

Work

Donnell is known for his "stress-analysis research into cylindrical shells, which advanced development of monocoque (wherein the external frame helps supports structural load) bodies for automobiles and planes. He also studied dynamics, elasticity, instability, and wave propagation."

Selected publications

* Donnell, Lloyd Hamilton. ''Longitudinal wave transmission and impact.'' University of Michigan, 1930. * Donnell, Lloyd Hamilton.
Stability of thin-walled tubes under torsion
'' NACA Report No. 479, 1935. * Donnell, Lloyd Hamilton. ''Beams, plates and shells.'' McGraw-Hill Companies, 1976. * Donnell, Lloyd Hamilton. ''Symposium on the Theory of Shells (1966 : University of Houston). Proceedings,'' 1967

References

External links

Lloyd H. Donnell
Illinois Institute of Technology, Hall of Fame {{DEFAULTSORT:Donnell, Lloyd Hamilton 1895 births 1997 deaths American mechanical engineers American men centenarians University of Michigan faculty Illinois Institute of Technology faculty Stanford University faculty People from Readfield, Maine ASME Medal recipients 20th-century American engineers University of Michigan College of Engineering alumni