Emil Heyn

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Emil Heyn

Friedrich Emil Heyn (* 5. July 1867 in Annaberg , † 1. March 1922 in Berlin ) was ironworks engineer and is considered the doyen of metallurgy and metallography . He was the founder of new microscopic examination methods for metals and alloys.

Life

Friedrich Emil Heyn was born as the son of the miner tailor Wilhelm Emil Heyn and his wife Johanna. The Heyn family lived in what was then Silberstraße 957, later Obere Badergasse 2. It belongs to the Ev.-luth archives. Church Annaberg emerges, to the descendants of the German arithmetic master Adam Ries, who was born around 1492 in Staffelstein (Franconia) and who worked in the mountain town of Annaberg from 1523 .

From April 20, 1872, the Heyn family lived in Freiberg (Saxony). Friedrich Emil Heyn u. Lived with his parents. a. in Freiberger Kesselgasse, Burgstrasse, Rinnengasse, Akademiestrasse and Korngasse. His father, who registered a trade as a men's clothing maker / laundry of men's clothing with the city on December 6th, received citizenship of the city on January 13th, 1881.

School time and studies

After attending the boys' bourgeois school from 1874 to 1881 and the municipal high school from 1881 to 1886 in Freiberg, some of which he went through with skipping individual classes, he practically worked in some steelworks in the Freiberg district. His interest in the extraction, treatment and processing as well as the testing of metals was already aroused over the long term. Due to his above-average knowledge and his very good practical experience, he was able to qualify as the 3440th student at the Kgl. Saxon. Bergakademie zu Freiberg and began his studies on May 4th, 1886. During his studies he became a member of the Freiberg fraternity in 1886 .

At the Bergakademie Freiberg he studied metallurgy from 1886 to 1890, especially with Adolf Ledebur (1837 to 1906). It has become known that his teacher at that time probably had reservations about metallography, which Emil Heyn later meticulously developed from empiricism into the status of a technical science. Ledebur, the first professor of metallurgy, recognized Emil Heyn's high scientific talent early on, who studied with great seriousness and restless diligence, and thus devoted his special interest to him.

After Heyn had passed the exams in the subjects of mathematics, inorganic chemistry, mineralogy, experimental physics, solder pipe testing, processing theory, analytical chemistry, iron and steel science, iron testing, metallurgical technology and machine science with the general grade "Excellent" and had submitted his professional thesis and von Ledebur with the first grade, he received on December 19, 1890 the certificate of academic maturity for the subject of an iron and steel engineer.

Before that, Emil Heyn, as a young graduate student, took part in an expedition to Sweden (Klefva Bruk) from August to December 1890 in order to check the gold mines there were open to mining. And when Emil Heyn took part in the price stenographing at the general assembly of the Royal Stenographic Institute in Zschopau in the spring of 1890, Emil Heyn achieved 1st prize in dictation with a speed of 80 to 100 words per minute and a total time of five minutes.

job

After successfully passing the exam, Emil Heyn went into practice. Therefore, on November 1, 1891, he moved to the Ruhr area. First he worked there for around two years (January 1, 1891 to November 30, 1892) as an engineer and laboratory assistant in the chemical laboratories in the cast steel works at Friedrich Krupp Aktiengesellschaft in Essen, where extensive metallurgical and metallographic examinations were assigned. He then worked in the ironworks of the then Dortmund-Hörder Bergwerks- und Hüttenverein in Hörde in Westphalia in the local laboratory from November 1892 to October 1893 as a chemist and then until the end of October 1894 as an engineer and designer for the new construction of two blast furnaces with all ancillary facilities .

Emil Heyn then accepted the call to the Royal High School in Gleiwitz (Gliwice) in O./S., Where he self-taught his special pedagogical talent and where he taught from the beginning of November 1894 to the end of March 1896 as a teacher at the technical school incorporated there Subjects metallurgy, chemistry, physics, crystallography and laboratory science taught.

