Charles P. Steinmetz

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Charles Proteus stonemason

Charles Proteus Steinmetz , born as Carl August Rudolph Steinmetz , (born April 9, 1865 in Breslau , † October 26, 1923 in Schenectady ) was a German-American electrical engineer . He developed theories about alternating current . The Steinmetz circuit, an electrical circuit for electric motors, is named after him . Furthermore, the term j instead of i for the imaginary unit , which is common in electrical engineering, goes back to him . In terms of geometry, the Steinmetz body (section of two or three full cylinders) is named after him.

Live and act

Steinmetz's place of work in Schenectady , New York

Steinmetz studied electrical engineering at the University of Breslau from 1883 to 1888 . Like his father, he suffered from short stature . In 1888, the year of his doctoral thesis, he wrote relevant texts as an avowed socialist , which led to political persecution within the framework of the socialist laws under Otto von Bismarck . As a result, he fled to Zurich , Switzerland, where he made the acquaintance of the brothers Gerhart and Carl Hauptmann and their circle. In 1889 he emigrated to Yonkers in the US state of New York .

He initially worked for Rudolf Eickemeyer and worked in the field of ferromagnetism , including magnetic hysteresis and the problem of eddy currents . In 1893, the Eickemeyer company was taken over by the then newly founded General Electric company. Other work by Steinmetz concerned arc lamps , which he systematically examined in terms of their operating behavior and used as floodlights for artificial lighting of large areas.

Steinmetz was involved in Schenectady , where he lived, also in the city administration. From 1901 to 1902 he was president of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers (AIEE), from 1913 to 1923 first vice-president of the International Association of Municipal Electricians (IAME), a predecessor organization of the International Municipal Signal Association (IMSA).

He has written 13 books, around 60 articles, held 200 patents and was an honorary member of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity . He died in Schenectady on October 26, 1923 and was buried in Vale Cemetery.

Steinmetz is the protagonist in a novel by the Californian author Elizabeth Rosner , Electric City (2014). Rosner combines Steinmetz's early socialist ethos with his humanistic vision of a better society based on technological progress: “The political arena that dominated him in his youth, the socialist views that drove him into exile many years ago, accelerated his apparently insatiable one Hunger for change. "

Work

Charles Proteus Steinmetz, around 1915

Awards

Publications

Some essential publications:

  • Charles Proteus Steinmetz: Theory and calculation of alternating current phenomena , with the assistance of Ernst J. Berg, 1897.
  • Charles Proteus Steinmetz: The Natural Period of a Transmission Line and the Frequency of lightning Discharge Therefrom , in: The Electrical World, August 27, 1898, pp. 203-205.
  • Charles Proteus Steinmetz: Theoretical elements of electrical engineering , McGraw publishing company, 1902.
  • Charles Proteus Steinmetz: Theory and calculation of transient electric phenomena and oscillations , McGraw publishing company, 1911.

Patents

Some essential patents:

  • Patent US0533244 : System of distribution by alternating current. ‌
  • Patent US0559419 : Inductor dynamo. ‌
  • Patent US0583950 : Three phase induction meter. ‌
  • Patent US0594145 : Inductor dynamo. ‌
  • Patent US0714412 : Induction motor. ‌
  • Patent US0717464 : System of electrical distribution. ‌
  • Patent US0865617 : Induction motor. ‌
  • Patent US1025932 : Means for producing light. ‌
  • Patent US1042986 : Induction furnace. ‌
  • Patent US1230615 : Protective device. ‌

literature

  • Theodor Müller (Ed.): 45 leaders from the beginnings and the heroic age of the Breslau social democracy . Robert Hermann, Breslau 1925, pp. 115–116 digitized .
  • Jonathan Norton Leonard: The Life of Karl Proteus Steinmetz. German publishing company, Berlin / Leipzig 1930.
  • Kurt Jäger, Friedrich Heilbronner: Lexicon of electrical engineers . 2nd Edition. VDE Verlag, 2010, ISBN 978-3-8007-2903-6 .

Web links

Commons : Charles Proteus Steinmetz  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ History of IMSA ( Memento of the original from December 17, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.imsasafety.org
  2. ↑ CP Steinmetz
  3. ^ Electric City , Berkeley: Counterpoint, 2014, p. 53.
personal data
SURNAME Steinmetz, Charles P.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Steinmetz, Charles Proteus (full name); Steinmetz, Carl August Rudolph (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German-American electrical engineer
DATE OF BIRTH April 9, 1865
PLACE OF BIRTH Wroclaw
DATE OF DEATH October 26, 1923
Place of death Schenectady