Eugene Freyssinet

Eugene Freyssinet (1879-1962) was a French structural and civil engineer regarded as the major pioneer of prestressed concrete. He did not invent the technique, but his key insight was that high strength prestressing wire could counteract the creep and relaxation of concrete over time, making prestressing practical for wide use. His works include the Plougastel Bridge of 1930, with three 180 meter spans, the Pont du Veurdre of 1911, and the airship hangars built at Orly Airport in 1923, which used corrugated shell designs to span 70 meters. He later used prestressing to repair the Le Havre maritime station in 1935 and designed the Gladesville Bridge in Australia, built between 1961 and 1964. His honors included the IStructE Gold Medal in 1957, the Frank P. Brown Medal in 1950 and the Wilhelm Exner Medal in 1960. He died in Saint-Martin-Vesubie in 1962. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/