After the Royal Oberschlesische Maschinenbau- und Hüttenschule Gleiwitz was formed, Emil Heyn taught the same subjects at this facility as a regular teacher from April 1896 to March 1898.

Due to the high teaching load, he had no freedom for research. Since Heyn found no inner satisfaction in the only teaching activity, he took one in 1898 mediated by his teacher Adolf Ledebur and from the then head of the mechanical-technical research institute of the Kgl. Technische Hochschule Berlin-Charlottenburg , Adolf Martens (1850 to 1914), offered position as employee and assistant.

His step took place exactly at the time of the transition from predominantly empirical to scientific materials testing. His move to Adolf Martens, the father of systematic metallography and Nestor of scientific mechanical material testing, was of decisive importance for his future and for the development of the technical science of metal science, which he later represented.

Adolf Martens was the first to recognize the practical value of the metallographic examination methods, which were still in their infancy at the time, in the Berlin research institutes, which later became the Royal Materials Testing Office in Berlin. If, at the beginning of the 19th century, these immediately became important tools for the metal-processing branches of industry, it is mainly thanks to Adolf Martens, but even more to his head of the metallography department and sub-director of the three chemical-physical departments, Emil Heyn.

Cooperation with Adolf Martens

From 1898 Emil Heyn got to know all the metallographic research methods used at the time in the mechanical and technical research institutes of the Technical University in Berlin from Adolf Martens. This fulfilled his striving to be able to carry out basic research on materials and to explain misunderstood relationships in materials, especially metals, from their structure.

The first task he was given was to use the microscopic method to further develop the new methods of examination of metals and alloys founded by Adolf Martens. Martens' collection of 120 sections for comparison and teaching purposes was very helpful in his investigations into iron and steel.

Due to his sharp mind, Emil Heyn successfully adjusted to all the thoughts of his great master and role model. This is how the Martens-Heyn microscopic facility came into being, which was the basis for all of the apparatus for metallurgical investigations designed later.

Together, Emil Heyn and Adolf Martens managed in just three years that the Royal Mechanical-Technical Research Institute Berlin held the leading position in Germany around 1900. Furthermore, both achieved that Berlin advanced to both the national and international center of metallography.

The success of Emil Heyn's work was largely based on Martens' school of material investigation, namely that “In the small structure of a metal or an alloy, a kind of document is laid down in which the development history of the material is recorded to a certain extent”. And this thesis put forward by Martens and Heyn and Wetzel fully recognized and widespread is still valid today as it once was. It was only through identification with this theorem that it was possible for these three authorities to publish three volumes, the “Handbuch der Materialkunde für den Maschinenbau” (Martens - 1898, Heyn - 1912, Wetzel - 1924).

His first scientific publication, a metallographic treatise, on "Microscopic examinations of deeply etched iron sections" appeared after the first year of his activity at the Kgl. Mechanisch-Technische Versuchsanstalt in 1898. In this work he also presents the etching process with copper ammonium chloride, which he developed and is still using today - the so-called “Heyn etching agent” for the detection of phosphorus segregation in river iron.

And in 1899 he collaborated with Martens on the fundamental work “About microphotography in the incident light and about the microphotographic facilities of the Royal Mechanical-Technical Research Institute in Charlottenburg”, which made his name as a technology scientist of the 19th and 20th centuries immortal.

In over 70 scientific publications, he passes on the results of his fundamental theoretical and experimental work, which he has achieved alone, sometimes in collaboration with his colleagues.

In his investigations, the young metal researcher Heyn was particularly interested in all of the so-called metal diseases of metals and alloys. This is how his numerous and varied treatises on etching processes, segregation, hydrogen disease, corrosion, hardening and annealing, stress phenomena, notch effects, copper and oxygen, the small structure of iron, transformation of the small structure in iron and copper through change in shape in the cold state and subsequent annealing came about.

