Georg Brack

Georg Brack (1980)

Georg C. Brack (born January 28, 1931 in Berlin ; † February 21, 2014 in Halle (Saale) ) was a German engineer and professor of automation technology. He is one of the pioneers of automation technology for material-changing processes and is a co-founder of the training of graduate engineers in the field of automation technology for process engineering processes in Germany.

Life

Georg Brack was born in Berlin as the son of the engineer Helmut Brack and his wife Margarethe. In Zella-Mehlis he attended elementary school from 1937 to 1941 and then the Schiller School, where he graduated from high school in 1949. He then completed a skilled worker apprenticeship as a toolmaker at the August Bebel factory in Zella-Mehlis, which he successfully completed in 1951.

His studies took him to the Technical University of Dresden in 1951 , where he graduated in electrical engineering with a degree in low-voltage engineering in 1956 . Immediately afterwards he began working as a scientific assistant at the Institute for Control Engineering, which was newly founded in 1955 (Director: Heinrich Kindler ). This institute of the TH Dresden was the first of its kind in the German-speaking area, and Brack was the third assistant here after Heinz Töpfer and Günther Pohl . The later professors Herbert Ehrlich (Leipzig), Wolfgang Weller (Berlin) and Hans-Joachim Zander (Dresden) were among the students he supervised at the time .

Brack dedicated his research to the analysis of a non-linear controller with semi-proportional behavior. He defended his dissertation in 1961 at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering with the grade “summa cum laude”. At the same time, this was the first dissertation in the field of control technology that was developed and completed at this new institute. After that, he preferred to work in a practice, so his entry into industry took place at the Institute for Control Engineering (IfR) Berlin - a large industrial research and development facility with more than 1000 employees.

Brack was with his former fellow student and graduate engineer for electrical engineering Margitta Brack, geb. Heather married. The couple had two children.

Working as a control engineer in industry

Institute for Automatic Control (IfR), Berlin-Friedrichshain, Neue Bahnhofstrasse 9–17 (until 1968)

Brack worked since 1961 at the Institute for Automatic Control (IfR) Berlin in the department of device development (technical director: Bruno Golecki , winner of the Stalin Prize of 1953, highest award of the Soviet Union, later renamed the Peace Prize , then the State Prize of the USSR ) in the main control engineering department (head : Zeumer). Here he was a research assistant and head of a group that dealt with system work for electrical and pneumatic analog automation devices. For the practical implementation of such work, he was also significantly involved in the establishment of a development center (Head: Hans-Werner Bittner) at the Dresden regulator factory (RWD) and in the development of the Cronibal analog pneumatic standard controller . In contrast to the previously prevalent stacked construction, these regulators were based on the rocker-corrugated pipe principle (Cronibal is derived from Crom-Nickel bellows / corrugated pipe). Brack was co-owner of several patents for this.

This industrial control system, coined by Brack, was in production and in use for a number of years, preferably in the chemical industry, especially for systems at risk of explosion. During his project planning, it was completed by products from other manufacturers: measuring transducers (transmitters) as well as control devices , which Brack had also dealt with comparatively. Furthermore, these analog systems were supplemented by the DRELOBA binary control system (Dresden logic modules, 1964 National Prize 2nd class for science and technology ), which was also developed ready for production in the development center set up by Brack in the Dresden controller factory and produced in this factory. All of these systems were based on the standard signal 0.2 to 1.0 bar ("normal pressure"). In competition for this was the "unalog" system of the equipment and controller works (GRW) Teltow near Berlin, which used the signal level "low pressure" (0 to 100 mm water column) and with which Brack (as well as Heinz Töpfer in his dissertation ) dealt scientifically and occasionally also polemically (inventors: national prize winners Valentin Ferner, Heinz Hänel).

The Institute for Control Engineering (IfR) Berlin formed the central research and development facility for more than 10 production companies in the Association of People's Own Enterprises (VVB) Control Engineering, Device Construction and Optics (RGO) . In the IfR, in addition to his work on device development, Brack also made contributions to system work for automation devices as well as to the associated international coordination of the Eastern Bloc countries in the Council for Mutual Economic Aid (Comecon, also known as COMECON in the West ). Brack later summarized his knowledge and experience from the automation industry under the book title Technology of Automation Devices, which was characterized by a high systematics and novel presentation of this subject and was continued in terms of content by Heinz Töpfer and Werner Kriesel with the book "Functional Units of Automation Technology " in agreement with Brack has been.

