The Grainger College of Engineering

Henry L. Langhaar

Henry L. Langhaar
Henry L. Langhaar
To Henry L. Langhaar, engineer, researcher, educator, and author, for his original contributions in several areas of mechanics and applied mathematics and for his ability to communicate these ideas as a teacher to his students.

Emeritus Professor, Department of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

  • BS, Mechanical Engineering, Lehigh University, 1931
  • MS, Mechanical Engineering, Lehigh University, 1933
  • PhD, Mathematics, Lehigh University, 1940

Dr. Langhaar received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering from Lehigh University in 1931 and 1933, respectively. After serving as a test engineer with Ingersoll-Rand, he returned to Lehigh and obtained his PhD in mathematics in 1940. After holding other positions, Dr. Langhaar joined the faculty of the Department of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics at Illinois as associate professor in 1947 and was promoted to professor in 1949.

In 1951 he completed the book Dimensional Analysis and Theory of Models that soon became a classic text in the field. He is also the author and coauthor of other books and numerous technical papers covering a broad range of applied mechanics and mathematics, including fluid mechanics, stability of structures, plates and shells, dimensional analysis, stress functions, schemes for numerical integration and population theory. Professor Langhaar has had a profound influence on graduate students, colleagues, and engineers, not only here at Illinois, but all over the world. He is a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and in 1978 was awarded the Theodore von Karman Medal of the American Society of Civil Engineers in recognition of his distinguished achievements in engineering mechanics.

Current as of 1983.