The Race to Patent Reinforced Concrete
This research traces the evolution and spread of reinforced concrete in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by specifically analyzing "A Race to Patent" the new building material. Looking deeper into the processes for filing these patents and the personnel involved, reveals why engineers like Francois Hennebique, Gustav Wayss, and Claude Turner left such a significant impact on the industry, and also provides reason for a later downfall of these proprietary systems.
The Rise of Patenting
Reinforcing concrete with steel or iron started in the mid 19th century. Engineers like Francois Goignet using steel rods in walls of houses and small buildings. It wasn’t until 1867 that someone took ownership of the idea. Joseph Monier was credited with the first patent of reinforcing concrete with steel. Monier was just a gardener though, using steel mesh to reinforce the concrete planters and pots. It was later that year, when he displayed his product at the Paris exhibition, that it caught the attention of many engineers, including Francois Hennebique. That is when the race to patent reinforced concrete began.
Key Pioneers
Hundreds of engineers filed thousands of patents on concrete across the world in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but these three engineers each had a specific way of exploiting the reinforced concrete industry and leaving their mark in history.
Francois Hennebique
French engineer known for devising the "Hennebique System"
Gustav Wayss
German Engineer who pioneered calculations of reinforced concrete
Claude A.P. Turner
American Engineer known for devising the "Mushroom System"
The Downfall of Patenting
The race to Patent reinforced concrete slowed and came to an end in the early 20th centuries when scientist and engineers noticed structural failures in RC buildings. A look at patents and systems, revealed that there were no structural calculations. State interventions led to regulations in certain cities, and then in certain countries. Institutions like the American Concrete Institution were created and Standards were implied to provide safety for the unknown specific capabilities of all of the systems, and patents were no longer allowed to be filed without all structural calculations. Standards started to become more influential than patents across time.