albert vojtěch velflík, bridge engineer, professor...
TRANSCRIPT
POSTER 2016, PRAGUE MAY 24 1
Albert Vojtěch Velflík,
Bridge engineer, Professor, historian and beekeeper
Bohuslav Stečínský
1 Dept. of Management, Masaryk Institute of Advanced Studies, Czech Technical University, Kolejní 2637/2a, 160 00 Praha 6, Czech Republic
Abstract. The paper brings brief information about very important person, Professor Albert Vojtěch Velflík (1866-1920), Czech bridge engineer, University Professor and writer of first monograph about bridges in Czech language.
A. V. Velflík was planner (designer) of many structures, especially steel structures and bridges which were constructed in Czech countries and in the other countries in Austrian monarchy.
He was also an avid beekeeper. This pieces of information perhaps creating a vivid picture about technician with many overlaps of his personalities.
Keywords Velflík, bridges, history, monograph, publication.
1. A. V. Velflík - introduction Every branch of human activity has its own
personality, its major names (of important people) who were there from the beginning and helped to shape them or significantly contributed to its development. It is certainly important to remind these names, even of simple respect for them, but also for us not to forget what is the history of the fields of study in which they worked. How much more interesting are those returns, if it is a personality with significant overlap of interests. One of such a strong personality is undoubtedly Albert Vojtěch Velflík. The man who is know in between rather small range of historian mainly for his devoted work at History of Technical University in Prague, although it belonged to the edge of his professional interest.
Albert Vojtěch Velflík was primarily a civil engineer who joined their careers with transport infrastructure, and especially with the bridge structures. Later he awarded a degree of senior lecture and became professor at the imperial - royal Technical University in Prague. He became the rector of the University for three times. Besides of the interest in his profession, he was also interested in the history of the field of University in Prague. The extent of his hobbies are, however, ranged far beyond his
professional interests. Besides of the gardening in Mnichovice, he was passionate beekeeper.
2. Biographical data The data are not herein the most important, yet at least
some basic information. Albert Vojtěch Velflík was born in Karlovice near Pilsen in 1866. He studied grammar school in Pilsen which he finished in 1874. After that, he continued his studies at the Czech Technical University, majoring in civil engineering, which ended in 1879.
Fig. 1. Portrait of Professor Velflík
2 B. STEČÍNSKÝ, ALBERT VOJTĚCH VELFLÍK, BRIDGE ENGINEER, PROFESSOR, HISTORIAN AND BEEKEEPER
In 1880 he became an assistant of professor Šolín. Reportedly, at that time he dealt with the idea to major in the bridge monograph. In 1886, he awarded a degree of senior lecture of truss bridges as private docent. At the same time, he worked as an engineer in bridge factory of Prague stock Machinery.
Among Velflík projects include the steel roof structure of the German Theatre (today's Prague State Opera), the National House at Vinohrady and steel construction of machinery for the Jubilee Exhibition in Prague in 1891. It was then reportedly dismantled and used as a construction of the market in Innsbruck. Bridge constructions which Velflík constructed were realized mainly outside the Czech lands, for example, on the route from Wels in Austria to German Passau, across the river Vignola in the Tyrol or arch bridge in Innsbruck. He also participated in project of bridge construction of urban railway in Vienna.
Besides his teaching and engineering activities, he worked as an editor of the paper News of architects and engineers in the Czech kingdom, was a member of editorial office of Otto Encyclopaedia and also contributed to the Technical Horizon (Technický obzor). In 1890 he published his first own publication regarding bridge structures: Truss bridge composite systems.
In 1891 represented professor Bukovsky, who was then already seriously ill. He lectured bridge and railway engineering and in 1893 he finally replaced him and became a fulltime professor. While Professor Bukovsky was the first teacher lecturing the bridge construction in Czech language, Professor Velflík leadership was as the author of the first comprehensive monograph on the bridge constructions written in the Czech language.
