VIPARELLI M

ITALY (see also List of Individuals)

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21.12.1911 Sarnico/I - 10.1.2004 Napoli/I

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Michele Viparelli graduated as a civil engineer from the Napoli University in 1934 and there was an assistant in its hydraulics institute from 1936. From 1951 he was a hydraulics professor at Napoli University, from where he was on leave for Palermo University in 1954 and finally settled in Napoli from 1955. He directed its Hydraulic Institute for decades and was considered the mentor of Neapolitan hydraulics well after retirement in 1986. Viparelli was also a Councilor of his university.

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In the early 1950s, high-speed water flows were of interest to hydraulic engineers. Following the advance of adequate instrumentation, the main features of these flows were studied, along with the entrained air. Viparelli was at the forefront of these developments, once with his 1950 paper relating to the "Italian" vortex drop structure developed in 1945 by his colleague Carlo Drioli (1902-1997). Shortly later, Viparelli presented research on air-water conduit flows as may occur in combined sewers or in tunnel spillways. These results were extended in 1954 on chute spillways for which high-speed air-water flows are a concern because of flow bulking and reduced flow resistance due to the presence of air. Today's design procedures partly date back to these works but are currently improved, following the recent advances in instrumentation for such flows. Viparelli's 1961 paper was a definite addition to the air-water flow features of vortex drop structures mainly as regards the effect of air flow in the axial air core. As many of his colleagues, Viparelli presented also two hydraulics books, one in collaboration with his colleagues Guido Nebbia (1894-1947), Girolamo Ippolito (1891-1975) and Andrea Russo Spena (1911-1984), while the second was published in the mid 1970s.

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_{Alessi, G.F. (1974). Michele Viparelli. Profilo storico dell'Istituto di Idraulica della Università di Palermo dalle origini al 1962: 24. Università: Palermo. P}

_{Montuori, C. (2004). In ricordo di Michele Viparelli. L'Acqua (1): 87. P}

_{Nebbia, G., Ippolito, G., Russo Spena, A., Viparelli, M. (1966). Idraulica. Liguori: Napoli. Viparelli, M. (1950). Su un particolare tipo d'imbocco e sull'efflusso con vortice. L'Energia Elettrica 26(10): 610-624.}

_{Viparelli, M. (1954). Correnti rapide - Risultati in canaletta a 45°. L'Energia Elettrica 30(6): 393-405.}

_{Viparelli, M. (1961). Les courants d'air et d'eau dans les puits verticaux. La Houille Blanche}

_{16(12): 857-869.}

_{Viparelli, M. (1975). Lezioni di idraulica. Liguori: Napoli.}