Erwin Otto Marx
Erwin Otto Marx (born January 15, 1893 in Mautitz near Riesa ; † January 11, 1980 in Braunschweig ) was a German engineer in Braunschweig and invented the Marx generator named after him . He carried out research and development in the field of electrical energy transmission over long distances between 1918 and 1950.
Life
Marx studied electrical engineering at the TH Dresden , where he received his doctorate in 1921. During his studies in 1912 he became a member of the Erato Dresden singers . After working as an engineer for several years, he was appointed professor for high voltage technology at the TH Braunschweig in 1925 . Marx joined the SA in 1933 and the NSDAP in 1937 . From 1937 to 1945 he was head of the electrical engineering department in the Reich Research Council . After 1945 Marx lost his professorship due to his political entanglements during the Third Reich , but was finally reappointed full professor in Braunschweig in 1950. 1958–1960 he was rector of the TH Braunschweig. In 1962 he retired. In 1963 he received an honorary doctorate from the Technical University of Dresden .
Services
With the three-phase transmission between Lauffen and Frankfurt in 1891, it was possible to prove that high-voltage three - phase current is suitable for transporting electricity. The establishment of interconnected systems up to the First World War , however, led to the realization that transmissions over a few 100 km with three-phase current were not easily possible. After 1918, alternatives were increasingly sought. Erwin Marx had been working with electric arc converters since the early 1930s and high-voltage direct current transmission seemed to offer the solution. But when Marx did not succeed in solving the detailed technical problems with the electric arc converters despite various efforts, the large industrial companies moved away from his concept again. Nevertheless, thanks to the backing of the Reich Aviation Ministry , he was able to continue his research program until the end of the war. The Luftwaffe had hoped that the use of underground direct current cables would protect the power supply from bomb attacks. It was hoped that the Nazi leadership would use a long-distance pipeline to use the enormous Norwegian hydropower to ensure the power supply for armaments production. Even though electrical engineering passed Marx's power converter, direct current transmission for sea crossings established itself.
In 1966 he received the VDE Honor Ring.
As a foundation, the VDE Braunschweig District Association annually awards the Erwin Marx Prize to successful graduates of the TU Braunschweig and / or the FH Braunschweig / Wolfenbüttel .
literature
- Ingrid Ahrens: Marx, Erwin. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 16, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1990, ISBN 3-428-00197-4 , pp. 324-326 ( digitized version ).
- Michael Grüttner : Biographical Lexicon on National Socialist Science Policy (= Studies on Science and University History. Volume 6). Synchron, Heidelberg 2004, ISBN 3-935025-68-8 , p. 114.
- Kurt Jäger (Hrsg.): Lexicon of electrical engineers. VDE Verlag, Berlin; Offenbach 1996, ISBN 3-8007-2120-1 .
- Helmut Maier (Ed.): Erwin Marx (1893–1980), engineer in Braunschweig, and research and development in the field of electrical energy transmission over long distances between 1918 and 1950. GNT-Verlag, Stuttgart 1999, ISBN 978-3- 928186-11-7 .
Web links
- Literature by and about Erwin Otto Marx in the catalog of the German National Library
Individual evidence
- ↑ Paul Meißner (Ed.): Alt-Herren-Directory of the German Singers. Leipzig 1934, p. 35.
- ↑ Honorary doctoral students of the TH / TU Dresden. Technical University of Dresden, accessed on February 4, 2015 .
- ↑ VDE ring of honor . Accessed January 31, 2018.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Marx, Erwin Otto |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Marx, Erwin |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German high voltage technician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 15, 1893 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Mautitz |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 11, 1980 |
| Place of death | Braunschweig |