Elmer Otto Bergman (January 21, 1892 - January 1973) was an American
civil
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*Civic virtue, or civility
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* Civil affairs
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*Civil engineering
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,
mechanical
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Machine
* Machine (mechanical), a system of mechanisms that shape the actuator input to achieve a specific application of output forces and movement
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and
consulting engineer
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at the
University of Colorado and at C. F. Braun & Company, later
KBR Inc. He served as the 83rd president of the
American Society of Mechanical Engineers
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) is an American professional association that, in its own words, "promotes the art, science, and practice of multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences around the globe" via "continuing ...
in the year 1964–65.
Biography
Youth, education, and early career
Bergman was born in 1892 in
Kimball, Nebraska
Kimball is a city in and county seat of Kimball County, Nebraska, Kimball County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 2,290 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census.
History
Kimball was originally called Antelopeville, and under the ...
, the son of Andrew Bergman and Hannah (Sjoblom) Bergman. He graduated from Kimball High School in 1909. He started working as a teacher in the elementary schools, and served in the United States Navy for two years.
[Stanford University. ''Abstracts of Dissertations for the Degrees of Doctor of Philosophy and Doctor of Education,'' 1937. Volumes 13-16. p. 41.]
Next, Bergman started his studies at
Creighton University in 1914,
where he obtained his AB in 1920. He continued his studies at the
University of Colorado, where he obtained his BSc in 1925 and his MSc in 1926.
[John W. Leonard, Winfield Scott Downs, M. M. Lewis. ''Who's who in Engineering.'' Volume 8. 1959. p. 185]
Bergman continued his studies University Colorado in Civil Engineering and obtained another AB magna cum laude and BSc with special honour in 1932. Last he continued at
Stanford University
Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...
, and obtained his Doctor of Philosophy in 1938
under
Stephen Timoshenko.
[ASME, "Bergman nominated for 63th president," in: ''Mechanical Engineering: The Journal of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.'' 1963. p. 90.]
Academic career, in industry and honours
Bergman had started his academic career at the
University of Colorado as instructor in 1924, was assistant professor from 1926 to 1932, and associate professor from 1932 to 1937.
After his graduation at Stanford University in 1938 Bergman moved into the industry. He joined C. F. Braun & Company, in
Alhambra, California, an engineering company, which designed petroleum and chemical processing facilities and was later acquired by
KBR Inc. He started as Stress analyst, was chief research from 1940 to 1944, and staff consultant from 1944 to 1958.
[American Society of Civil Engineers. ''Year Book - American Society of Civil Engineers,'' Part 2. 1950. p. 53] In 1959 he became senior staff member at the National Engineering Science Companyin Pasadena.
Berman was elected Fellow of the
American Society of Mechanical Engineers
The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) is an American professional association that, in its own words, "promotes the art, science, and practice of multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences around the globe" via "continuing ...
, and served as its president in the year 1964–65.
Selected publications
* Elmer Otto Bergman. ''The Theory of Small Deflections of Rectangular Plates with Practical Applications.'' Leland Stanford junior university, 1938.
* Herbert James Gilkey, Glenn Murphy, Elmer Otto Bergman. ''Materials Testing: Theory, Practice and Significance of Physical Tests on Engineering Materials.'' McGraw-Hill Book Company, Incorporated, 1941.
* Elmer Otto Bergman. ''The ASME pressure vessel code: a joint effort for safe construction. Contributed for presentation at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers eighth Annual Petroleum Mechanical Engineering Conference, Houston, Texas ... September 29, 1953.'' Private press of C.F. Braun, 1953.
;Articles, a selection
* Bergman, E. O. "The new-type code chart for the design of vessels under external pressure." TRANS. ASME 74 (1952): 647–054.
* Bergman, E. O. "The design of vertical pressure vessels subjected to applied forces." ''Pressure Vessel and Piping Design: Collected Papers 1927-1959'' (1960).
;Patents, a selection
* Bergman, Eugene O., Richard W. Hsieh, and John Geibel.
Apparatus for distributing gas and liquid during concurrent gas/liquid backwash in filter underdrain flumes" U.S. Patent No. 6,312,611. 6 Nov. 2001.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bergman, Elmer Otto
1892 births
1973 deaths
American civil engineers
American mechanical engineers
Creighton University alumni
University of Colorado alumni
Stanford University alumni
University of Colorado faculty
People from Kimball, Nebraska
Presidents of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers
20th-century American engineers