His results from hundreds of examinations of flawless and defective samples as well as the recording of the production processes from the model to the finishing in iron and steel foundries, hammer and pressing plants as well as mechanical workshops resulted in the treatise “The Metallography in the service of metallurgy ”. Emil Heyn published this important textbook at the Craz & Gerlach publishing house in Freiberg in 1903, where he wrote the chapters "The phenomena during quenching of iron-carbon alloys" and "The phenomena during solidification and cooling of iron-carbon alloys" in a generally understandable manner. explained.

With his work from 1904 "Labile and metastable equilibria in iron-carbon alloys", published in the Zeitschrift für Elektrochemie, he created clarity between theory and practice, since he had recognized that graphite was the stable one and iron carbide the labile one or metastable appearance and presented the developed double diagram based on this. However, the “Heyn double diagram” only prevailed after long struggles and hostility.

Heyn's most important work, however, is the second volume of the "Martens Handbook of Materials Science for Mechanical Engineering" - "The technically important properties of metals and alloys", which was published by Julius Springer in Berlin in 1912. In the foreword of this book, he defined the term “metallography” more broadly than the name metal description or structure honor implies and attested this science to its extremely large interdisciplinary character.

It is characteristic of him that in this handbook he developed the laws of phase theory in a strictly logical structure and in perfectly formed language deals with all areas that are closely related to metal science and metal testing.

Two years after Heyn's death, Professor Erich Wetzel gave the second part of the second volume of the “Handbook of Materials Science for Mechanical Engineering”, which he had almost completed and which was available in the two thoroughly worked through originals: iron and carbon as well as cold stretching and annealing after cold stretching 1924 also published by Springer Verlag as a monograph under the title “The theory of iron-carbon alloys”. The editor succeeded not only in appreciating Emil Heyn's textbook, which was ostensibly devoted to metallography, but also managed to include the scientific fund of the co-founder of the technical science of metallurgy in a work for posterity that was to be evaluated as the third part of the manual to obtain.

His extraordinary scientific achievements also include a model of the development of residual stresses, studies of iron rusting and extensive metallurgical and metallographic considerations of non-ferrous metals and their alloys. For example, von Heyn was one of the first to recognize the dangerous importance of the notch effect on structural parts. In order to draw attention to the dangers associated with sharp indentations, he used a large number of publications and special lectures.

Emil Heyn taught as a private lecturer at the Royal Technical University of Berlin-Charlottenburg, he received approval from the Departmental College of Mechanical Engineering for the subject "Changes in the state of metals and alloys in their technical processing taking into account the most important results of metal microscopy" on May 17th 1900. And after Emil Heyn had completed his habilitation in 1900 for his first academic teaching position, he received the full professorship for “General Mechanical Technology” at this Berlin Technical University in the winter semester of 1901/02.

His 1911 publication "Technological teaching as a preliminary stage for the training of design engineers" was groundbreaking for her teaching. In it he states that “mechanical technology” should not only be taught for its own sake, but should only be taught as a preliminary training for later constructive instruction in mechanical engineering.

Adolf Martens, who was the planner, designer, site manager, developer of testing machines and measuring equipment as well as interior and furnishing designer for the new building of the “Mechanical-Technical Research Institute” in Groß-Lichterfelde-West, also called on Heyn for intensive cooperation. This happened because, as was evident from the beginning, he was not only able to respond to the fullness of all Martensian thoughts, but also knew how to process his suggestions immediately.

At the Materials Testing Office in Berlin founded in 1904, he was then responsible for the management of the entire chemical and metallurgical department of the new Royal Materials Testing Office. For him, this was a stressful life, as he was in two exposed positions at the same time, firstly as a researcher in the materials testing office and secondly as a lecturer at the technical university.

It is also thanks to Heyn that metallography gained a foothold relatively quickly in technical operations. In order to achieve this, he taught numerous engineers in the materials testing office the necessary theoretical and practical requirements for working in a metallographic laboratory or in such a research institute.

The fact that then, as now, many metal-producing, metal-working and processing plants have their own metallographic examination facilities, is a further achievement of his. The “Institute for Mechanical Technology and Metallurgy” at the Technical University of Charlottenburg, created by Heyn, also provided support.

