History of the FSEL Lab

From History of the Structures and Materials Program, 1903-2003
by: Ned H. Burns

The centennial of the Department of Civil Engineering provides an excellent opportunity to reflect on the wide range of accomplishments within the structures and materials program at the University of Texas at Austin. The University of Texas is a leader in structural engineering today because of the dedicated efforts of our predecessors – students and faculty. They established the foundation upon which the program continues to grow.

Ferguson Structural Engineering Laboratory
(circa 1950)

Dean W. R. Woolrich summarized the development of the College of Engineering at the University of Texas during the period 1884 through 1964 in his book, Men of Ingenuity from Beneath the Orange Tower. He provided a thorough description of developments in the area of Structures and Materials and information about this formative period has been excerpted below. While other areas within the Department of Civil Engineering also developed in significant ways during this 80-year period, these excerpts highlight the names of faculty who led the remarkable emergence of the Structures and Materials program at the University of Texas at Austin. Our present position as one of the leading programs in the United States can certainly be traced back to these faculty members, to whom we owe a great debt.

Development of the College of Engineering
1894 – 1964*
Throughout the first twenty years of the existence of engineering education at the University of Texas, the academic work was centered around civil engineering programs and personnel. It was possible for a student to take other work during this period as reflected by the catalogue announcement of 1894-1895, that, “In this department four distinct groups of courses are offered in Civil, Sanitary, Electrical, and Mining Engineering.” During the period prior to 1894, all baccalaureate candidates received a bachelor of science degree. The first change from this pattern came at the commencement of 1894, when the degree of civil engineer was awarded to Eugene Paul Schoch, who later became, successively, professor of chemistry, then professor of chemical engineering, and founder of the department of chemical engineering.
The degree of civil engineer continued to be offered until 1908. This degree was of baccalaureate academic level, which was common in some Eastern universities, especially Cornell where T. U. Taylor had taken advanced work. This practice continued nationally by a number of American universities before the advent of the Engineering Council for Professional Development in 1933.

As an indication of the flexibility that was permitted by the Dean of the Department of Engineering, the record shows that in 1896 Mr. Fritz Reichman was awarded the degrees both of civil engineer and electrical engineer. It was not, however, until 1905, nine years later, that the second electrical engineering degree was given.
By 1900 railroad work was very popular in the Southwest. For this field Professor Taylor selected a second teacher, Edward Christian Henry Bantel, to serve as instructor in civil engineering. A graduate of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Mr. Bantel had first done railroad engineering work in Canada, then later, had taken charge of the con-struction, operation, and maintenance work on the Mexican National Railroad. Mr. Bantel, or "Banty" as the students affectionately called him, was a popular teacher, beloved by his students as one who taught not only engineering, but also a philosophy of life. His "sermons" were famous and his high ideals as to character and integrity were impressed on all his students. Mr. Bantel became a professor in 1913 and was appointed the first assistant dean in 1913. He served as chairman of the Department of Civil Engineering from 1924 to 1933, went on modified service in 1944, and retired in 1952.

The next faculty member added to the Civil Engineering staff was Stanley P. Finch, who held a B.A. degree from the University of Texas, followed by an M.S. degree in engineering from M.I.T. Mr. Finch became a professor in 1923, and served as departmental chairman from 1937 to 1943. Before he retired in 1952, he had taught most of the courses in the civil engineering curriculum, but his major field was in mechanics and structures. He was thorough and painstaking in his work and expected more than a cursory knowledge to be displayed on the part of his students. Under him many students learned the power of the logical approach to problems. Although he was held somewhat in awe by many students, he was always considered a fair and considerate teacher, always ready to answer a student question in class or of-fice. He met his classes unfailingly and started nearly every period with a daily assignment—usually three problems to work for the next class—which he copied on the board from a black notebook he carried in his pocket.
Mr. Banks McLaurin, a University of Texas graduate of 1911, joined the staff in 1925 as an instructor and became a professor in 1943. His field was primarily hydraulics and mechanics. Students liked his classes for his clear presentations and his patience with those who asked for help. He served as departmental chairman from 1935 to 1937, then transferred his activities to the Department of Engineering Mechanics when that department was separated from Civil Engineering in 1947. Professor McLaurin remained active in teaching until shortly before his death in 1962.
In 1921-1922 the Student Chapter of the American Society of Civil Engineers was formed on the campus; it has been active ever since that date. It is interesting to note that such student chapters had been first authorized by the parent organization only a year earlier. Thus, this was one of the first chapters organized in the United States.

