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Adrian Long
OBE
Born(1941-04-15)15 April 1941
Dungannon, Northern Ireland
Died23 April 2022(2022-04-23) (aged 81)
Dundonald, Northern Ireland
Alma mater Queen's University Belfast ( BSc, PhD)
SpouseElaine Long
Children
Family Naomi Long (daughter-in-law)
Engineering career
Discipline Civil, structural
Institutions Queen's University Belfast
Institution of Civil Engineers (president)
Significant designFlexiArch
AwardsICE Gold Medal

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.

Biography

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]

FlexiArch

A FlexiArch bridge constructed adjacent to an existing structure in Soundwell, Gloucestershire

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]

References

  1. ^ "Long, Prof. Adrian Ernest". WHO WAS WHO 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  2. ^ Masterton, Gordon (2005), ICE Presidential Address, archived from the original on 3 January 2011, retrieved 3 February 2020
  3. ^ a b "Annual Dinner & Conference Proceedings 2015". ARCHES – Attractive Alternatives. Concrete Bridge Development Group. Archived from the original on 2 February 2020. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  4. ^ a b c Smith, Claire (27 April 2022). "Obituary: Former ICE president Adrian Long 1941–2022". New Civil Engineer. London. ISSN  0307-7683. Archived from the original on 27 April 2022. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
  5. ^ a b c "NEWS IN BRIEF: Professor Adrian Long". New Civil Engineer. London. 10 January 2002. ISSN  0307-7683. Archived from the original on 2 February 2020. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  6. ^ a b "Adrian Long". Queen's University Belfast. Archived from the original on 6 May 2022. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  7. ^ a b c McKibbin, Lilly (12 July 2015). "Professor Long medal encourages Northern Ireland experts to share their knowledge". Institution of Civil Engineers. Archived from the original on 2 February 2020. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  8. ^ "Humanitarian needs highlighted". The Irish Times. Dublin. 11 April 2003. ISSN  0791-5144. Archived from the original on 6 May 2022. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  9. ^ "No. 57855". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2005. p. 11.
  10. ^ "Tribute to Emeritus Professor Adrian Long". Queen's University Belfast. 16 February 2016. Archived from the original on 6 May 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  11. ^ a b Simpson, Mark (9 May 2022). "Alliance: Michael Long makes history as three-week mayor". BBC News. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  12. ^ McConville, Marie Louise (16 January 2021). "Alliance councillor Michael Long appointed new High Sheriff of Belfast". The Irish News. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  13. ^ Lynch, Connor (24 April 2022). "Tributes paid to father of Alliance councillor Michael Long". BelfastLive. Archived from the original on 25 April 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
  14. ^ a b Crawford, Mark (6 August 2015). "A Precast Masonry Arch Bridge that Lasts Centuries". American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Archived from the original on 2 February 2020. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
  15. ^ a b c "The Longest Flat-Packed Bridge". Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining. Materials World magazine. 1 March 2015. Archived from the original on 2 February 2020. Retrieved 2 February 2020.
Professional and academic associations
Preceded by President of the Institution of Civil Engineers
November 2002 – November 2003 		Succeeded by
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