Carl Culmann
Encyclopedia
Carl Culmann was a German
structural engineer
.
Born in Bad Bergzabern
, Rhenish Palatinate, in modern-day Germany
, Culmann's father, a pastor, tutored him at home before enrolling him at the military engineering school at Metz
to prepare for entry to the École Polytechnique
. Culmann's ambitions were frustrated by an attack of typhoid and, after a long convalescence, he attended the Karlsruhe Polytechnic School. He joined the Bavaria
n civil service
in 1841 as an apprentice engineer in the design of railroad bridge
s.
Continuing his mathematical studies, in particular under L. C. Schnürlein
, in 1847 Culmann transferred to Munich
so that he could improve his English
in anticipation of a study tour to the United Kingdom
and the United States
. His tour lasted from 1849 to 1851, studying the comparative designs of truss
bridge
s and developing new analytical techniques to facilitate his investigations.
In 1855, he took up the chair of engineering sciences at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
, Zürich
, holding the post until his death.
Inspired by the work of Jean-Victor Poncelet
, Culmann was a pioneer of graphical methods in engineering, publishing his seminal book on the topic, Die graphische Statik (Graphic Statics) in 1865. He had a profound influence on a generation of engineer
s including Maurice Koechlin
and Otto Mohr
. He died in Zürich
, Switzerland
.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
structural engineer
Structural engineer
Structural engineers analyze, design, plan, and research structural components and structural systems to achieve design goals and ensure the safety and comfort of users or occupants...
.
Born in Bad Bergzabern
Bad Bergzabern
Bad Bergzabern is a municipality in the Südliche Weinstraße district, on the German Wine Route in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is situated near the border with France, on the south-eastern edge of the Palatinate forest, approximately southwest of Landau....
, Rhenish Palatinate, in modern-day Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Culmann's father, a pastor, tutored him at home before enrolling him at the military engineering school at Metz
Metz
Metz is a city in the northeast of France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers.Metz is the capital of the Lorraine region and prefecture of the Moselle department. Located near the tripoint along the junction of France, Germany, and Luxembourg, Metz forms a central place...
to prepare for entry to the École Polytechnique
École Polytechnique
The École Polytechnique is a state-run institution of higher education and research in Palaiseau, Essonne, France, near Paris. Polytechnique is renowned for its four year undergraduate/graduate Master's program...
. Culmann's ambitions were frustrated by an attack of typhoid and, after a long convalescence, he attended the Karlsruhe Polytechnic School. He joined the Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
n civil service
Civil service
The term civil service has two distinct meanings:* A branch of governmental service in which individuals are employed on the basis of professional merit as proven by competitive examinations....
in 1841 as an apprentice engineer in the design of railroad bridge
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
s.
Continuing his mathematical studies, in particular under L. C. Schnürlein
L. C. Schnürlein
L. C. Schnürlein was a German mathematician and educator.Having studied under Carl Friedrich Gauss, he became a teacher at the gymnasium in Hof, tutoring, among others, Carl Culmann and Philipp Ludwig von Seidel.-Bibliography:...
, in 1847 Culmann transferred to Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
so that he could improve his English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
in anticipation of a study tour to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. His tour lasted from 1849 to 1851, studying the comparative designs of truss
Truss
In architecture and structural engineering, a truss is a structure comprising one or more triangular units constructed with straight members whose ends are connected at joints referred to as nodes. External forces and reactions to those forces are considered to act only at the nodes and result in...
bridge
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
s and developing new analytical techniques to facilitate his investigations.
In 1855, he took up the chair of engineering sciences at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
ETH Zurich
The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich or ETH Zürich is an engineering, science, technology, mathematics and management university in the City of Zurich, Switzerland....
, Zürich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
, holding the post until his death.
Inspired by the work of Jean-Victor Poncelet
Jean-Victor Poncelet
Jean-Victor Poncelet was a French engineer and mathematician who served most notably as the commandant general of the École Polytechnique...
, Culmann was a pioneer of graphical methods in engineering, publishing his seminal book on the topic, Die graphische Statik (Graphic Statics) in 1865. He had a profound influence on a generation of engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
s including Maurice Koechlin
Maurice Koechlin
Maurice Koechlin was a French-Swiss structural engineer.-Life:Born in Buhl, Haut-Rhin, he studied at the lycée in Mulhouse then at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology under Carl Culmann....
and Otto Mohr
Otto Mohr
Christian Otto Mohr was a German civil engineer.-Biography:He was born on October 8, 1835 to a landowning family in Wesselburen in the Holstein region...
. He died in Zürich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
.