About the lecture:
The Swiss civil engineer Heinz Isler (1926-2009) was known worldwide for his unique shell structures. Like no other, he perfected the subject of form finding of shells with physical models. He was aided by three fundamentally different observations and their principles of form development, which he then put into practice in extensive model studies.
The presentation traces Heinz Isler's life, from his education at the ETH Zurich to the founding of his own engineering office with its own model workshop for form finding, supplemented by model-static experiments, to the many reinforced concrete shells that he has put into practice. Particular attention is paid to his personal and professional environment. Isler was an impressive personality, characterized by a playful component on the one hand and “Swiss precision” in his technical designs on the other. However, his difficult relationship with digital calculation methods should also be mentioned. The exhibition “Heinz Isler Schalen”, first shown at the University of Stuttgart in 1986, was shown at many universities. The lecture also deals with Isler's involvement in the initial planning of the buildings for the 1972 Munich Olympics and Stuttgart 21. Isler's lively lectures around the world have appealed not only to experts, but also to young listeners in particular. Isler's lively lectures around the world have appealed not only to experts, but also to young audiences in particular. His impressive ice experiments are also worth mentioning. Even if the design tools used are no longer used today, the objective is still of great importance for the planning of thin shell structures. (Translated with DeepL.com (free version))
About the lecturer:
Prof. Ramm studied civil engineering in Darmstadt and Stuttgart from 1960-1966. After completing his doctorate at the Institute for Structural Analysis and Elasticity in Stuttgart in 1972, he went to the University of California, Berkeley as a visiting scholar with a habilitation scholarship from the DFG. After returning to the University of Stuttgart and completing his habilitation, he was appointed Professor of Structural Analysis in 1976. In 1983, he was appointed to the Chair of Structural Analysis and headed the institute until 2006. After the retirement of Professor Frei Otto, he took over the management of the Institute for Lightweight Structures on an interim basis from 1991-1994.
His research covered the entire spectrum of structural mechanics, in particular the statics and dynamics of thin-walled structures such as plate, membrane and shell structures. The focus was on mechanical modeling and numerical simulation, mainly using finite element methods, taking into account geometric and material non-linearities as well as the interaction with fluids. These topics were supplemented by the development of innovative methods for shape, topology and material optimization.
Together with his architectural colleague Schunck, Prof. Ramm organized the exhibition “Heinz Isler Shells” in 1986, which was shown at many locations in seven countries. He founded the engineering firm Delta-X with Dr. A. Burmeister in 1989 and was a partner in the firm until 2012. He was a test engineer for structural analysis. (Translated with DeepL.com (free version))
[Picture: Ekkehard Ramm]
[Picture: Wilfried Dechau]
[Picture: Ekkehard Ramm]