The coordination goal originally set by the state planning, to develop a COMECON automation system and to produce it in the individual COMECON countries, was not achieved for various reasons. In order to absorb the growing lag behind the western market, the VVB RGO and the IfR Berlin finally decided to independently develop a universal system of devices and facilities for the automation of technological processes, which was based in particular on the conceptual content-related system work of Brack and others. This led to an overall industrial system that later became known as ursamat and is also presented in book form (1967 National Prize, 1st class for science and technology for the management collective Hanns Haas, Gerhard Obenhaus, Siegfried Spieß, Helmut Wiedmer).

Working as a university professor

As a lead institute, IfR Berlin has generally maintained and promoted close scientific collaborations with colleges, universities and academy institutes. From 1962 to 1968, Brack also held a part-time teaching position as a lecturer for elements of control engineering at the TU Dresden and at the University of Transport (HfV) Dresden.

A number of professors have emerged from the IfR Berlin, including Gunter Schwarze , Wolfgang Weller , Achim Sydow , Hans Fuchs and Jürgen Beuschel in Berlin, Bernhard Rodenbeck in Koblenz, Werner Kriesel in Leipzig and Merseburg, as well as Georg Brack in Merseburg. In 1964 he was initially appointed as a university lecturer for the automation of chemical processes at the then TH für Chemie Leuna-Merseburg (THL-M).

Main building on the Merseburg campus (renovated in 2014)

At the newly founded institute for the automation of chemical processes at THL-M, Brack initially acted as temporary and then full-time director. In 1968 he was appointed full professor and, as part of the university reform of 1968, was appointed head of the science department (WB) automation technology in the process engineering section. The WB included the following subjects represented by university lecturers: automation technology (G. Brack), control technology (A. Helms), process control (P. Metzing), process analysis (G. Lorenz) and process measurement technology ( H. Hart , from 1969 H. -J. Hörig, from 1974 M. Uhlmann). Here, qualified engineers were trained in automation technology as part of the system process engineering specialization.

In 1976 Brack obtained his habilitation with a thesis on the topic: Contributions to the rationalization and algorithmization of the design process of automation systems for flow processes (Dissertation B).

Shortly before reunification , a senate commission for rehabilitation and coming to terms with the past was formed at the TH Leuna-Merseburg in September 1990 and the chairmanship was transferred to the person of integrity Brack. At the end of its analysis, this commission had to deal with a number of cases, including the dissertation of the well-known dissident Rudolf Bahro, which was rejected in 1975 . At the beginning of 1991 Brack was elected dean of the faculty for technical sciences and mathematics and then head of the institute for automation technology and electrical engineering in the process engineering department of the TH Leuna-Merseburg.

The Technical University of Leuna-Merseburg, founded in 1954, was closed in March 1993. It was partly absorbed by the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) as a branch in Merseburg and partly in the Merseburg University of Applied Sciences, which was newly founded in 1992 (today Merseburg University of Applied Sciences ).

From April 1992 Brack was therefore delegated to the Merseburg University of Applied Sciences as the founding dean for the electrical engineering department. He also took on teaching duties here in the summer semester and winter semester 1992. Then, from September 1992, he was appointed full professor for the automation technology department in the process engineering department of the MLU (dean: Wolfgang Fratzscher ). Therefore, at the end of the semester in March 1993, he was relieved of his duties as founding dean at the FH Merseburg after a year’s activity. His former colleague Volkmar Seidel was elected as dean's successor .

The university teaching of brackish included the following lectures in this period: automation technology, automation of chemical production, process computers used technique of automation devices, dynamic technical systems, theory of systems, Electrical Information Technology, Electric Power Engineering. Brack was also active in further education, especially in the "Autumn Technical Cybernetics" course, which was carried out jointly with the corresponding chairs in Dresden, Ilmenau, Karl-Marx-Stadt (today Chemnitz) and Leipzig, as well as the Dresden Academy as a coordination point in the "Cooperation Council Technical Cybernetics ”(Head: Hans-Joachim Zander ).

Brack worked on a number of scientific areas in his research work : Regulation and optimal control of chemical reactions, dynamic modeling, simulation, regulation and identification of systems with locally distributed parameters, rationalization of the design of automation systems, operational control and management of large systems in production, automation and Process assurance of batch processes, development of a theory of dynamic systems with substantially distributed state variables. In this context, he supervised almost 150 diploma theses and 30 dissertations as qualification theses and was active in an advisory capacity on 2 habilitations. He maintained close research collaborations with the TH Magdeburg and the TU Dresden ( Heinz Töpfer ) and the TH Leipzig ( Rainer Müller ), especially in the field of engineering of automation systems .

His scientific publications therefore reveal a broad specialist spectrum and, in addition to numerous specialist lectures, include more than 100 magazine and book publications as well as patents. From 1972 to 1991 he was a member of the editorial board of the trade magazine measure, control, regulate (msr) in Berlin. At the same time he belonged together with H. Fuchs, G. Paulin, R. Piegert, G. Schwarze and E.-G. Woschni to the book editors of the "Series Automation Technology" at Verlag Technik Berlin, which, under the editing of J. Reichenbach, reached a considerable size with almost 250 volumes.

