Brunel, Isambard Kingdom

Brunel, Isambard Kingdom

(born April 9, 1806, Portsmouth, Hampshire, Eng.—died Sept. 15, 1859, London) British civil and mechanical engineer. He was the son of Marc Brunel. His introduction of the broad-gauge railway, with rails 7 ft (2 m) apart, made possible high speeds and provided a great stimulus to railroad progress. He was responsible for building more than 1,000 mi (1,600 km) of railway in Britain and also oversaw construction of railway lines in Italy, Australia, and India. His use of a compressed-air caisson to sink bridge pier foundations helped gain acceptance of compressed-air techniques in underwater and underground construction. Brunel made outstanding contributions to marine engineering with three steamships—the Great Western, the Great Britain, and the Great Eastern—each the largest in the world at date of launching. The Great Western instituted the first regular transatlantic service, and Great Eastern laid the first successful transatlantic cable.