The Papers of Maurice Koechlin (1856-1946)

Fivet, Corentin [MIT] Zastavni, Denis [UCL] Ochsendorf, John A. [MIT]

In 1879, the then-23-years-old Maurice Kœchlin became the lead structural engineer of Gustave Eiffel’s construction company founded 13 before. Together, they pushed the boundaries of steel and iron structural design. They have been responsible for the design of the Garabit viaduct (1879-1884), the Tarde viaduct (1881-1884), the inner reinforcement of the Statue of Liberty (1881-1886) and the 300 meters-high Eiffel tower in Paris (1884-1889). In 1900, Kœchlin succeeded Gustave Eiffel to head the company, a position he held until his retirement in 1940. Whereas Maurice Kœchlin’s engineering works are known by many and considered as masterpieces, very little is known about his written scientific contribution. This paper first attempts to draw a comprehensive list of Kœchlin’s publications. A total of 28 have been identified among which 1 book and 14 papers provide original findings on structural engineering science. Written between 1984 and 1925, they address the resolution of specific structural problems using graphic statics or numerical methods, they develop the design process of structures built by the Eiffel Company or they describe pioneering implementations for steel. As this original survey sheds new lights on Kœchlin’s research interests and their chronology, the paper also restates Maurice Kœchlin’s influence on the introduction of graphic statics in French-speaking Europe and further contextualizes the collaboration between Maurice Kœchlin and Gustave Eiffel and the contribution of Maurice Kœchlin to the Société de constructions de Levallois-Perret.