Ludwig Prandtl. A life for fluid mechanics and aeronautical research (Q668094): Difference between revisions

This book is dedicated to the life of the outstanding German scientist von Ludwig Prandtl (1875--1953), who made the outstanding contribution to the formation and development of aerodynamics and aeronautics. The book consists of the short preface to the German edition, 10 chapters (360 pages and 45 figures) and contains a deep analysis of the life of L. Prandtl and his scientific contribution to the mechanics of liquids, gases and the engineering. The first 3 chapters of the book are devoted to universities studies of L. Prandtl and there industrial applications. In Chapter 4 investigations during the First World War are described. In Chapters 5--7, analyses of Prandtl's investigations between the First and the Second World Wars is given. A large place in the book is given to the current as L. Prandtl organized and headed the famous Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Flow Research (now the Max Planck Institute for Dynamics and Self-Organization). One should mention here one of the first sufficiently detailed books in the world [\textit{O. Tietjens}, Hydro- und Aeromechanik. Nach Vorlesungen von L. Prandtl. Mit einem Geleitwort von L. Prandtl. I. Gleichgewicht und reibungslose Bewegung. VIII + 238 S., 178 Abb. II. Bewegungen reibender Flüssigkeiten und technische Anwendungen. VIII + 299 S. 237 Abb. 28 Tafeln. Berlin, 1929, 1931, J. Springer (1929; JFM 58.1299.02)], which had a deep impact on the development of hydro-aeromechanics throughout the world. In the mid-thirties, Ludwig von Prandtl together with his disciple Theodor von Karman obtained the so-called ``log-law'' equation describing the turbulent flow of fluid in the wall-bounded layer [\textit{L. Prandtl}, The Mechanics of Viscous Flow. In Aerodynamics Theory. III. Berlin: Springer (1935)]. In Chapter 8, the curious reader will find a description of Prandtl's life and researches during the Second World War. The final years of Prandtl's life are rewired in Chapters 9 and 10. In my opinion, there are a number of unfair judgments in the literature about the activities of L. Prandtl between and during the Second World War, so this book allows us to look differently at various pseudo-scientific prejudices. Using archival data, the author of this book clearly demonstrates that L. Prandtl was primarily a natural scientist seeking to know the scientific truth and, in particular, the nature of turbulence. This book may be useful graduate students, for scientists, and for all who are interesting on the aerodynamics of gases and plasmas and aeronautics.