ht. J. Heat Moss Transfer.
Pergamon Press Ltd. 1979.

Vol. 22, PP. I-4
Printed in Great Britain

EDMCYND A. BRUNA L’OCCASION

DE SON QUATRE-VINGTIEMENB LE 31 Dkcembre
1898 a Saint-Cannat(Bouchesdu-Rhone), le Professeur Edmond A. Brun couronne
en 1923 ses etudes universitaires
a Marseille par letitre d’Agrege de Physique.
Ce titre le conduit
pendant les premieres annees de sa carribe, a Nicepuis a Paris, vers l’enseignement de la Physique dansles classes spkciales od les Ctudiants preparenf
lescontours
d’entreeaux grandesholes
francaisesd’ingenieurs. Parallelement,en 1929, il.commencelafertile activite de recherche qui l’a PIa& parmi lesgrands thermiciens de son pays. Sespreiirieres
etudesconcernent
les indications
dun ‘~tlie~ttremisdans les kcoulements
gazeux a .gtinde vitesse [l].
Une these de Doctorat est presentee a I’Universite deParis en 1935 sur le theme “Phenomenes
thermiques
provoques par le d&placement relatif d’un solide dans
un fluide” [2]. En particulier, de ces travaux est nC legroupement
adimensionnel
qui traduit le couplage
entre la conduction
dans un solide et la convection thermiqueh la surface, groupement
appeleaujourd’hui nombre de Brun.

ANNIVERSAIRE

A partir de 1936, il entreprend des recherches surle givrage des ailes d’avion, sur la structure desnuages et des brouillards
et il met au point desappareils de mesure permettant le diagnostic de cettestructure. Ces travaux ont conduit a l’etablissement
des equations de la mecanique des suspensions[3]
et, plus tard, a la coordinationd’une publicationcollective internationale
sur le givrage et les solutions
permettant de l’eviter [4].
Nomme a la Faculte des Sciences de 1’UniversitC
de Paris (1942) il crte a la m&me date, a Meudon, leLaboratoire
des Echanges Thermiquesdu Centre
National
de la Recherche
Scientifique(C.N.R:S.),
laboratoire qui est rapidement connu hors de France
par les themes trb modernes qui y sont Ctudies. Lesetudes ont ete entreprises grace a un Cquipement bien
adapte et le plus souvent original: soutHerie supersonique en 1945, diverses souffleries hypersoniques
entre
1957 et 1965, tube a choc g soufflage
magnetique,diverses
installations
importantes
abasse pression, etc..

I2J. GOSSE

11 est impossible de dresser ici le tableau de ses tres
nombreux resultats scientifiques acquis dam l’ttude
des couches limites dynamiqueset thermiques
destcoulements
gazeux, pour des conditions tres varieesde vitesse, de pression et de temperature,
et aussi derugosite de surface. Le Professeur Brun a rtdige ainsi
prb de 200 publications
scientifiques,
plus de 40
ouvrages didactiques.
Cette activite fkconde devait
lui ouvrir, en 1969, les portes de 1’Academie desSciences de 1’Institut de France.
Un point remarquable
est la grande unite de ses
travaux. Par exemple, a propos des tcoulements
degaz rarefies, la simulation des vols de rentree dessatellites dans la haute atmospherea conduit a
porter attention
sur les sillages ioniques,
sur lephenomened’action
catalytiquede paroi. Ceci
suppose une connaissancede la haute atmosphere.
Or, d&s 1923, le Professeur Brun s’etait deja interessea la physique des atmospheres(a altitude mod&e,bien entendu).
En 1971, s’est terminee la carriere universitaire,mais l’activite scientifique a toujours continue dansle cadre de 1’AcadCmie des Sciences et aussi d’unorganisme national que le gouvernement
francais ademande au Professeur
Brun de creer en 1972, leComite d’Etudes des Consequences
des Vols Stratospheriques (C.O.V.O.S.) pour stimuler les recherches
francaises sur la pollution par les rtacteurs
et surl’equilibre de la couche d’ozone stratospherique.
Parailleurs, il a favorise les rencontres
internationales
sur ces objectifs. Un ouvrage fait le point sur les
resultats acquis pendant les quatre premieres anneesPI.

