%0 Journal Article
%T De la th¨¦orie au mod¨¨le : les h¨¦lices comme sculptures calcul¨¦es, le cas des Fonderies de l¡¯Atlantique ¨¤ Nantes
%A Jean-Louis Kerouanton
%J In Situ : Revue de Patrimoines
%D 2009
%I Minist¨¨re de la Culture et de la Communication
%R 10.4000/insitu.4266
%X La d¨¦couverte, l¡¯¨¦tude et la sauvegarde partielle des batiments des anciennes   Fonderies de l¡¯Atlantique   ¨¤ Nantes en 2001-2002 ont permis ¨¦galement de r¨¦v¨¦ler puis de conserver une extraordinaire collection d¡¯objets de fonderie au sable correspondant ¨¤ la fabrication des h¨¦lices et des pales d¡¯h¨¦lice pour les plus gros navires commerciaux et militaires. La technologie de fonderie d¡¯alliage de cuivre pour les h¨¦lices avait ¨¦t¨¦ adopt¨¦e en 1937 dans l¡¯entreprise. L¡¯ensemble des mod¨¨les en bois de pales d¡¯h¨¦lice est d¡¯abord apparu comme une accumulation de sculptures monumentales particuli¨¨rement ¨¦pur¨¦es. L¡¯¨¦tude technologique plus fine montre cependant que cette   beaut¨¦   r¨¦elle ne correspond nullement ¨¤ la volont¨¦ d¡¯un artiste mais rel¨¨ve uniquement des calculs li¨¦s pour chaque production ¨¤ un projet de navire. Et c¡¯est seulement le calcul qui permet d¡¯expliquer les r¨¦alisations d¡¯h¨¦lices monoblocs par troussage, sans mod¨¨le aucun ; il ne reste alors de traces que les outils du troussage. Il s¡¯agit bien d¨¨s lors d¡¯un patrimoine scientifique - la transposition mat¨¦rielle d¡¯un calcul math¨¦matique - tout autant que d¡¯un patrimoine technique et industriel. C¡¯est cette particularit¨¦ qui fait la grande originalit¨¦ de l¡¯ensemble conserv¨¦ par la communaut¨¦ urbaine, en attendant, nous l¡¯esp¨¦rons, une valorisation future. In 2001 and 2002, the study and partial preservation of the buildings of the former Fonderies de l¡¯Atlantic in Nantes also allowed for the preservation of a remarkable collection of objects related to the sand foundry casting carried out by this firm, specialised in propellers for major commercial and military vessels. The firm began to employ copper alloys in its foundry techniques from 1937. The collection of wooden models prepared for the casting of propellers appears, at first sight, as a remarkable accumulation of rather abstract monumental sculptures. More detailed technical study of these objects, however, shows that their undeniable aesthetic qualities resulted only from the calculations required by particular projects for particular vessels. And it was by calculation alone, without wooden models, that the firm was able to manufacture propellers in a single piece, by trussing techniques. In this case, the only surviving material traces today are the trussing tools. Here then is a scientific heritage, the material expression of mathematical calculations, which is at the same time a technical and industrial heritage. This is doubtless the originality of the collection held today by the Nantes local authorities, and which, we hope, will s
%K conservation
%K industrial heritage
%K propeller
%K ship¡¯s propeller
%K propeller blade
%K ship¡¯s engine
%K calculation
%K sand foundry
%K copper alloy foundry (copper-aluminium)
%K foundry models
%K propeller models
%K industrial project
%K engineering sciences
%K scientific heritage
%K maritime heritage
%K Nantes
%K Fonderies de l¡¯Atlantic (Foundry Firm)
%K patrimoine maritime
%K patrimoine industriel
%K conservation
%K Nantes
%K h¨¦lice
%K h¨¦lice marine
%K pales d¡¯h¨¦lice
%K groupe propulseur de navire
%K calcul
%K fonte au sable
%U http://insitu.revues.org/4266