Martin Frisch (November 22, 1899 – June 16, 1959)''Power Plant Engineering.'' Volume 63, Nr. 7-12, 1959. p. 4 was a Hungarian/American

mechanical engineer Mechanical may refer to: Machine * Machine (mechanical), a system of mechanisms that shape the actuator input to achieve a specific application of output forces and movement * Mechanical calculator, a device used to perform the basic operations of ...

, director of Foster Wheeler Corporation in New York City, and

inventor An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It may also be an entirely new concept. If an ...

. He is known for his contributions to the "development of modern practices in fuel pulverizing and steam generation.",''Mechanical Engineering,'' Volume 74. 1952. p. 611 and as recipient of the 1958

ASME Medal The ASME Medal, created in 1920, is the highest award bestowed by the ASME (founded as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers) Board of Governors for "eminently distinguished engineering achievement". The award has been presented every year ...

ASME. ''Mechanical Engineering,'' Volume 80. 1958.

Biography

Early life and education

Frisch was born 1899 in Csebze, Hungary, now Cebza in

Timiș County Timiș () is a county ('' județ'') of western Romania on the border with Hungary and Serbia, in the historical region of Banat, with the county seat at Timișoara. It is the westernmost and the largest county in Romania in terms of land area. T ...

in Romania. He came with his family to the United States in 1909, where they settled in

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

, and naturalized in 1917.''Who was who in American history-science and technology: a component of who's who in American history.'' Marquis Who's Who, 1 dec. 1976. p. 210. Frisch was named after his father, also engineer and inventor, who filed his first patent request from St. Louis in 1914. After regular education Frisch was a student at

Washington University Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...

from 1917 to 1919, and from the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Univer ...

from 1919 to 1921. In 1921 he obtained his BSc in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois.

Further career and acknowledgement

After his graduation in 1921 Frisch started as manager of field engineering at the

Combustion Engineering Combustion Engineering (C-E) was a multi-national American-based engineering firm that developed nuclear steam supply power systems in the United States. Originally headquartered in New York City, C-E moved its corporate offices to Stamford, Connec ...

company. In 1929 Frisch joined the Foster Wheeler Corporation in New York City, an Industrial Research Laboratory, where he worked his way up. He started as engineer in charge of engineering in the furnace and pulverizer division of the corporation in 1929, and made it chief engineer in 1940. In 1948 he was vice-president in charge of engineering, and elected as a director of the corporation,''Marine Engineering and Shipping Review,'' Volume 53. 1948, p. 138 a double position he still held in 1952. Frisch was awarded over 50 patents in "fuel pulverization, steam generation, combustion, manufacturing methods and other areas of heat engineering." In 1958 the ASME awarded him their highest recommendation, the

Selected publications

* Frisch, Martin. "Pulverized-fuel-burning furnace." U.S. Patent No. 1,734,669. 5 Nov. 1929. * Eric, Lundgren, and Frisch Martin. "Finely divided fuel burning furnace." U.S. Patent No. 1,866,404. 5 Jul. 1932. * Frisch, Martin. "Pulverizing apparatus." U.S. Patent No. 1,898,086. 21 Feb. 1933. * Frisch, Martin. "Burner." U.S. Patent No. 1,950,980. 13 Mar. 1934. * Frisch, Martin. "Heater." U.S. Patent No. 2,305,611. 22 Dec. 1942. * Frisch, Martin,
Method and apparatus for Method and apparatus for temperature regulation
" Patent US2319223, 1943. * Frisch, Martin,
Vapor generator
" U.S. Patent No. 2,405,573. 13 Aug. 1946.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Frisch, Martin 1899 births 1959 deaths American mechanical engineers 20th-century American businesspeople Hungarian mechanical engineers Washington University in St. Louis alumni University of Illinois alumni People from Timiș County ASME Medal recipients Hungarian emigrants to the United States