Alphonse Couvreux

Alphonse Couvreux (1820 – July 1890) was a French public works contractor, known for inventing the bucket chain excavator for which he filed a patent in May 1860.

The bucket chain excavator was used to remove great amounts of earth for the construction of railroads and the Suez Canal.

About 8 million cubic yards of material was excavated from the Suez Canal by seven of his machines during a portion of its construction from 1863 to 1868.

Some of Couvreux's machines were used in the early failed French attempt to build the Panama Canal.

A scale model of one of his 1859 machines is located in the Museum of Arts and Trades in Paris.