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Memorial Tributes Volume 22 (2019) / Chapter Skim
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ROBERT H. SCANLAN
Pages 309-314

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From page 310...
... Working in the United States and abroad and in academia, government, and industry, his career covered a broad spectrum of mechanics, aerodynamics, and acoustics, with a principal focus on aeroelasticity and wind engineering. His early work in aircraft vibrations, his comfort with sometimes abstruse branches of applied math, and his boundless curiosity shaped both his career and his fields of research.
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From page 311...
... His experience in aeronautics led to the development of the field of aerodynamics and aeroelasticity of large civil engineering structures, such as cooling towers and long-span bridges, areas in which he remained actively engaged until his death. Bob was quickly recognized as a leader in wind engineering, especially for his comprehensive insight into aeroelastic and buffeting response and vortex-induced vibration, and introduction of the concept of flutter derivatives and their relation to the response of long-span bridges to turbulent wind.
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From page 312...
... The Tacoma Narrows Bridge failure mode was one of Bob's particular interests and initiated decades of bridge research, full-scale and model testing, data gathering and analysis, and, in his words, "helping design bridges so they don't fly." His work led to techniques for characterizing bridges to assess their vulnerabilities to wind effects using nondimensional coefficients (indicial functions) that could be used across many types of bridge cross-sections to predict responses to local stimuli.
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From page 313...
... He is greatly missed." Bob Scanlan received numerous awards, prizes, and citations from his peers. In addition to his NAE membership, he was an elected fellow of the American Academy of Mechanics and T.R.
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Key Terms

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  • power plant
  • mechanics division
  • tacoma narrows
  • narrows bridge

  • wind engineering
  • critical levels
  • flute concerto
  • indicial functions
  • chicago public

  • predict responses
  • oil industry
  • sometimes abstruse
  • novel manner
  • expert analyst

  • pay tribute
  • aircraft vibration
  • civil engineering
  • western reserve
  • joanne baldine

  • actively engaged
  • plant behavior
  • abstruse branches
  • jean sachs
  • nondimensional coefficients

  • bob scanlan
  • remained actively
  • electra vibration
  • local stimuli
  • loma prieta


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