Karl Kussmaul

Karl Kussmaul (born April 8, 1930 in Betzingen ) is a German materials technician and material tester. He is a professor emeritus for materials technology and material testing and former director of the State Material Testing Institute (MPA) at the University of Stuttgart .

Life

From 1957 Kussmaul worked as a research assistant at the MPA under Karl Wellinger , where he received his doctorate in 1963.

From 1957 to 1969 he worked as a project manager and later also head of the MPA branch in Düsseldorf . Among other things, he was involved in the development of high-pressure pipelines for the Lake Constance water supply . In 1969 he became deputy director of the MPA in Stuttgart.

From 1972 until at least 1979 he was a member of the Reactor Safety Commission . Kussmaul was convinced that a bursting of the reactor pressure vessel of a nuclear power plant is impossible with the appropriate technical, especially material-related design and with competent, regular inspection.

In 1976, Kussmaul was appointed full professor to the chair for materials testing, materials science and strength engineering, with which he also became head of the MPA Stuttgart. His predecessors were Carl von Bach , Erich Siebel and Karl Wellinger. In Stuttgart he campaigned for the establishment of the computer center of the University of Stuttgart (RUS) .

Kußmaul was also involved in the boosters of the Ariane 5 launch vehicles and in the structure of the Center Georges Pompidou and was an expert on nuclear energy issues at the German administrative courts .

Since 1952 he has been a member of the Alemannia Stuttgart fraternity .

In 1998, Kussmaul retired.

Honors

• Cross of Merit 1st Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany 1986
• Medal of Merit of the State of Baden-Württemberg 1997
• Honorary professor at the Nanjing University of Chemical Technology
• Erich Siebel commemorative coin 1998 of the German Association for Materials Research and Testing
• Guilleaume commemorative coin 1998 of the VGB PowerTech

literature

• "Expert in material testing" : Klaus Richter on Karl Kussmaul's retirement.
• History and development website of the MPA University of Stuttgart

Individual evidence

1. ↑ KERNKRAFT-WERKE: Noticeable gaps . In: Der Spiegel . No. 2 , 1979 ( online - Jan. 8, 1979 ).