De nombreuses
distinctions
honorifiques
portentttmoignage
du rang internationalqui lui est reconnu: Commandeur
du Merite Militaire Brisilien,
Officier de la Legion d’Honneur,
Mtdaille d’or de1’Institut Francais
de I’Energie, President
de laSociete des Ingenieurs
Civils de France(1969)
Foreign
Associateof the National
AcademyofSciences, Washington(1959), Membre
Fondateur(1959) puis Vice-President
de I’Academie Internationale d’Astronautique,President de la Federation
Internationaled’Astronautique(1962-1964)
Fellowde diverses Societes anglaises et amiricaines,
enparticulier, Honorary
Fellow of the American Instituteof Aeronautics
and Astronautics(1964)
Membre de 1’Academie Serbe des Sciences et des Arts
(1976).
11 a en outre preside de tres nombreusessocietes
Ctrangeres
pourpromouvoir
francaises
etl’universalite des transferts de chaleur et de masse.
Ainsi en 1966 il a ete parmi les membres fondateurs
de 1’ “Assemblyfor International
Heat TransferConferences” et il a organise avec succes le Congres
de Versailles en 1970. De mtme il a fortement aide ala creation en 1968 de 1’ “InternationalCentre for
Heat and Mass Transfer” qui siege a Belgrade et il aeti: le premier President du Conseil Scientifique de ceCentre. L’Assemblee pour les Conferences
Internationales et le Centre International
jouent un r8leconsiderable
pour le developpementmondial desactivites dans un domainequi couvre toutes lesrealisations
techniques humaines, mais aussi la vie
animale, kg&ale et l’equilibre biophysique de notreplanete [6].
Par son enthousiasme
permanent,
le Professeur
Brun a don& une impulsion considerable
a unebranche scientifique qui itait peu active dans lesuniversitb
francaises avant la derniere guerre mondiale. La richesse de son oeuvre et la fecondite destravaux dtveloppes
par ses eleves trouvent
leur
explication dans sa trts grande shrete de jugement
concernant
l’analyse des phenomtnes
physiques.
Cette qualite remarquable donne a l’intuition la force
penttrantenkcessaire a l’etude experimentaleoutheoriquedes phtnomenes.
A cette clartedel’analyse, s’ajoute, dans les relations humaines, unesensibilite discrete, une dignite qui exclut les bassesses et qui gagne les coeurs de tous ses tleves, car
ces qualites ont pour risultante une grande confiancedans les hommes
et une permanente
jeunessed’esprit.
Par le souci constant d’entretenir autour de son
mari le climat favorable
a l’epanouissementdel’oeuvre, Madame
Brun doit etre associee a cethommage. Particulierement
agreable avait CtC, il y a
peu d’anntes, la reunion entre de nombreux
amis
representant
aussi bien 1’Industrie que KJniversitt,pour Gter le cinquantitme
anniversairede l’union
dun couple exemplaire.
Les Cditeurs de ce Journal adressent au Professeur
Brun leur voeux de joyeux anniversaireet ils sontcertains que tous ses colltgues, ses Cl&es et ses amis
du monde entier se joignent a eux pour lui souhaiter
encore d’autres belles annees.
J. GOSSE

I1 donne, en 1932, les premiers resultats experimentaux
sur l’iechauffement atrodynamique (Bull. Skanc. Sot. Fr.
Phys., No. 331, 163s) et, en 1936, avec ses ileves M.
Jampy et R. Lecardonnel, la loi experimentale desechanges en convection for&e aux grandes vitesses (C.R.
Hebd. Skanc. Acad. Sci. Paris 202, 1256).
2. De son deuxiime sujet de these est sorti un ouvrage
couronne par I’Academie des Sciences: Les Chaleurs
Spkijques. Armand Cohn, Paris (1940).
3. Resume de l’ensemble des travaux sur ce domaine dans:Introduction ci la mdcanique des suspensions (en collaboration avec R. Caron et M. Vasseur). Rapport
technique du Groupement francais pour le developpement de la Recherche Aeronautique (G.R.A.) No. 15(1945).
4. Anardonranhe No. 16 (1957).
5. Rapport de synthese’ SW ‘les travaux du C.O.V.O.S.
(1977). Sot. Meteoroloaiaue de France. 73, rue deSevres-92100, Boulogn; 6. Laboratoires modernes de recherches sur le transfert dechaleur et de masse. U.N.E.S.C.O., Paris (1973).

