ABSTRACT
GILES 29.03. 1902 Somerset/UK 31.01. 1984 Delray Beach FL/USA Ranald Victor Giles graduated in 1922 as a civil engineer from the Wesleyan University, Middletown CT. He was from 1934 professor of hydraulics at the Drexel Institute of Technology, Philadelphia PA. He was awarded the National Science Foundation Award in 1959 to study hydraulic engineering at the University of Delft, Delft NL. Giles became known for his 1962 basic textbook on fluid mechanics. It is noted in the Preface that it is primarily designed to supplement standard texts. It is based on the author’s conviction that understanding of the basic principles is accomplished best by means of illustrative examples. The book includes 12 chapters and various appendices, namely 1. Properties of fluids, 2. Hydrostatic force on surfaces, 3. Buoyancy and flotation, 4. Translation and rotation of liquid masses, 5. Dimensional analysis and hydraulic similitude, 6. Fundamentals of fluid flow, 7. Fluid flow in pipes, 8. Equivalent, compound, looping and branching pipes, 9. Measurement of flow of fluids, 10. Flow in open channels, 11. Forces developed by moving fluids, and 12. Fluid machinery. Each chapter gives a short account on the fundamental knowledge, and then includes a large section of ‘Solved problems’, in which the computations are demonstrated in detail. Further, there are in each chapter also ‘Supplementary problems’ to be solved by the readers. The relative success of Giles’ book is certainly based on these problems, because few books are available in which these are solved as in his books. On the other hand, these books have become a kind of outdated, given the basic book character. It is also typical that in Giles’ book there are no references at all, so that the reader can rely only on this text. It appears that the entire Schaum’s Outline Series is based on this concept, which was successful in the 1950s and 1960s, but hardly would be accepted from present book publishers. Anonymous (1961). Giles, R.V. Lexerd yearbook: 134. Drexel University: Philadelphia PA. P Giles, R.V. (1936). A model of a rapid sand filter plant. Civil Engineering 6(11): 779. Giles, R.V. (1952). Mechanics of liquids. Drexel Institute of Technology Press: Philadelphia PA. Giles, R.V. (1961). An American’s impressions of life and study in the Netherlands: A report on educational and personal experiences while on a year’s leave of absence from Drexel Institute of Technology under the auspices of a National Science Foundation Science Faculty Fellowship. Drexel: Philadelphia PA. Giles, R.V. (1962). Theory and problems of fluid mechanics and hydraulics. Schaum’s Outline Series. McGraw-Hill: New York.