J. Neils Thompson (left),
Phil M. Ferguson (middle right), and
A. Anthony Toprac (right) in 1964

Professor Phil M. Ferguson joined the faculty as an associate professor in 1928, with his major work in materials and structures. He was a 1922 graduate from the University of Texas with a master's degree from the University of Wisconsin. He also had extensive practical design experience in New York City with Robinson Engineers.
The year 1934 saw the organization of a local chapter of the national honorary society Chi Epsilon, with the membership limited to high-ranking students in civil and architectural engineering. Chi Epsilon has become a very flourishing and stimulating group for the department.

World War II might be regarded as a turning point for the Civil Engineering Department. The war years saw the civilian engineering students largely disappear and special Navy students take their place. These were the days of war-training courses scattered over most of the state, but heaviest in the Gulf Coast area. The faculty taught in Austin, but also did much traveling over the state, setting up courses and supervising the local teachers employed to conduct them. Most of the faculty participated in this work, but especially Professors Thompson, Graves, Barclay, Focht, and Ferguson. After the war came the big influx of students under the G.I. Bill, the rapid development of graduate work, and the chance for faculty specialization; but after the war also came the problems of rapid staff recruitment.

To develop theoretical work in engineering mechanics, Dr. Dana Young had been added to the staff in 1942. Under his direction graduate courses were developed and in early 1947 the area was separated from Civil Engineering to become the Department of Engineering Mechanics.

Although the year 1941 had seen the beginning of serious work in the field of materials with the addition of Mr. J. Neils Thompson, a 1935 University graduate, the war was over before he could develop graduate courses in that field. Mr. Thompson rose from his rank of instructor in 1941 to professor in 1949. After the war he was largely responsible for the acquisition by the University of the defense-related magnesium plant property north of the city of Austin, some nine miles from the campus. He served as part-time director of this physical property and materially assisted in the establishment of some twenty-seven research laboratories, resident in the Balcones Research Center, a name made official in 1953.

Professor Thompson was very active in research. He received the Wason Medal from the American Concrete Institute in 1954 for a paper on diagonal tension. He was president of the Texas Society of Professional Engineers and a national director of the National Society of Professional Engineers. He was also a director of the American Concrete Institute and chairman of the Building Research Advisory Board of the National Academy of Science. He was vice-president of the Austin Chamber of Commerce, a director in many local business groups, and long-term representative of university athletics, serving as chair of the Athletic Council, president of the Southwest Conference, and president of the NCAA.

Because of special conditions existing in the department, Professor Ferguson's term as chairman, which started in 1943, extended longer than usual, not ending until 1957. The growth of the staff permitted him to specialize in reinforced concrete and he became very active in research in this field. He received research awards from the American Concrete Institute in 1954 and 1958, and from ASCE in 1961. In 1959 he was president of the American Concrete Institute and in 1962 of the Texas Society of Professional Engineers. He had a major part in the work of the committee that prepared the 1963 and subsequent Building Codes for Reinforced Concrete of the American Concrete Institute. In 1962 he received the General Dynamics award for excellence in teaching in the College of Engineering. Professor Ferguson's work and research have been reflected in his textbook on reinforced concrete. In many European nations it is considered one of the most complete contributions for concrete design that has originated from North America. In 1961 it was translated into a Spanish edition, published in Mexico City. Professor Ferguson was the first Texas structural engineer to be elected to the National Academy of Engineering.