The following professors emerged from Brack's academic environment : Peter Metzing (Freiberg i. Sa .; HS Lausitz), Hans-Joachim Hörig (Merseburg, Schkopau), Wolfram Weiß (Merseburg), Hans-Dieter Maertens (Halle / Saale), Peter Neumann (Magdeburg), Volkmar Seidel (Merseburg), Peter Cschornack (Merseburg), Frank Sokollik (Merseburg), Knut Stephan (Brandenburg), Rainer Dittmar (Heide), Karl-Dietrich Morgeneier (Jena), Hans-Michael Hanisch (Magdeburg , Halle / Saale).

The retirement of brackish took place in June 1996 after a severe stroke had robbed on his 64th birthday in 1995 his ability to work permanently him. In his teaching and research he developed many new ideas and motivated his employees to be highly motivated, whereby he was also a role model for his fellow professors in terms of honesty and personal commitment. His academic student Hans-Michael Hanisch was appointed to the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg as his successor .

Memberships and honors

Brack was a longstanding member of several specialist committees . In the Chamber of Technology (KDT) he was on the board of the Scientific and Technical Society for Measurement and Automation Technology (WGMA chairman: Heinz Töpfer, then Werner Richter ) as chairman of the scientific section for measurement and control technology in process engineering . In 1972 he was one of the founding members of the Scientific Section for Automation Technology in the Chemical Technology Association of the KDT. From 1972 to 1991 he was a member of the editorial board of the trade journal measure, control, regulate (msr) Berlin. From 1974 to 1990 he was a member of the Central Working Group (ZAK) control and regulation technology (chair: Heinz Töpfer) at the Research Council of the GDR .

His professional work was very much appreciated and honored with awards:

• 1976 and 1977 Carl Schorlemmer Prize from the Technical University of Leuna-Merseburg

• 1978 and 1979 badge of honor of the KDT Presidium Berlin (bronze; silver)

• 1989 Medal of Honor for the 40th anniversary of the GDR.

Fonts (selection)

• Contribution to the behavior of a semi-proportional controller. In: magazine measure, control, regulate (Zmsr), Berlin. Vol. 5, No. 1, 1962, pp. 15-27.
• ed. with Heinrich Kindler : WW Solodownikow: components of control engineering. 2 volumes (from Russian). Verlag Technik, Berlin 1963.
• The Cronibal controllers - universal pneumatic standardized controllers. In: measure, control, regulate; automation technology praxis (msr ap), Berlin. Vol. 8, No. 10, 1965, pp. 180-188.
• ed. with H. Fuchs, G. Paulin, R. Piegert, G. Schwarze, E.-G. Woschni, Lektor J. Reichenbach: Series automation technology. Verlag Technik, Berlin 1972–1990.
• Automation equipment technology. Verlag Technik, Berlin 1969, 2nd edition 1972. Hanser Verlag, Munich 1972, ISBN 3-446-11551-X .
• Dynamic models of procedural processes. Automation technology series, vol. 115. Verlag Technik, Berlin 1971.
• with Hans-Dieter Maertens: Process automation. Automation technology series, Vol. 164. Verlag Technik, Berlin 1974.
• with M. Uhlmann, H.-J. Hörig, G. Lorenz and P. Metzing: On the development of research in the scientific field of automation technology. Scientific journal of the TH Leuna-Merseburg. Vol. 16, No. 2, 1974, pp. 167-170.
• Dynamics of technical systems. German publishing house for basic industry, Leipzig 1974.
• Basic automation catalog - a tool for designing automation systems. In: Technical Information, Devices and Regulators (GRW) Teltow. Vol. 14, No. 2, 1976, pp. 117-120.
• with H. Hain: Means and ways to rationalize the design of automation systems. In: Die Technik, Vol. 32, No. 2, 1977, pp. 79-82.
• with Frank Sokollik: Tasks of technical cybernetics in the operational control of production. In: measure, control, regulate (msr), Berlin. Vol. 22, No. 11, 1979, pp. 604-607.
• Design of automation structures. Automation technology series, Vol. 188. Verlag Technik, Berlin 1980.
• Simple models of continuous processes. Automation technology series, Vol. 197. Verlag Technik, Berlin 1982. Hüthig Verlag, Heidelberg 1982, ISBN 3-7785-0775-3 .
• with Frank Baldeweg and Dietrich Balzer: Automatic process assurance in production systems. Automation technology series, Vol. 204. Verlag Technik, Berlin 1983.
• with Frank Sokollik: Hierarchical controls for the operational control of large systems. In: measure, control, regulate (msr), Berlin. Vol. 27, No. 5, 1984, pp. 194-197.
• Contribution in: G. Laux (Ed.): Lexikon der Cybernetik A - Z, supplementary volume. Akademie-Verlag, Berlin 1985.
• with Alfred Helms: automation technology. Deutscher Verlag für Grundstofftindustrie, Leipzig 1985, 2nd edition 1987.
• Process and control loop dynamics - calculation with BASIC. Automation technology series, Vol. 232. Verlag Technik, Berlin 1988, ISBN 3-341-00531-5 .
• with Hans-Michael Hanisch: Disturbances and disturbances in continuous-analog and discrete systems. In: measure, control, regulate (msr), Berlin. Vol. 33, No. 4, 1990, pp. 162-165.
• Automation technology for users - an introduction for chemical engineers and processing technicians. German publishing house for basic industry, Leipzig; Stuttgart 1993, ISBN 3-342-00670-6 .

