Theodor Christoph Heinrich Rehbock (12 April 1864,

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

– 17 August 1950, Baden-Baden) was a German hydraulics

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...

, and

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who pr ...

at the

University of Karlsruhe The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT; german: Karlsruher Institut für Technologie) is a public research university in Karlsruhe, Germany. The institute is a national research center of the Helmholtz Association. KIT was created in 2009 w ...

. Theodor Rehbock's father was an overseas merchant. Rehbock studied at the Technical University Munich and

Berlin Institute of Technology The Technical University of Berlin (official name both in English and german: link=no, Technische Universität Berlin, also known as TU Berlin and Berlin Institute of Technology) is a public research university located in Berlin, Germany. It was ...

during 1884–90, receiving his MSc degree in 1892.Vierhaus (2007) vol. 8, p. 247 Rehbock performed studies on

water supply Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavors or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes. Public water supply systems are crucial to properly functioning societies. Thes ...

and hydraulic engineering in many countries. Further, he built a hydroelectric power station in the Murg river in

Baden Baden (; ) is a historical territory in South Germany, in earlier times on both sides of the Upper Rhine but since the Napoleonic Wars only East of the Rhine. History The margraves of Baden originated from the House of Zähringen. Baden is ...

. In 1899, Rehbock became professor of hydraulics at the University of Karlsruhe. Where he started a hydraulics laboratory, in 1901, of which he was the director until 1934. The hydraulics aspects of most large projects in Germany – as well as in many other countries in the world – were tested here. For instance the '' Afsluitdijk'' for the separation of the

Zuiderzee The Zuiderzee or Zuider Zee (; old spelling ''Zuyderzee'' or ''Zuyder Zee'') was a shallow bay of the North Sea in the northwest of the Netherlands, extending about 100 km (60 miles) inland and at most 50 km (30 miles) wide, with an o ...

(Dutch for South Sea) from the

Wadden Sea The Wadden Sea ( nl, Waddenzee ; german: Wattenmeer; nds, Wattensee or ; da, Vadehavet; fy, Waadsee, longname=yes; frr, di Heef) is an intertidal zone in the southeastern part of the North Sea. It lies between the coast of northwestern conti ...

in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. After his retirement, the laboratory has been named the "''Theodor Rehbock Laboratory''". Rehbock was rector (university president) of the University of Karlsruhe three times: in 1907–08, 1917–18 and 1925–26. In 1935, an initiative of Theodor Rehbock, Wolmar Fellenius and Rudolf Seifert lead to the establishment of the

International Association for Hydro-Environment Engineering and Research Founded in 1935, the 'International Association for Hydro-Environment Engineering and Research (IAHR)'' is a worldwide, not-for-profit, global, independent members-based organisation of engineers, professionals and researchers working in fields re ...

(IAHR). In 1901 Rehbock married Margarete Küster. She gave birth to four sons and one daughter.

Honours

* ''Rehbock

weir A weir or low head dam is a barrier across the width of a river that alters the flow characteristics of water and usually results in a change in the height of the river level. Weirs are also used to control the flow of water for outlets of l ...

'' – a device to accurately measure the

discharge Discharge may refer to Expel or let go * Discharge, the act of firing a gun * Discharge, or termination of employment, the end of an employee's duration with an employer * Military discharge, the release of a member of the armed forces from serv ...

in open channel flows. * ''Rehbock dentated sill'' – for kinetic energy dissipation at the end of a stilling basin, into which the spillway of a large

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, a ...

ends. This, in order to prevent or reduce

scour Scour may refer to: Hydrodynamic processes * Hydrodynamic scour, the removal of sediment such as sand and silt from around an object * Bridge scour, erosion of soil around at the base of a bridge pier or abutments via the flow of air, ice, or ...

. * ''Theodor Rehbock Medal'' – of the ''Deutsche Vereinigung für Wasserwirtschaft, Abwasser und Abfall'' (''DWA''; German Association for Water, Wastewater and Waste), to honour members who made outstanding innovations within the fields covered by the association. This award has been established in 2007. *

Honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...

s from the Technical University Munich and the Palatine Joseph University of Technology and Economics in

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

.Hofmann (2003) vol. 21, pp. 278–279 * Honorary member of the Dutch Royal Institution of Engineers (KIvI) in

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...

. * A street 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. ...

has been named after him.

Notes

References

* * * *

External links

"Institut für Wasser und Gewässerentwicklung, Bereich Wasserwirtschaft und Kulturtechnik"
with the ''Theodor Rehbock Wasserbaulaboratorium'' (''Theodor Rehbock Hydraulics Laboratory'') at the

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rehbock, Theodor German fluid dynamicists Engineers from Amsterdam Engineers from Karlsruhe Technical University of Munich alumni 1864 births 1950 deaths Dutch emigrants Immigrants to the German Empire