Professor Velflík was elected as the rector for the first time in the school year 1897-1898, following by school years 1899-1900 and 1906-1907. Besides the membership in the Association of Architects and Engineers he was also the member of the Czech Academy of Sciences and Arts of emperor Franz - Josef I. He also wrote a separate publication about the first president and patron of the Academy, architects Josef Hlavka.
Professor Velflík died of poisoning in 1920 after an injury to his leg, which was complicated due to his diabetes.
3. The bridge monograph According to many fragmentary reports, we can
assume that Professor Velflík worked on his, from a professional point of view crucial piece of work, since the beginning of his teaching activities for approx. following thirty years.
The final edition is the three-part monograph which was published by parts at the beginning. In 1896 was released the first comprehensive edition of the first part. It contains bridge deck of road and railway bridges and
lateral bracing of main girder. Three years later came the second part of a complex called Main joist girder. Only in 1910 he was released the last third part, which deal with steel bridge structures.
As already mentioned, this was the first comprehensive publication of the bridge engineering written in the Czech language although smaller scale publications were issued even before Velflík’s work. One of the authors of several small publications and large number of professional articles was for example Velflík predecessor, Professor Bukovsky. However, Velflík summarized the knowledge of the industry field and created the first comprehensive monograph of bridge construction written in Czech.
Fig. 2. Title of the monograph, part III
His work was followed by his students, other prominent professors of bridge engineering, especially Jan Kolar and Stanislav Bechyně. The latter dedicated his work to the field, which was the only one which professor Velflík did not deal with, the concrete bridge construction. He is the author of Professor Velflík memories, which appeared in the Debates of the National Technical Museum
POSTER 2016, PRAGUE MAY 24 3
in Prague, in 1970, on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of his death.
While the first and the third part of Velflík monograph has now mostly historical significance, the second part can (to a slightly archaic language) still find its readers among bridge engineers. None of the later synthesis was so extensive and good in describing each bridge construction systems in terms of their static project and assessment. It may seem that at the time of projecting in CAD systems and assessment in Finite element method such a compendium has lack of its meaning. But it is not the case. Basic knowledge of static action and functioning of various structural systems are among the equipment of each bridge engineer.
Fig. 3. Example of bridges drawing, Monograph, part II
Professor Velflík already did not manage to deal in their books directly with masonry arch bridges. Nevertheless He created another important publication, which should form the gateway to this area of bridge construction. This is the Science of building materials, especially on rocks technically important about them examination and processing. Text was again first in serialized edition, then a two-part publication, and finally in 1917 as a comprehensive monograph.
The first part of the nearly thousand pages could today serve with updating as Monograph of geology for civil engineers. This section is expanded commentary on the quarrying, mining and stonework. Such complex work was the subject never after that in the Czech language issued.
4. Conclusion The life of Professor Velflík was rich although quite
short. Especially his literary activities confirm his wealth. And today, after a hundred and fifty years after his birth and only four years until the anniversary of the centenary of his death as many of his works an interesting source of information. This is especially true for those interested in the history of bridge construction.
It is a matter of imagination to think of the technician who was proud of his nationality and indeed his mother tongue as his free time was engaged in beekeeping.
Acknowledgements Research described in the paper was prepared within
author postgraduate studied field which has been supervised by Doc. PhDr. M. Perottino, Ph.D., FSV UK in Prague.
Attachment Overview of Velflík’s works according to the database of the National Library (in Czech only) [1] Dějinný a technický vývoj stavitelství mostního od nejstarších dob až po naše časy. Praha: Spolek posluchačů inženýrství na c. k. vysoké škole techn., 1894. 40 s.
[2] Dějiny technického učení v Praze, Česká matice technická, 1910-1925. 2 l., VI, XCIV, 337 s. Čes. matice technická; 47, 53, 133.
[3] Nauka o mostech Howeových a o jiných uměle napjatých nosnicích. II. Praha: nákl. vlast., 1905. s. 548-776.
[4] Nové sestrojování největších sil posouvajících za rovnoměrného, pohyblivého obtížení nepřímo na hlavní trám působícího, a zároveň obvyklé již přizpůsobení téhož sestrojování vzhledem ku proměnlivému obtížení mostů železničních, uzákoněnému vynesením ministeria obchodu ze dne 15. září 1887. V Praze: A.V. Velflík, 1888. 8 s.