literature

• Valentin further: Clear control technology. Verlag Technik, Berlin 1960.
• Heinz Töpfer : Comparative investigations of pneumatic components and devices of control and regulation technology in the normal and low pressure range. Dissertation. TU Dresden , Faculty of Electrical Engineering 1963.
• Hans-Werner Bittner: Pneumatic functional elements. Automation technology series, vol. 45. Verlag Technik, Berlin 1966, 2nd edition 1975.
• H. Haas, E. Bernicke, H. Fuchs, G. Obenhaus (overall editor): ursamat manual , published by the Institute for Automatic Control Berlin. Verlag Technik, Berlin 1969.
• Hans-Werner Bittner: Pneumatic measuring transducers and controllers. Automation technology series, Vol. 107. Verlag Technik, Berlin 1970.
• Karl Reinisch : Cybernetic basics and description of continuous systems . Verlag Technik Berlin 1974.
• Heinz Töpfer and Werner Kriesel : Functional units of automation technology - electrical, pneumatic, hydraulic. Verlag Technik, Berlin and VDI Verlag, Düsseldorf 1977, 5th edition 1988, ISBN 3-341-00290-1 .
• Rainer Müller: Project planning for automation systems. Verlag Technik, Berlin 1979; 2nd edition 1982.
• D. Werner, D. Herrmann: msr introduces: Technical University "Carl Schorlemmer" Leuna-Merseburg - Process Engineering Section, Automation Engineering Science Area. In: measure, control, regulate, Berlin . Vol. 27, No. 5, 1984, pp. 231-235.
• Heinz Töpfer : Prof. Dr. sc. techn. Georg Brack - 60 years. In: measure, control, regulate (msr), Berlin. Vol. 34, No. 1, 1991, p. 2.
• Gisela Krause, Uwe Neuendorf: History of pneumatic automation technology in the Dresden area. Part 1: Development of research, development and product potential as well as the pneumatic control system DRELOBA. Hänsel-Hohenhausen, Egelsbach 1994, ISBN 3-89349-519-3 .
• Werner Kriesel ; Hans Rohr; Andreas Koch: History and future of measurement and automation technology . VDI-Verlag, Düsseldorf 1995, ISBN 3-18-150047-X .
• Heinz Töpfer , Arnulf Schwarz: Leadership and contributions in: Knowledge storage fluid technology. Fachbuchverlag, Leipzig 1998, ISBN 3-343-00246-1 .
• Lothar Starke: From the hydraulic controller to the process control system. The success story of the Askania works in Berlin and the device and controller works in Teltow. 140 years of industrial history, tradition and future . Berliner Wissenschafts-Verlag, Berlin 2009, ISBN 978-3-8305-1715-3 .
• Kurt J. Reinschke: Memory of Heinrich Kindler , first professor for control engineering at the TH Dresden . In: Automation technology, Munich . Vol. 58, No. 06, 2010, pp. 345-347.
• Wolfgang Weller : Automation technology through the ages - development history of a fascinating subject. Verlag epubli GmbH Berlin, 2013, ISBN 978-3-8442-5487-7 and as an e-book.
• Werner Kriesel : Future models for computer science, automation and communication. In: Fuchs-Kittowski, Frank; Kriesel, Werner (ed.): Computer science and society. Festschrift for the 80th birthday of Klaus Fuchs-Kittowski . Frankfurt a. M., Bern, Bruxelles, New York, Oxford, Warszawa, Vienna: Peter Lang Internationaler Verlag der Wissenschaften, PL Academic Research 2016, ISBN 978-3-631-66719-4 (print), E- ISBN 978-3-653 -06277-9 (e-book).