Leopold Nikolai

Nikolai, Leopol’d Fedorovich 

Born Nov. 30 (Dec. 12), 1844; died Mar. 11 (24), 1908; Russian scientist in the area of bridge construction.

Nikolai graduated from the University of Kazan in 1866 and from the St. Petersburg Institute of Railroad Engineers in 1871. In 1880 he became a professor at the institute, and from 1901 to 1905 he was its director. In 1892 he also became a member of the Engineering Council of the Ministry of Transportation and served as an inspector for the construction of railroads and bridges. He studied many problems of the theory of bridge design, such as determination of the cross-sectional dimensions of piers from the permissible bridge loads and stresses and the design of girders with parallel booms and several intersections of struts, continuous three-hinged arch trusses, and strutless girder trusses with rigid joints. Nikolai was the author of two basic textbooks on bridges, as well as papers on railroad design.

WORKS

Mosty: Rukovodstvo. St. Petersburg, 1901.
Mosty: Kratkoe rukovodstvo …, 4th ed. St. Petersburg, 1907.
Kratkie istoricheskie dannye o razvitii mostovogo dela v Rossii. St. Petersburg, 1898.