Emil Heyn used his extraordinary knowledge and ability not only in his main field of metal science, but was also able to deal with problems that were completely outside this topic.

For example, he developed a method for testing balloon fabrics for hydrogen permeability for the materials testing office. Furthermore, he studied the physical-thermal behavior of building materials with Oswald Bauer (1876 to 1936) and Erich Wetzel, who came from Goldingen in Russia, who were 4049 enrolled in 1896 to 1897 and graduated in 1901. To this end, he and his colleagues published the important results they had obtained in 1914 under the title “Investigation of the thermal conductivity of refractory building materials”.

In the same year, together with Professor of Metallurgy Oswald Bauer (1876 to 1936), a treatise was published in which the classical results of material investigations obtained with him were presented, namely "Investigations on bearing metals, antimony-lead-tin alloys".

Emil Heyn also performed a very varied and extensive activity in technical associations. He is one of the co-founders of the Society of German Metalworkers and Miners (GDMB) created in 1912 . The founding of the metalworking specialist committee in this company also goes back to his initiative.

The same applies to the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Metallkunde e. Founded on November 27, 1919 from this technical committee. V. (today's German Society for Material Science , DGM with seat in Berlin), whose 1st chairman was Emil Heyn. With his commitment to researching metals, he deserves the credit of having developed this into a focus of German metal research in a relatively short period of time.

He also presented his research results at international congresses in Berlin, Budapest, Brussels, Copenhagen and New York. Due to his unusual talent for foreign languages, he was often the only interpreter for Swedish, Danish, Dutch and Russian scholars. Heyn was fluent in both English and French with technical expressions, both written and spoken.

The extraordinary scientific achievements of Privy Councilor Professor Emil Heyn have been recognized both nationally and internationally. So he got on the World's Fair in 1910 in Brussels in the section Metallography the Grand Prize for the Promotion of metallographic science and in 1921 was made in recognition of his services to the new, especially by Emil Heyn developing Sciences Metallurgy and Metallography by the Mining Academy , the Award of an honorary doctorate .

Heyn received his greatest appreciation in the summer of 1920 when he was given the position of construction management for the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Metal Research (KWI), today: Max Planck Institute for Metal Research (Stuttgart), in Neubabelsberg. From 1921 he was also the first director of this institute. He now had the research facility he was always striving for, which offered the possibility of scientifically researching the diverse processes occurring in the extraction of the metals, in the technological processing and in the use of the metals and alloys.

In order to be able to do this on the basis of the most modern scientific possibilities, at Heyns request in 1922, after the discovery of X-ray diffraction by Max von Laue (1879 to 1960) and others in structural investigations promised many opportunities, an independent department for radiographic investigations was set up.

Unfortunately the walk could. Reg.-Rat Prof. Dr.-Ing. E. h. Emil Heyn, who fell ill with a facial rose shortly after the official opening of this institute on December 5, 1921, did not use this place of activity he had set up as originally intended, as he died at the age of 55 on March 1, 1922 in Berlin. With his death, industry and science lost one of the most important researchers of his time.

In the obituary for Emil Heyn of the Association of German Ironworkers, today's steel institute VDEh , Professors Kessner and Wetzel express their very personal high esteem, as well as that of the professional world, for the pioneer, who was essential to the scientific foundation and global institutionalization of the technical science discipline of metallography at the end of the 19th century Century and early 20th century contributed from.

His short biography in the book “Alte Freiberger Bergstudenten, Volume 1” honors his merits and abilities by saying about him: “He was one of those rare researchers who, full of new and original ideas, in addition to profound theoretical knowledge and great erudition, was extraordinarily practical Have knowledge with a sense of the needs of industry and are thus called to act as pioneers in every field with which they are concerned. A straight, honest, nature inclined to all half-knowledge, he walked on the once correctly recognized path, often ruthlessly, but always with the commitment of his whole personality ”.

