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Adrian Ernest Long OBE (15 April 1941 – 23 April 2022) was a civil engineer from Northern Ireland. A professor at Queen's University Belfast, he had a particular interest in concrete structures and patented FlexiArch, a pre-cast concrete arch product. He served as president of the Institution of Civil Engineers for 2002–03, the first Northern Irish engineer to do so.
Adrian Long | |
|---|---|
| Born | 15 April 1941 |
| Died | 23 April 2022 (aged 81) Dundonald, Northern Ireland |
| Alma mater | Queen's University Belfast (BSc, PhD) |
| Spouse | Elaine Long |
| Children |
|
| Family | Naomi Long (daughter-in-law) |
| Engineering career | |
| Discipline | Civil, structural |
| Institutions | Queen's University Belfast Institution of Civil Engineers (president) |
| Significant design | FlexiArch |
| Awards | ICE Gold Medal |
Long was born on 15 April 1941 in Dungannon, County Tyrone in Northern Ireland.[1][2] He stated that he came from a carpentry and blacksmithing background.[3]
In 1959, Long entered Queen's University Belfast (QUB) to study civil engineering. He graduated with first class honours and then took a PhD at Queens.[4] In 1967, he moved to Canada, working as bridge designer for Fenco Engineering in Toronto.[4]
However, he spent only a year in Canada, returning to Belfast in 1968 to become an associate professor of civil engineering at Queen's University Belfast (QUB).[4] In 1976, he was promoted to a full professorship.[5] His work was largely in the field of concrete structures, particularly in chloride resistance, maintenance problems and arch bridge structures.[6] Long published 20 papers in journals managed by the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) and won eight of the institution's medals for these, including the ICE Gold Medal.[7]
By 2002 Long was appointed dean of the faculty of engineering at QUB.[5] In November of that year he was appointed president of the ICE for the 2002–2003 session; the first Northern Irish person to hold that position.[5][8] Long was also a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and of the Institute for the Advancement of Engineering.[3]
Long was appointed an officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2006 New Year Honours for services to higher education and civil engineering.[9] He resigned as professor at QUB in 2006 but remained there as an emeritus professor in the School of Natural and Built Environment.[6][7] Since 2015, the ICE Northern Ireland awards the Adrian Long medal to the best paper in an ICE journal to be authored by a Northern Ireland member. The medal features a bust of Long.[7]
Long was married to Elaine and had two children, Michael and Alison.[10] Michael served as the 80th Lord Mayor of Belfast from 9 May to 1 June 2022.[11] He also served as High Sheriff of Belfast in 2021 and served on Belfast City Council since 2001, where he was the Alliance group leader from 2015 to 2021.[12] He is married to Alliance Party leader and justice minister Naomi Long.[11]
Long died at the Ulster Hospital on 23 April 2022, at the age of 81.[13]
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From 1997 Long worked on the FlexiArch, a pre-cast concrete arch in which the individual voussoirs are joined by a flexible polymeric membrane.[14][15] The arch arrives to site flat packed and when lifted into position by a crane the gaps between the voussoirs close under gravity and form the correct arch profile. Long patented the product, which is produced by Irish pre-cast manufacturer Macrete, in 2004.[15] The product can be constructed within a day and, containing no corrodable elements, has been stated to have a design lifespan of 300 years.[15] More than 50 FlexiArch bridges have been constructed in the UK and Ireland and spans up to 30m are possible.[14]
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