Sommeiller, Germain

Sommeiller, Germain

▪ French engineer
born March 15, 1815, Saint-Jeoire, Fr.
died July 11, 1871, Saint-Jeoire

      French engineer who built the Mount Cenis (Mount Cenis Tunnel) (Fréjus) Tunnel (tunnels and underground excavations) in the Alps, the world's first important mountain tunnel.

      While working at the University of Turin on the construction of a compressed-air ram to supply extra power to locomotives on steep grades, Sommeiller conceived the idea of adapting the machine to rock drilling, for which steam power was not suited because of the difficulty of transmitting it over distances. Commissioned to drive the 7-mile (12-kilometre) tunnel under Mount Cenis, between France and Switzerland, Sommeiller introduced his new drill, which he perfected by trial and error, and a little later, dynamite, just invented by Alfred Nobel. The tunnel was completed in December 1870.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Germain Sommeiller — Naissance 15 février 1815 Saint Jeoire en Faucigny Décès …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Germain Sommeiller — (February 15, 1815 July 11, 1871) was a civil engineer from Savoy. He directed the construction of the Fréjus Rail Tunnel between France and Italy, also known as the Mont Cenis Tunnel. This was the first of a series of major tunnels built in the… …   Wikipedia

  • Col de Sommeiller — x Col de Sommeiller Bergsee am Col de Sommeiller …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Colle Sommeiller — Die ehemalige Wetterstation am Col de Sommeiller Blick aus den Serpentinen hinab zur Rifugio Scarfiotti …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Mount Cenis Tunnel — ▪ railway tunnel, Europe       first great Alpine tunnel to be completed. It lies under the Fréjus Pass, from Modane, France, to Bardonècchia, Italy. The 8.5 mile (13.7 kilometre) rail tunnel, driven from two headings from 1857 to 1871, was… …   Universalium

  • tunnels and underground excavations — ▪ engineering Introduction        Great tunnels of the world Great tunnels of the worldhorizontal underground passageway produced by excavation or occasionally by nature s action in dissolving a soluble rock, such as limestone. A vertical opening …   Universalium

  • Sommeiler — Die ehemalige Wetterstation am Col de Sommeiller Blick aus den Serpentinen hinab zur Rifugio Scarfiotti …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Société intercommunale des bus de la région annécienne — Logo de la Société intercommunale des bus de la région annécienne Création 1980 …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Histoire de la Savoie de 1815 à 1860 — Histoire de la Savoie Antiquité La Savoie dans l Antiquité Sapaudie Moyen Âge …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Saint-Jeoire — 46° 08′ 20″ N 6° 27′ 36″ E / 46.1388888889, 6.46 …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”