Ferdinand Jakob Redtenbacher (July 25, 1809 in

Steyr Steyr (; Central Bavarian: ''Steia'') is a statutory city, located in the Austrian federal state of Upper Austria. It is the administrative capital, though not part of Steyr-Land District. Steyr is Austria's 12th most populated town and the 3r ...

Upper Austria Upper Austria (german: Oberösterreich ; bar, Obaöstareich) is one of the nine states or of Austria. Its capital is Linz. Upper Austria borders Germany and the Czech Republic, as well as the other Austrian states of Lower Austria, Styria, an ...

– April 16, 1863 in

Karlsruhe Karlsruhe ( , , ; South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the third-largest city of the German state (''Land'') of Baden-Württemberg after its capital of Stuttgart and Mannheim, and the 22nd-largest city in the nation, with 308,436 inhabitants. ...

) is regarded as the founder of science-based

mechanical engineering Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and mathematics principles with materials science, to design, analyze, manufacture, ...

Life

Redtenbacher, son of an ironmonger from Steyr, first went through an apprenticeship in commerce and accounting. After a short interlude as technical illustrator in the "Baudirektion" (building authority) in

Linz Linz ( , ; cs, Linec) is the capital of Upper Austria and third-largest city in Austria. In the north of the country, it is on the Danube south of the Czech border. In 2018, the population was 204,846. In 2009, it was a European Capital ...

, he attended the Polytechnikum in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

from 1825 until 1829. He stayed there until 1834 as an assistant to Johann Arzberger. In 1835, he accepted an invitation to become a professor at the Höhere Industrieschule in

Zürich , neighboring_municipalities = Adliswil, Dübendorf, Fällanden, Kilchberg, Maur, Oberengstringen, Opfikon, Regensdorf, Rümlang, Schlieren, Stallikon, Uitikon, Urdorf, Wallisellen, Zollikon , twintowns = Kunming, San Francisco Z ...

, where he taught mathematics and

geometry Geometry (; ) is, with arithmetic, one of the oldest branches of mathematics. It is concerned with properties of space such as the distance, shape, size, and relative position of figures. A mathematician who works in the field of geometry is c ...

. In 1841 he finally became professor in

mechanics Mechanics (from Ancient Greek: μηχανική, ''mēkhanikḗ'', "of machines") is the area of mathematics and physics concerned with the relationships between force, matter, and motion among physical objects. Forces applied to objec ...

and mechanical engineering at the Polytechnikum Karlsruhe. In 1857 Redtenbacher became director of the entire Polytechnic School and was re-elected annually thereafter. At the same time he held the only professorship at the mechanical-technical school. He was the director of Polytechnikum Karlsruhe between 1857 and 1862, he transformed it into a school of international standing. In 1859, this school was renamed the mechanical engineering school and a new building initiated and designed by Redtenbacher was opened on the former riding arena of the dragoon barracks. After 1860 the number of students fell again, which can be explained by Redtenbacher's stomach illness and his irritation and differences with his professor colleagues. According to a contemporary report, his art of presentation had not been the same since 1859.

Influence

Redtenbacher is regarded as the founder of scientific mechanical engineering. Working at the Polytechnikum Karlsruhe, he added a mathematical foundation to the previously empirical teaching. His students include such outstanding engineers as

Karl Benz Carl Friedrich Benz (; 25 November 1844 – 4 April 1929), sometimes also Karl Friedrich Benz, was a German engine designer and automotive engineer. His Benz Patent Motorcar from 1885 is considered the first practical modern automobile and fi ...

Franz Reuleaux Franz Reuleaux (; ; 30 September 1829 – 20 August 1905), was a German mechanical engineer and a lecturer of the Berlin Royal Technical Academy, later appointed as the President of the Academy. He was often called the father of kinematics. He w ...

and Emil Škoda.

Works (original titles in German)

* Theorie und Bau der Turbinen und Ventilatoren, Mannheim 1844 * Resultate für den Maschinenbau, Mannheim 1844 * Theorie und Bau der Wasser-Räder, Mannheim 1846 * Principien der Mechanik, Mannheim 1852 * Die Luftexpansions-Maschine, Mannheim 1853 * Die calorische Maschine, Mannheim * Die Gesetze des Lokomotiv-Baues, Mannheim 1855 * Das Dynamiden-System, Mannheim 1857 * Der Maschinbau, Mannheim 1862

External links

Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Redtenbacher, Ferdinand 1809 births 1863 deaths People from Steyr Austrian mechanical engineers German mechanical engineers Karlsruhe Institute of Technology faculty ETH Zurich faculty TU Wien alumni Engineers from Karlsruhe