DRESSLER

DRESSLER 04.06. 1920 Philadelphia PA/USA 27.08. 1999 Perkiomenville PA/USA Robert Franklin Dressler graduated in 1940 from the University of Pennsylvania as a mathematician. From 1954 to 1958, he was chief of mathematics, Physics Division, National Bureau of Standards NBS, Washington DC. Until 1962 he acted as Assistant Director of Research, Philco Corp., Philadelphia PA, moving then until 1966 as chief of mathematics analysis to the US Federal Aviation Administration, Washington DC. From then until 1968 Dressler was first the chief scientist of the Swedish Government Aerospace Agency, Stockholm, when joining as professor of mechanical and civil engineering City University, New York NY. From 1976 to 1983 he was manager of the NASA science program, Washington DC, and from then until 1989 Director of Engineering Research, International Water Resources Institute, George Washington University, Washington DC. Dressler worked in the 1960s on the sonic boom effect in aerodynamics, after having published excellent theoretical and experimental papers on dam break waves. His 1952 paper is a first account on the effect of bottom friction, which is large at the wave front but reduces in the upstream direction. Using a perturbation approach, Dressler was able to obtain the leading wave features, thereby generalizing the classical results of Adhémar Barré de Saint-Venant (1797-1886). The theoretical results were compared in the 1954 paper with laboratory tests, whose size was small, however. The 1959 paper deals with the effect of bottom slope on the dambreak wave, another complication in this hydraulic problem, which was again mathematically solved. Around 1980 Dressler attempted to solve the Boussinesq flow problem relating to streamline curvature effects. Dressler, I. (2001). Prof. Dr. Robert Franklin Dressler. Personal communication. P Dressler, R.F. (1949). Roll-waves in inclined open channels. Communications in Pure and Applied Mathematics 2(2-3): 149-194. Dressler, R.F. (1952). Hydraulic resistance effect upon the dam-break functions. Journal of Research 49(3): 217-225. Dressler, R.F. (1954). Comparison of theories and experiments for the hydraulic dam-break wave. Proc. Intl. IUGG Congress Rome 3: 319-328. Dressler, R.F. (1958). Unsteady non-linear waves in sloping channels. Proc. Royal Society London A 247: 186-198. Dressler, R.F., Yevjevich, V. (1984). Hydraulic-resistance terms modified for the Dressler curved-flow equations. Journal of Hydraulic Research 22(3): 145-156. P

DRISKO 11.05. 1906 Winchester MA/USA 03.01. 2004 Nazareth PA/USA John Bucknam Drisko obtained in 1927 a BS degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology MIT, Cambridge MA. He was then a Freeman Scholar until 1929, visiting Technische Hochschule Berlin, Germany, becoming assistant and instruction civil engineer at MIT after return until 1933. He was an assistant engineer of the US Bureau of Reclamation USBR, Denver CO until 1935, associate engineer with the Soil Conservation Service SCS, US Dept. of Agriculture in 1936, from when he was engineer with the US Engineering Department until 1942. He was from technical assistant to director, and from 1953 to 1954 assistant director of the Experimental Towing Tank, Stevens Institute of Technology, New York NY. He joined then as principal staff engineer Tippets, Abbett & McCarthy Engineering in New York. The 1933 Report is concerned with a discussion on the various types of waves, including the solitary, tidal or oscillatory waves, which is followed by a description of experiments made in a small flume. This work covers solitary waves, waves propagated into a channel by tides and surge waves as typically occur in power channels due to a rapid change of discharge. The simultaneous stage-time plots for four points, recorded on a chronograph, accompany this report. The 1933 paper published by the American Geophysical Union discusses surge waves in more detail. The experimental work made by the author supports the historical results of John Scott Russell (1808-1882). Drisko also translated the famous book of Wilhelm Spannhake (1881-1959) in English. Anonymous (1943). Drisko, John B. American men of science 7: 476. Science Press: Lancaster. Drisko, J.B. (1932). Discussion of Piezometer investigation. Trans. ASME 54(1): 11-16. Drisko, J.B. (1932). Model research in the River Hydraulic Laboratory of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Trans. AGU 13: 384-387. Drisko, J.B. (1933). Report on wave studies. Dept. Civil Engineering MIT: Cambridge MA. Drisko, J.B. (1933). Wave motion in a channel. Trans. AGU 14: 516-518. Drisko, J.B. (1934). Centrifugal pumps, turbines, and propellers: Basic theory and characteristics (Translation of German original by W. Spannhake). MIT: Cambridge. Drisko, J.B. (1942). Discussion of Evaluation of flood losses and benefits. Trans. ASCE 107: 912-914. Drisko, J.B. (1944). Resistance of V-bottom hulls at speel-length ratios up to 5. Report 264. Davidson Laboratory: Hoboken NJ. Rouse, H. (1976). Drisko. Hydraulics in the USA 1776-1976: 117. IIHR: Iowa City IA. P