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Virgiliu Nicolae Constantinescu
Member of the Romanian Academy
Born: March 27, 1931, in Bucharest, Romania
Married in 1960 to Monica Constantinescu, physician. One
son, Stefan, born in 1964, physician
Studies
- 1948-1952 - Polytechnic Institute of Bucharest, Faculty of
Mechanical Engineering
- 1952 - Master's Degree in Mechanical Engineering (Aircraft
Engineering)
- 1953-1955 - Ph.D. at the Romanian Academy of Sciences,
Institute of Applied Mechanics, Bucharest (Professor E.Carafoli), in fluid
mechanics and aerodynamics. Thesis entitled "Contributions to the
Theory of Gas Lubrification"
- 1974 - Dr.Sciences., honorary title awarded by the
Polytechnic Institute of Bucharest and the Romanian Ministry of Education
Professional activities
- 1952-1956 - Research Officer, Institute of Applied
Mechanics of the Romanian Academy of Sciences, Bucharest
- 1956-1969 - Head of Gas Lubrification Laboratory,
Institute of Applied Mechanics of Romanian Academy of Sciences, Bucharest
- 1954-1959 - Assistant Professor, Polytechnic Institute of
Bucharest
- 1959-1970 - Associate Professor, Polytechnic Institute of
Bucharest
- 1969-1970 - Visiting Scientist, Mechanical Technology Inc,
Latham, New York, USA
- Since 1970 - Professor, Polytechnic Institute of Bucharest
- 1972-1974 - Visiting Professor, Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute, Troy New York, USA (within a joint NSF research program)
- 1990-1992 - Rector, Polytechnic Institute of Bucharest
- 1990-1992 - President, National Rectors Conference of
Romania
- 1990- - Vice-President, National Council for Applied
Research of the Government of Romania
- 1990- - Vice-President, Accreditation Commission of the
Ministry of Education and Science
- 1990- - Vice-President, Romanian Cultural Foundation
- 1991- - Vice-President, Academic Council, Ministry of
Education and Science
- 1991- - President, Romanian Space Agency
- 1992- - Vice-President, Henri Coanda Foundation
- 1992- - Vice-President, Romanian Science Foundation
- 1992- - Member of the Board, Euro-Atlantic Center of the
Government of Romania
- 1993- - Visiting Professor, University of Poitiers, France
- 1994- 1997- President of Romanian Academy
- 1997 -2003 - Ambassador to Belgium
Memberships and Honors
- Member of the Romanian Academy
- President of the European Academy of Sciences, Letters and
Arts
- Member of "Accademia Europaea"
- Doctor Honoris Causa, University of Poitiers, France
- Founding Member of the International Tribology Council,
London
- Member of the International Academy of Aeronautics
- State Prize of Romania and Award of the Romanian Academy
of Sciences
- Romanian medal "Scientific merit"
- Distinguished Professor (Honorific title, conferred by the
Romanian Ministry of Education)
Academic activity
- Over 39 years of didactic activity. Taught various courses
in mechanical materials for aero-space applications, fabrication of air
tubes and missiles, hydrodynamic; lubrification, tribology;
- Organized the set-up laboratories and laboratory work for
under-graduate and graduate students in fluid mechanics, aerodynamics,
tribology, aircraft fabrication;
- Presently teaching courses in fluid mechanics,
aerodynamics, numerical simulation of fluid flow, lubrification (tribology)
to undergraduate and graduate students of the School of Aerospace
Engineering, Polytechnic Institute of Bucharest;
- Ph.D. instructor in mechanical engineering for the last 20
years (fluid mechanics, aerodynamics, tribology);
- Experience in higher education and research within the
Polytechnic Institute of Bucharest, the Ministry of Education and the
Romanian Academy
Research activity
- Over 40 years of research activity in various fields of
mechanical engineering, such as: applied mechanics (mechanics of flight,
rotor dynamics, stability); fluid mechanics (cavitation, viscous flow at
small and large Reynolds numbers, stability of laminar flow, turbulent flow
in thin layers), aerodynamics (wing theory, wingsbody interference,
transonic flow, supersonic flow with bow waves, compressible and viscous
effects in thin layers) and especially in fluid film lubrification
(hydrodynamic lubrification, lubrification rheology, gas lubrification,
turbulent lubrification, flow with inertia in lubrificating films).
Publications
- Over 200 papers, 18 books and 7 patents
- Over 60 papers published in international periodicals,
such as "Proceedings" of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers,
London, ASLE Transactions and especially ASME Transactions (Journal of
Applied Mechanics, Journal of Basic Engineering, Journal Transactions
(Journal of Applied Mechanics, Journal of Basic Engineering, Jurnal of
Lubrifications Engineering, Journal of Tribology), or appeared in the
proceedings of various international symposia, conferences, congresses.
- His book on the Gas Lubrification, published in Romanian
in 1963 was translated into Russian (Moscow, 1968) and English (New York,
1969);
- His book on the Theory of Turbulent Lubrification,
published in Romanian in 1965 was translated into English by the Atomic
Energy Commission, USA, in 1968;
- His book on Silding Bearings, published in Romanian in
1980 was translated and published into English, New York, 1985;
- Several of his contributions to the theory of fluid film
lubrification were recently quoted among the most significant contributions
produced during the 100 years since Osborne Reynolds foundation of the
hydrodynamic lubrification theory.
Foreign Languages
- English, French; can read German, Italian, Russian
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