Heinrich Hertel (1901-1982)

Heinrich Hertel was born in Dusseldorf on 13 November 1901. He studied civil engineering from 1921 to 1925, first at the TH Munich and later at the TH Berlin. He subsequently became an assistant at the German laboratory for Aviation in Adlershof, Berlin where he was put in charge of testing not long afterwards. Starting with the investigation of aircraft accidents, his research began to extend to the dynamic load and fatigue strength of airplane designs. In 1930 he gained a doctorate from the TH Berlin with a thesis on the rotating rigidity and torsional strength of aircraft construction parts.

In 1933, Hertel was hired by Ernst Heinkel (1888-1958). The following year he was appointed technical director of Heinkel's aircraft plant in Rostock and also became head of research and development there. In 1939, following a disagreement with Heinkel, Hertel moved to the Junkers aircraft factory, where he became head of development and a member of the board. In 1938, he received an honorary professorship at the University of Rostock and in 1941 was also made honorary professor at the TH Braunschweig (Brunswick). When the war was over Hertel went to France, where he worked on the development of long-range jet-powered aircraft and on vertical take-off technology.

Once the allied ban on aviation research in Germany had been lifted, the TU Berlin appointed Hertel to its re-established chair for Aircraft Construction in 1955. Although this only came with one academic assistant post, Hertel was able to rapidly increase his group's size with the aid of generous third-party funding. In 1960 the three chairs of aeronautics at the TU were able to move to a newly established institute building, something that Hertel had helped achieve through his great commitment.

At the TU, Hertel resumed his research into the fatigue and operating strength of airplane constructions. His findings found expression in a book published in 1969, "Ermüdungsfestigkeit der Konstruktion" (Resistance to Fatigue in Design), the first German language work on this issue. His work on the design and production technology as well as on new construction and manufacturing methods were expressed in "Leichtbau" (Lightweight Construction) a text book that would quickly become the standard work on aircraft construction (1960). In addition, at the TU Berlin he was to continue his work on vertical take-off technology (which he had begun in France).

Hertel's research in the fields of biology and technology was ground-breaking. After investigating the body shapes of different species of fish, in the early nineteen-sixties he proposed a spindle-like fuselage for airplane construction. Such a fuselage would have a lower air resistance than a conventional cylindrical one and still allow more space for cargo or passengers. Even though Hertel's idea has not yet been implemented for technical and economical reasons, the work made him the intellectual pioneer behind bionics, an area in which he continued working after his retirement in 1970.

In appreciation of his technical and scientific achievements, Hertel was awarded an honorary doctorate by the TH Aachen, and he was also appointed an honorary member of the DGLR (the German Society for Air and Space Travel). He was also made an honorary citizen of the Huntsville space center. Heinrich Hertel died in Berlin on 5 December 1982.

Lit.: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Heinrich Hertel 65 Jahre. Beiträge aus dem Schülerkreis Professor Hertels (Prof. Dr.-Ing. Heinrich Hertel at 65; Contributions from Professor Hertel's circle of students). Flugwelt international 18 (1966), p. 872-879, 942-947

[J. Z.]