The Texas Structural Engineering Conference in March, 1952, and the Structural Conference on Thin Shells in April, 1961, were the result of Professor Ferguson's efforts to interest Texas engineers in newer developments in structural theory. In 1961 Dr. A. M. Haas was brought to Austin from the Technical University of Delft, Holland, to develop part of the graduate course on thin-shell construction. Professor Ferguson led the development of graduate education and research in the structural engineering program.

The expansion of graduate work in structures permitted the addition of Assistant Professor A. A. Toprac to the staff in 1950. Dr. Toprac had received his Ph.D. degree at Lehigh University and brought with him a great enthusiasm for physical research in the field of welded-steel structures. This work has been recognized by the award of the Lincoln gold medal of the American Welding Society.
In 1961 and 1962 Dr. Toprac publicized the need for a fatigue-testing laboratory at the University adequate to handle large structural members. When the University and the Engineering Foundation were unable to finance the whole of such a large installation, he enlisted Dr. Walter L. Moore's help. Together they raised over $40,000 from industry. The American Institute of Steel Construction made a research grant large enough to cover part of the cost and the National Science Foundation made a $20,000 grant. The fatigue equipment was put in service on a thirty- by sixty-foot loading mat at Balcones Research Center. As a result of these efforts, the University had a fatigue facility, then unequaled in size in the United States.

Anchor Bolt Testing, 1961, Meeting of the Project Advisory Subcommittee, Committee of Concrete Reinforcing Bar Producers, and the American Iron and Steel Institute concerning reinforcing bar pullout on structural concrete specimens. From left: Dave Wattstein, National Bureau of Standards and Technology (NIST); John McDermott, U.S. Steel; Burt Thornley, LaClede Steel; Dr. Phil M. Ferguson; C.A. Willson, American Iron & Steel Institute; and Morgan Johnson (in hat). At far bottom right is then graduate student Dr. John Breen. (Photo: Vic Toth)

Two other faculty members worked almost as a team in studying the interaction between structure and foundation—essentially a new field of investigation. They led the development of both geotechnical engineering and structural mechanics at UT. Hudson Matlock joined the faculty in 1948 and Lymon C. Reese in 1955, after obtaining his Ph.D. from the University of California. Their work developed from research on offshore structures and foundation conditions. Both chaired the Department of Civil Engineering and their pioneer offshore engineering work was recognized by election to the National Academy of Engineering.

Notable changes in the Department of Civil Engineering have been brought about since World War II by the ever-widening scope of the field and the specialization in many phases which were virtually unknown before the war. Of necessity, more elective courses are given each semester. Greater freedom has been allowed undergraduates in selecting courses from areas of interest. This freedom has come from reduced requirements elsewhere in the civil-engineering courses, primarily in the surveying field, but also in the structures, environmental health, and hydraulic areas. Every student now takes courses introducing him to the major civil-engineering fields, but strength in any one field must come from the electives chosen, and graduate work is necessary for real specialization.

Graduate work has developed rapidly since the forties. The doctor of philosophy degree was first authorized for civil engineering in 1952 and Earl I. Brown II was the first recipient, in January 1954. His major field was structures and his supervising professor was Phil M. Ferguson. Dr. Brown went on to serve as chair of the Department of Civil Engineering at Duke University.

Cutting Concrete Slabs, 1961, Gorem Hinckley (in hard hat) and Joe Whisenant (in cowboy hat) cutting strips of reinforcing bars to check for corrosion at the Ferguson Structural Engineering Laboratory (before walls were built around lab). A conventional water-cooled concrete saw with a diamond-tipped blade is used to cut grooves in reinforced concrete test slabs.

Graduate enrollment in 1963 stood second in number of students among the engineering departments at the University of Texas with thirty students working toward the master's degree and thirty-two toward the Ph.D.

With the growth of the faculty and graduate work, research has de-veloped actively in all fields and faculty publications have multiplied manyfold. It appears that national recognition for the department has been achieved in most of the active civil engineering areas and should shortly be attainable in the remainder. The future of civil engineering at the University seems bright indeed.

* Excerpts from Woolrich, W.R. (1964). Men of Ingenuity from Beneath the Orange Tower. Engineering Foundation,
College of Engineering, University of Texas at Austin

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