[5] O drahách visutých vůbec, zvláště pak o soustavě Langerově mezi městy Barmenem, Elberfeldem a Vohwinkelem v Porýnsku: rozšířená přednáška v týdenní schůzi Spolku architektů a inženýrů v království českém 7. března 1902. Praha: Albert Vojtěch Velflík, 1902. 33 s.
[6] První pohorská železnice přes Semmering a tvůrce její inž. Karel Ghega. Praha: nákl. vlast., 1904. 21 s.
[7] Příhradové železné mosty s přímo-pásovými hlavními nosníky složené soustavy: výpočet i grafické vyšetření vnitřních sil a stanovení rozměrů průřezových na příkladě provedeného mostu přes Dunaj u Kremže: pro praktickou potřebu inženýrů a k studiu posluchačů vysokých škol technických. V Praze: Nákladem Spolku posluchačů inženýrství při c. k. české vysoké škole technické, 1890. 115 s., [4] složené l. obr. příl.
[8] Stavitelství mostní. Díl prvý, Zřízení vozovky a mostovky na mostech silnicových a železnicových, jakož i příčného ztužení jich hlavních nosníků. V Praze: Nákladem Spolku posluchačů inženýrství na c. k. české vysoké škole technické, 1896. viii, 454, 47 s., [42] l. obr. příl.
[9] Stavitelství mostní. Díl 2, Hlavní nosníky trámové. [Sv. 2]. Praha: Č. Matice techn., 1899. s. 441-805. Česká Matice technická; Roč. 4. 1899. Řad. čís. 11.
[10] Stavitelství mostní. III. Praha: Čes. matice technická, 1910-1912. 18, 931 s. Česká matice technická; roč. 17, 1912, čís. 60.
[11] Trasování železnic. Praha: Litogr., 1902. 1 sv.
[12] Výpočet a návrh opěrového, kloubového ložiska při mostech obloukových, jichž spodní pás složen jest ze čtyř čtverníkových želez. V Praze: A. V. Velflík, 1888. 13 s.
[13] Život a působení prvního presidenta a zakladatele české akademie arch. Dr. Ph. a Dr. Techn. Josefa Hlávky s přehledem pokroku v umění stavitelském za jeho života: pamětní upomínka, kterou ke slavnostnímu shromáždění České Akademie císaře Františka Josefa pro vědy, slovesnost a umění, Praha: Česká akademie císaře Františka Josefa pro vědy, slovesnost a umění, 1908, 43 s.
4 B. STEČÍNSKÝ, ALBERT VOJTĚCH VELFLÍK, BRIDGE ENGINEER, PROFESSOR, HISTORIAN AND BEEKEEPER
[14] Nauka o stavebních hmotách, zvláště o horninách technicky významných, o jich zkoumání a zpracování: k studiu posluchačů vys. škol technických, k praktické potřebě inž., stavitelů a správců kamenných lomů i jiných staveb. závodů. Nerosty kamenotvorné a technicky významné horniny z nich složené. Praha: Čes. matice technická, 1914. 226 s. Česká matice technická; roč. 19, 1914, spisů čís. 65.
References [15] BECHYNĚ, S., Albert Vojtěch Velflík, v Rozpravy Národního
technického muzea v Praze, č. 52, Praha 1971
[16] ŠPAČEK, K., Velflík včelař, v Technický obzor, 1921
[17] Rektoři obou vysokých škol technických, v Světozor, ročník 33/1898-1899, č. 52, strana 617-618. Dostupné online z http://archiv.ucl.cas.cz/index.php?path=SvetozorII/33.1898- 1899/52/617.png (21. 3. 2016)
About the author Bohuslav STEČÍNSKÝ was born in Svitavy in 1971. He graduated from the University of Transport and Communications, Department of Civil Engineering. He is an external student of the doctor study program History of Technology at the Masaryk Institute of Advanced Studies, the Czech Technical University in Prague.