HERRMANN

GERMANY (see also List of Individuals)

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4.8.1865 Nürnberg/D - 25.11.1932 Gustavsburg/D

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Hans Herrmann graduated as a mechanical engineer from the Technical University of Munich in 1888. He joined the Maschinenbau AG Nürnberg, the later MAN works, one year later and stayed there all through his career. After a stay in Nuremberg, he moved to the Gustavsburg branch in 1901 as a chief engineer and took over the direction of bridge engineering in 1907. He was appointed director in 1919 and Member of the managing board in 1921. Two years later then, he took over direction of the entire MAN Gustavsburg branch.

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Herrmann was particularly known for bridge engineering and for steel structures in general. However, Herrmann also contributed to steel water engineering. The structures of interest include gates and moveable hydraulic members used in control structures and erected on natural or artificial waterways. MAN had thus furnished the gates for the Bremerhaven locks, among other notable works. In the 1930s a number of innovations were created which may be partly attributed to MAN. Here mention may be made of the splitters positioned mainly on flap gates to inhibit gate vibration. These vibrations are known for their destructive character and the large noise level that may be a nuisance for the environment. Flap gates without these splitters produce a vibrating jet due to the different air pressure between the upper and the lower air cavities. The air cavity below the nappe is then subject to periodic overand underpressure resulting in a small force on the jet. Today, such flap gates are often employed for surface water control, and the addition of the splitters has completely solved the vibration problem. Herrmann was decorated with the honorary doctorate from the Technical University of Munich in 1918, and the Technical University of Darmstadt presented him the title Ehrensenator.

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_{Anonymous (1932). Hans Herrmann. Jahrbuch Hafenbautechnische Gesellschaft 13: 120. Beyer, K. (1933). Hans Herrmann. Zeitschrift des Vereines Deutscher Ingenieure 77(2): 39. P Dantscher, K. (1933). Hans Herrmann. Wasserkraft und Wasserwirtschaft 28(1): 11-12. P Herrmann, H. (1912). Zum Bau des Rhein-Herne-Kanals. Zentralblatt der Bauverwaltung 32(35): 217-220; 32(39): 242-246.}

_{Herrmann, H. (1921). Verstellprofile. Zeitschrift für Flugtechnik und Motorluftschiffahrt}

_{12(10): 147-154.}

_{Herrmann, H. (1929). Auswertung von Flugversuchen und Windkanalmessungen an den Udet-Flugzeugen. Zeitschrift für Flugtechnik und Motorluftschiffahrt 20(1): 3-15.}