French standard (of manufacturing)

French standard (of manufacturing) ≃ British Standard (UK), ≃ US Standard (US)

norme [nɔʀm]

norm ; [de production] standard

• hors normes [personnage] unconventional

► normes de fabrication manufacturing standards

► normes de sécurité safety standards

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1) ( règle) norm

2) Commerce, Technologie standard

3) Mathématique norm

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1) (sociale) (= modèle) norm

2) TECHNIQUE standard

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norme nf

1 ( règle) norm; s'écarter de la norme to deviate from the norm; rester dans la norme to remain within the norm; revenir à la norme to return to normal; avoir valeur de norme to be the norm;

2 Tech Ind Comm standard; être conforme à la norme européenne to comply with European (Community) standard; normes de sécurité safety standards; hors norme lit nonstandard; une œuvre/un réalisateur hors norme fig an extraordinary work/film director;

3 Math norm.

norme juridique legal rule; norme morale moral standards (pl).

[nɔrm] nom féminin

1. INDUSTRIE norm, standard

2. [règle]

3. LINGUISTIQUE

4. MATHÉMATIQUES norm

NF [εnεf]

( ABBR OF norme française) avoir le label NF to comply with French standards

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adjectif, nom féminin (abbr = norme française) French manufacturing standard

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1. abr nmpl nouveaux francs

2. abr nf

INDUSTRIE norme française, industrial standard

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NF adj, nf (abbr = norme française) French manufacturing standard; label NF label showing a product has been manufactured to standard.

(abréviation de Norme française) nom féminin

label indicating compliance with official French standards, ≃ BS (UK), ≃ US standard (US)

SUBJECT AREA: Aerospace

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The parents of Henri and Maurice Farman were British subjects living in Paris, but their sons lived all their lives in France and became French citizens. As young men, both became involved in cycle and automobile racing. Henri (or Henry—he used both versions) turned his attention to aviation in 1907 when he bought a biplane from Gabriel Voisin. Within a short time he had established himself as one of the leading pilots in Europe, with many record-breaking flights to his credit. Farman modified the Voisin with his own improvements, including ailerons, and then in 1909 he designed the first Farman biplane. This became the most popular biplane in Europe from the autumn of 1909 until well into 1911 and is one of the classic aeroplanes of history. Meanwhile, Maurice Farman had also begun to design and build biplanes; his first design of 1909 was not a great success but from it evolved two robust biplanes nicknamed the "Longhorn" and the "Shorthorn", so called because of their undercarriage skids. In 1912 the brothers joined forces and set up a very large factory at Billancourt. The "Longhorn" and "Shorthorn" became the standard training aircraft in France and Britain during the early years of the First World War. The Farman brothers went on to produce a number of other wartime designs, including a large bomber. After the war the Farmans produced a series of large airliners which played a key role in establishing France as a major airline operator. Most famous of these was the Goliath, a twin-engined biplane capable of carrying up to twelve passengers. This was produced from 1918 to 1929 and was used by many airlines, including the Farman Line. The brothers retired when their company was nationalized in 1937.

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SUBJECT AREA: Chemical technology

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Orphaned at an early age, Leblanc was sent by his guardian, a doctor, to study medicine at the Ecole de Chirurgie in Paris. Around 1780 he entered the service of the Duke of Orléans as Surgeon. There he was able to pursue his interest in chemistry by carrying out research, particularly into crystallization; this bore fruit in a paper to the Royal Academy of Sciences in 1786, published in 1812 as a separate work entitled Crystallotechnie. At that time there was much concern that supplies of natural soda were becoming insufficient to meet the increasing demands of various industries, textile above all. In 1775 the Academy offered a prize of 2,400 livres for a means of manufacturing soda from sea salt. Several chemists studied the problem, but the prize was never awarded. However, in 1789 Leblanc reported in the Journal de physique for 1789 that he had devised a process, and he applied to his patron for support. The Duke had the process subjected to tests, and when these proved favourable he, with Leblanc and the referee, formed a company in February 1790 to exploit it. A patent was granted in 1791 and, with the manufacture of a vital substance at low cost based on a raw material, salt in unlimited supply, a bright prospect seemed to open out for Leblanc. The salt was treated with sulphuric acid to form salt-cake (sodium sulphate), which was then rotated with coal and limestone to form a substance from which the soda was extracted with water followed by evaporation. Hydrochloric acid was a valuable by-product, from which could be made calcium chloride, widely used in the textile and paper industries. The factory worked until 1793, but did not achieve regular production, and then disaster struck: Leblanc's principal patron, the Duke of Orléans, perished under the guillotine in the reign of terror; the factory was sequestered by the Revolutionary government and the agreement was revoked. Leblanc laboured in vain to secure adequate compensation. Eventually a grant was made towards the cost of restoring the factory, but it was quite inadequate, and in despair, Leblanc shot himself. However, his process proved to be one of the greatest inventions in the chemical industry, and was taken up in other countries and remained the leading process for the production of soda for a century. In 1855 his family tried again to vindicate his name and achieve compensation, this time with success.

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