Emil Heyn was married. His wife came from Hörde. His marriage resulted in two children, a daughter and a son. The wedding of Friedrich Emil Heyn, engineer, son of the tailor Wilhelm Emil Heyn and Johanna Hoyer, born on July 5, 1867, with Elfriede Papenheim, daughter of the businessman Heinrich Friedrich Papenheim and Elfriede Halbach, born on January 18, 1872, took place in the Kirchgemeinde Hörde took place on April 4, 1895 as a house wedding.

He found his final resting place in what was then the Dahlem village cemetery next to his father's friend Adolf Martens.

Emil Heyn's meritorious work was given due recognition in the book "Men of Technology" published by Conrad Mattschoss on behalf of the Association of German Engineers in 1925. Both in it and everyone who knew him attested in their awards: Professor Emil Heyn's person particularly distinguished the fact that he combined the extraordinary dimensions of his thinking, knowledge and ability as well as his excellent talent, science and practice.

In memory of Emil Heyn's services to metallurgy and the DGM, the “Emil Heyn Memorial Coin” was donated by this registered association and first awarded in 1929 to Professor Tammann. Since then, it has been awarded to scientists all over the world by resolution of the company's board of directors at an ordinary general meeting for outstanding achievements through which significant advances in the development of non-ferrous metals have been achieved in scientific, practical or economic terms.

The Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Metal Research in Neubabelsberg

The Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Metal Research in Neubabelsberg was founded in July 1920 through the commitment of Emil Heyn, who was also appointed first director. The official opening took place on December 5, 1921. This institute, designed, built and managed by Emil Heyn, was recorded in the premises of the previously existing central office for scientific and technical investigations .

Publications (selection)

• Metallography in the service of metallurgy. Craz & Gerlach (Joh. Stettner), Freiberg in Sachsen 1903.
• Physico-chemical tables. Edited by Richard Börnstein and Wilhelm Meyerhoffer with the participation of E. Heyn and the support of the Royal Prussian Academy of Sciences. 3rd, revised and enlarged edition. 1905.
• with O. Bauer: Metallography. - A short, general description of the theory of metals and alloys, with special emphasis on metal microscopy. (= Göschen Collection. 432nd and 433rd volumes). I. General part; II. Special part. Göschen'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, Leipzig 1909. (Several editions, 1912 translation into Italian.)
• with A. Martens: Handbuch der Materialkunde - The technically important properties of metals and alloys. Springer, Berlin 1912.
• with E. Wetzel (Hrsg.): Theory of iron-carbon alloys. - Appendix: Cold stretching and annealing after cold stretching. Julius Springer, Berlin 1924.
• Physical metallography. by Professor Dr.-Ing. E. h. Emil Heyn Secret Government Council . Late Director of the Royal Materials Testing Office and of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Iron Research. Translated from the German and somewhat augmented by A. Markus, SB Grossmann. John Wiley & Sons, New York / Chapman & Hall, London 1925.

The Heyn commemorative coin

In memory of Emil Heyn's great achievements in the field of material testing in technology, his co-founding of the sub-sciences of materials science, metal science and metallography, and the founding of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Metallkunde e. V. (DGM) has been awarding the Heyn commemorative coin to deserving scientists working in these disciplines since 1929 by this society - which has since been renamed the " German Society for Material Science " .

The award of the first Heyn commemorative coin , the highest honor in the scientific field of metallurgy, took place on September 7, 1929 at the general meeting of the German Society for Metallurgy in Düsseldorf to the first honorary member of the DGM, Privy Councilor Tammann .

literature

• Walther Fischer:  Heyn, Emil. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 9, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1972, ISBN 3-428-00190-7 , p. 92 f. ( Digitized version ).

Individual evidence

1. ^ Directory of the old men of the German fraternity. Überlingen am Bodensee 1920, p. 70.

Web links

• Literature by and about Emil Heyn in the catalog of the German National Library
• List of the Heyn Memorial Coin winners
• Dr. Wolfgang Piersig about Emil Heyn at www.annaberg-buchholz.de (Word document; 50 kB)
• Archive on the history of the Max Planck Society about Emil Heyn