Alois Riedler

Alois Riedler ( born May 15, 1850 in Graz, † October 25, 1936 in Vienna ) was an Austrian mechanical engineer and designer and reformer in mechanical engineering.

Life

After school, the son of an art bleacher from 1866 to 1871, studied mechanical engineering at the Technical University of Graz. After several years of assistantship initially followed until 1873 at the German Technical University Brno, and then at the Technical University of Vienna, where he John of Radinger also worked as a mechanical engineer in 1875.

In 1880 he became Associate Professor of Machine Design, first at the Technical University of Munich in 1884 and was followed by a call to the professor of mechanical engineering with the main area of ​​work "Construction of high-speed fans and pumps and steam turbines " to the fledgling Technical University of Aachen.

Meanwhile, Riedler's successes and innovative methodological approaches had spread to the Prussian Ministry of Culture so that it was then called, in 1888 at the Technische Hochschule Berlin -Charlottenburg. Here taught and researched Riedler until his retirement in 1921 and led the meantime, in the years 1899/1900 the University as its rector.

Then he moved back to Vienna, where he eventually on October 25, 1936, almost forgotten, died.

Riedler's work

Already during his Vienna assistant years and after he had examined on behalf of the Austrian Government, the machine exhibits at the world exhibitions in Philadelphia in 1876 and Paris in 1878, is Riedler sat for a practical training in mechanical engineering, since it there, unlike his also present later counterparty Franz Reuleaux, a recognized specialist has been in the field of kinematics, aware that by laboratory exercises practically and empirically embossed study represented the cause of progress, especially in the U.S. where the mechanical engineering field. Reuleaux, who had formulated the presentation of the German mechanical engineering at the world exhibitions as "poor and cheap" and also sought a reform of studying in Germany, however, preferred a theoretical and mathematically justified recess. At the Technical University of Aachen, which was already considered particularly practical Riedler was now his new methodological ideas transpose the first time. His practice-oriented and aligned according to economic needs adjustment was also shared by the German entrepreneurs and their stakeholders and they caused over the Prussian Ministry that Riedler after his move to the TH Berlin where he initially could set up a privately owned design office.

After visiting the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago, where Riedler in turn was given the opportunity to visit many technical schools, he reinforced. 's Commitment to reforms at the TH Berlin Meanwhile also the Association of German Engineers of the subject participated in and wrote under Riedler's involvement their so-called " Aachen decisions on the engineering laboratories and in the education of the technical colleges ", where the need was noted " that training as the sole right recognize that line the most fruitful enough, "which clearly the Riedler's method was meant.

This led three years later to the establishment of the first German machine laboratory at the Technical University of Berlin, which was placed under his leadership. At the same time he reformed the purpose relevant drawing lessons and was thus the founder of modern technical drawing. Meanwhile, Riedler had the teaching at the same college Franz Reuleaux made ​​definitively to the enemy, who finally after years of disputes drew the short straw and the university still left in the same year, after Riedler let emphasize kinematics from the curriculum the tray. In subsequent years, all engineering colleges Riedler took innovations and also directed a technical laboratories.

The next major reform he prepared the equality of the engineering sciences with the natural sciences and the humanities, he applied for by the doctoral law for engineers, as they still could not gain a doctorate until that time. In this he was largely supported by the electrical engineer Adolf Slaby, personal access to Kaiser Wilhelm II had, as well as by the mechanical engineer Carl von Bach. Wilhelm II was convinced also of the necessity of this reform and awarded as part of the 100 - year celebration of the TH Berlin in 1899, the Prussian engineering colleges the right to award doctorates for Dr. Ing

Riedler's next big project, an "Academy of Technical Sciences " set up, but failed despite support from the Emperor to the reservations and concerns, particularly on the part of scientists who already have significant academies of science, and therefore of the opinion that technical science only a continuation of the underlying scientific knowledge performing. It was not until about 100 years later, it finally came out in multiple steps to the founding of the German Academy of Science and Engineering - Acatech.

Having to date Riedler focus quickly running pumps had developed for use in waterworks and drainage in mines and steam turbines, while one of the first indicator programs began to compare the efficiency of machinery, concentrated in the following years his research in the field of automotive technology. To this end, he taught at the Technical University Berlin in 1903, the "Laboratory for Internal Combustion Engines " one, which in 1907 was extended to the " Institute for Internal Combustion Engines and Automotive Engineering " and was one of the first of its kind in Germany. Here, by Riedler were used on a large scale for the first time Sankey diagrams to visualize through this form of representation power and energy losses in motor vehicles. In addition, he was considered one of the pioneers in the field of automobile chassis dynamometer tests. From 1910 Riedler also explored the possibility of using electric cars, but had to find that the batteries used at that time for widespread use were much too heavy.

After the First World War it gradually became quiet around him, as the German industry was affected by the already propagated by him decades earlier U.S. models more and more and now he himself meanwhile was one of the " old". He worked for a time with art history and retired to his retirement in 1920, returned to his home country of Austria.

Honors

• Appointment as Privy Councillor;
• 1897 support of Franz Grashof Grashofdenkmünze of VDI
• 1898 member of the Prussian House;
• 1931 support the Honorary Golden Coin of the Austrian Association of Engineers and Architects, where he served as a corresponding member since 1900
• Appointments for Dr. Ing E. H. and Dr. Tech. E. H.
• And other medals of honor

Writings

• Rock drills and air compression machines, Vienna: Commissions -Verlag of Faesy & Frick: KuK Hofbuchhandlung, 1877
• Underground water amusement machines with controlled valves, Freiberg, 1888
• The power supply of Paris, Berlin, 1889
• Newer water plant machinery, Berlin 1890
• Synopses of the lectures on lifting machinery, Berlin, 1892
• Studies on power distribution, Berlin 1892
• Newer boat lifts, Berlin, 1897
• Our universities and the requirements of the 20th century, Berlin, 1898
• The technical universities and their academic aspirations, Leipzig, 1899
• Quick operation: increasing the speed and efficiency of the machine companies, Berlin, 1899
• About the historical and future significance of the art, Berlin, 1900
• The mechanical drawing, Berlin, J. Springer, 1913.
• Diesel engines, Vienna: Verl f Literature, 1914
• Emil Rathenau and becoming one of the major economic, Berlin. Springer, 1916 online at archive.org
• The new technique, Berlin: Siegismund, 1921
• Wholesale gas machines, Saarbrücken: VDM, Müller, 2007 Reprint

Literature and sources

• Karl -Heinz Manegold: Alois Riedler. In: William loyalty, Wolfgang König: Berlinische life images. Volume 6: Technicians. Berlin Colloquium Verlag 1990, ISBN 3-7678-0777-7, pp. 293-307 (individual publications of the Historical Commission to Berlin 60).
• Claus Priesner: Riedler, Alois. In: New German Biography ( NDB ). Volume 21, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 2003, ISBN 3-428-11202-4, pp. 576 f ( digitized ).