Antonio Signorini

Antonio Signorini

Born 2 April 1888(1888-04-02)
Arezzo, Italy
Died 23 February 1963(1963-02-23) (aged 74)
Roma, Italy
Nationality Italian
Fields Continuum mechanics, constitutive equations, external ballistics, finite strain theory
Institutions University of Palermo, University of Naples Federico II, Università di Roma
Alma mater Scuola Normale Superiore (1909) (Mathematics degree); University of Palermo (1921) (Civil engineering degree)
Doctoral advisor Gian Antonio Maggi
Other academic advisors Luigi Bianchi, Tullio Levi-Civita
Doctoral students see the teaching activity section
Other notable students Gaetano Fichera
Known for Constitutive equations, Signorini problem
Influenced External ballistics finite strain theory, linear elasticity
Notable awards Lavagna prize (1909), golden medal of the Accademia Nazionale delle Scienze detta dei XL (1920)

Antonio Signorini (2 April 1888 – 23 February 1963) was an influential Italian mathematical physicist and civil engineer of the 20th century. He is known for his work in finite elasticity, thermoelasticity and for formulating the Signorini problem.

Contents

Life

Honors

In 1920, while he was professor at the University of Palermo, he was awarded the gold medal of the Accademia Nazionale delle Scienze detta dei XL: the members of the judging commission were Luigi Bianchi, Guido Castelnuovo and Tullio Levi-Civita.[1] Mauro Picone remarks that he was not awarded by the royal prize of the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei only because he become earlier a member of the academy.[2]

Work

While only very few scientists between 1845 and 1945 studied the foundations of continuum mechanics, among them there were some of the most distinguished savants of the period: (...). In that period, however, many papers on the subject were published. When not essentially repetitions of earlier studies, these concerned special theories or approximations, most of which have turned later to be unnecessary in the cases when they are justified. Knowledge of the true principles of the general theory seems to have diminished except in Italy, where it was kept alive by the teaching and writing of Signorini.

—Clifford A. Truesdell and Walter Noll, from (Truesdell & Noll 1965, pp. 8–9)

Research activity

His scientific production const of more than 114 works, being papers, monographs and textbooks, 17 of which have been collected in his "Opere Scelte".[3]

Teaching activity

Among his "allievi" there are some of the most important Italian mathematicians and mathematical physicists: a partial list of them is reported below

  • Carlo Cattaneo
  • Ida Cattaneo Gasparini
  • Piero Giorgio Bordoni
  • Giuseppe Grioli
  • Giuseppe Tedone
  • Carlo Tolotti

He was also close friend and teacher of Gaetano Fichera at the Istituto Nazionale di Alta Matematica, inspiring his research in continuum mechanics, his solution of the Signorini problem and the creation of the field of variational inequalities.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ See the relation for the awarding of the prize by Bianchi, Castelnuovo & Levi-Civita (1920).
  2. ^ See the commemoration by Picone 1965. This paper is the main biographical reference, dealing extensively with the life and aspects of the personality of Antonio Signorini: Mauro Picone and him were friends from their childhood in Arezzo.
  3. ^ See Signorini 1991

Bibliography

References