ED~OND

A. BRUNON THE OCCASION OF HIS EIGHTIETH BIRTHDAY

phenomenon of catalytic wall action. This required aknowledge of the upper atmosphere and, indeed,Professor Brun had been interested in the physics ofthe atmospheres (at lower altitudes, naturally) since1923.
In 1971 his university career came to an end, but
his scientific work has continued under the auspicesof the Academy of Science and a national organisation which the French gove~ment asked Professor
Brun to set up in 1972, the Stratospheric Flight
Research Committee (C.O.V.O.S.), to encourage
French research on pollution by reactors and on theequilibrium of the stratospheric ozone layer. It has
also promoted international conferences on theseobjectives. The results obtained during the first four
years are summarized in one publication [S].
He has been awarded many distinguishedhonours, bearing witness to his international standing:Brasilian Commander of Military Merit, Officer ofthe Legion of Honour, Gold Medal from the FrenchInstitute of Power, President of the French Association of Civil Engineers (1969), Foreign Associateof the National Academy of Sciences, Washington(19591, Founder Member (1959), and then VicePresident of the International
Academy of &tronautics, President of the International Astronautics
Federation (1962-1964), Fellow of various English
and American societies, in particular, Honorary
Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics andAstronautics (1964) and Member of the Serbien
Academy of Sciences and Arts (1976).
He has also chaired a great many French andforeign societies to promote the universality of heatand mass transfer. In 1966, for example, he was oneof the founder members of the “Assembly forInternational Heat Transfer Conferences” and successfully organised the Versailles Congress in 1970.
Similarly, he greatly assisted the creation, in 1968, ofthe “International
Centre for Heat and MassTransfer” which meets in Belgrade, and was the first
Chairman of the Scientific Council of this Centre.
The Assembly for International Conferences and theInternational Centre play an important part in theworld-wide development of work in an area which
covers all human technical achievements, but also
animal and plant life and the biophysical equilibriumof our planet [6].
With his unfailing enthusiasm, Professor Brun has
been a significant driving force in a scientific field inwhich there was little activity in the French
universities prior to the second world war. The
wealth of his own work and the fertility of the workof his students may be explained by his great
certainty of judgement in the analysis of physicalphenomena. This remarkable quality provides intuition with the penetrating force required for theexperimental or theoretical study of these phenomena. In addition to the clarity of his analyticalfaculties, he has a discretion and dignity in humanON
31 December 1898 in Saint-Cannat(Bouches-du-RhBne), Professor Edmond A. Bruncrowned his university studies in Marseille in 1923
when he was awarded the title of ‘Agr&gZ* inphysics. This award lead him, during the first yearsof his career, first to Nice and then Paris, teaching
physics in special classes to students preparing forthe competitive entrance examinations
for theFrench ‘grandes ecoles’t in engineering. At the sametime, in 1929, he embarked upon the successful
research work which earned him a place amongst thegreat heat engineers of his country. His first studies
concerned the readings of a thermometer placed inhigh-speed gas flows [l]. A doctoral thesis wassubmitted to the University of Paris in 1935 on thesubject of “Thermal phenomena produced by therelative displacement of a solid in a fluid” [Z]. This
work resulted, in particuler, in the adimensional
connection which translates the coupling betweenconduction in a solid and thermal convection at thesurface, a connection now called the Brun number.
From 1936, he undertook research on the icing ofaircraft wings and the structure of clouds and mists,and developed measuring instruments capable ofdiagnosing this structure. This work lead to thedeterminationof equations for the mechanics ofsuspensions [3] and, later, to the coordination of a
joint international publication on icing and methods
for its prevention [4].
On his appointment td the Faculty of Science at
the University of Paris (1942), he immediately set up
the National Scientific Research Centre (C.N.R.S.)
Thermal Exchange Laboratory at Meudon, a laboratory which quickly became known outside France
for the very up-to-date subjects studied there. It wasable to undertake such research thanks to its welldesigned and usually original equipment: supersonicwind-tunnel
in 1945, various hypersonic windtunnels between 1957 and 1965, magnetic draft
impact tunnel, various large, low-pressure installations, etc.
It is impossible to list here the great number ofscientific results obtained through his research into
the dynamic and thermal boundary layers of gas
flows, for very widely varying flow rates, pressures,temperatures and surface roughnesses. Professor
Brun has written nearly 200 scientific papers and morethan 40 text books on his work, earning himself, in 1969,
a place in the Academy of Science of the FrenchInstitute.
One remarkable point is the great unity of hiswork. On the flow of rariiied gasses, for example, theBORN

simulation
atmosphereof satellite re-entry flights in the upperdrew attention
to ionic drag and the*Competitive award by the State for admission toteaching posts at university level.
Wolleges of university level specializing in professional
training.
34J. GOSSE

relations which exclude baseness and win the heartsof all his students, for it is these qualities which haveinspired great trust in his fellow men and kept him
always young at heart.
For her constant care in ensuring that her
husband’s surroundings encourage the successful
development of his work, Madame Brun must be
included in this tribute. A meeting several years ago,
between a large number of friends representing both
Industry and the University, to celebrate the fiftiethwedding anniversary of this outstanding couple wasparticularly agreeable.
The editors of this Journal wish Professor Brun ahappy birthday and are confident that all hiscolleagues, students and friends throughout thewhole world join them in wishing him many happy
returns.
J. GOSSE1. In 1932, he published the first experimental results on
aerodynamic heating (Bull. SBanc. Sot. Fr. Phys., No.
331, 163S) and in 1936,with his students M. Jampy andR. Lecardonnel, he published the experimental law offorced convection exchanges at high speeds (C.R. Hebd.
Skanc. Acad. Sci. Paris 202.1256).

2. From his second thesis ‘subject was taken a work
distinguished by the Academy of Science: Les ChaleursSpecifiques. Armand Cohn, Paris (1940).
3. Summary of all work in this field in: Introduction ci lamkanique des suspensions (in collaboration with R.
Caron and M. Vasseur). Technical report by the FrenchGroup for the Development of Aeronautical Research(G.R.A.) No. 15 (1945).
Agardograph No. 16 (1957).
z Summary report of work by the C.O.V.O.S. (1977).
’ Meteorological Sot. of France, 73, rue de Sdvres-92100
Boulogne.
6. Modern laboratories for research into heat and masstransfer. U.N.E.S.C.O., Paris (1973).