Department of Engineering / News / Cambridge academic honoured with posthumous award by the Royal Aeronautical Society

Department of Engineering

Cambridge academic honoured with posthumous award by the Royal Aeronautical Society

Cambridge academic honoured with posthumous award by the Royal Aeronautical Society

Dr Norman de Bruyne, the inventor and pioneer of revolutionary advanced adhesives, has been honoured with a posthumous award, presented to the Department of Engineering.

The aim of the Department is to make the world a better place through our teaching and research, and given that Dr de Bruyne was an extraordinary researcher, innovator and entrepreneur, there can be no better role model.

Professor David Cardwell

Dr de Bruyne (1904-1997), who lectured and conducted research at the Department from 1937, revolutionised aircraft structural design and manufacture with advanced adhesives.

He engaged University of Cambridge chemist R.E. Clark to investigate new adhesives for aircraft applications. The result was Aerolite, a urea-formaldehyde adhesive which unlike conventional glues of the time, resisted water and micro-organisms.

Further research showed that gap-bridging hardeners incorporating formic acid enabled Aerolite to be used as an assembly adhesive. Aerolite was the first adhesive of its type to be invented and manufactured in Britain and used in resin-bonded plywood. It was also used in the construction of the Mosquito and Horsa aircraft.

Dr de Bruyne, who designed his own aircraft ‘The Snark’ using novel techniques, gave lectures on physics to first year engineers and courses on plastics to senior engineers. He also became Director of Studies at Trinity College.

In tribute to Dr de Bruyne’s research and legacy, a bronze Aeronautical Heritage Award plaque was presented by the Royal Aeronautical Society to the Department. It will be sited at the Trumpington Street entrance.

The plaque was unveiled by the Lord-Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire, Mrs Julie Spence OBE QPM as part of a special gathering, alongside a display of de Bruyne memorabilia and examples of current research. In attendance were members of Dr de Bruyne’s family, including his son John, who shared memories of his father.

At the plaque unveiling: Dr Norman de Bruyne's son John (front, second left), the Lord-Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire Julie Spence (left of plaque), and Professor David Cardwell (right of plaque) with invited guests and Royal Aeronautical Society members. Credit: Phil Mynott

The Royal Aeronautical Society’s Aeronautical Heritage Awards scheme is designed to celebrate and commemorate technical or operational achievements that made an original and unique contribution of world significance.

“Dad would have been thrilled by this award,” said John de Bruyne. “A man once came up to my father and said, ‘your lectures were the most inspiring, interesting and fascinating of my educational career’. He said that was the best thing anyone had ever said to him. Teaching was really important to him.”

Professor David Cardwell, Head of the Department, said: “We are absolutely delighted that the Royal Aeronautical Society has decided to celebrate Dr Norman de Bruyne’s work in this way. The aim of the Department is to make the world a better place through our teaching and research, and given that Dr de Bruyne was an extraordinary researcher, innovator and entrepreneur, there can be no better role model.”

The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified.  All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.