LIBAI, AVINOAM

LIBAI, AVINOAM (1929– ), Israeli aeronautical engineer. Libai was born in Tel Aviv. After service in the War of Independence, he received his B.Sc. in civil engineering from the Haifa Technion (1953). He participated in many engineering projects including the Yarkon Bridge project before moving to the U.S. (1953), where he got his M.Sc. (1956) and Ph.D. (1959) in engineering science from Purdue University, Indiana, specializing   in the physical properties and behavior of structures. After postdoctoral research at Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore (1959–61), Libai worked with Israel Aircraft Industries in Lydda (1961–71) as principal staff scientist. He then moved to the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering at the Technion (1971), where he became full professor (1972), head of the Department of Aeronautical Engineering (1974–75), head of the Department of Aerospace Engineering (1989–90), and L. Shirley Tark Professor of Aircraft Structures (1992). After his retirement in 1997 he became professor emeritus. Libai was a leading world authority on non-linear shell theory, which is now a recognized field in the general discipline of non-linear mechanics. His work has important practical applications in the design of aircraft shells, including calculating and testing their resistance to stress and buckling. This had a major influence in the development of Israeli civil and military aircraft. His honors include the Israel Prize for engineering research. Libai was also influential in Technion administration, including a period as dean of the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering and as adviser to many national organizations, including the Ministry of Defense (1978–84). His international reputation has been enhanced by his publications, including standard texts in his field of expertise, and by sabbatical visits to leading universities, including Harvard (1977). (Michael Denman (2nd ed.)