Frederick Kurt Kirsten (born Kurt Friederich Johannes Kirsten, March 13, 1885 - November 19, 1952) was an American professor, engineer and inventor.[1]
Frederick Kurt Kirsten | |
|---|---|
| Born | 13 March 1885 |
| Died | 19 November 1952 (aged 67) Seattle, U.S. |
| Occupations |
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Kirsten was born in Germany and immigrated to the United States in 1902. He graduated from University of Washington in 1909 and later taught there as a professor of aeronautical engineering. During his life he was granted numerous patents on a wide variety of subjects.[2] Among his inventions were the Kirsten pipe [3] (a tobacco pipe), and the Kirsten-Boeing propeller (a cycloidal propeller ).[4] The Kirsten Wind Tunnel at University of Washington was promoted by and named after him.[5]
Inventions
editKirsten Pipe
editThe Kirsten pipe is a tobacco pipe with an aluminium stem combined with a bowl and mouth piece from more traditional materials. The metallic stem with its large inner diameter cools off the smoke while condensing moisture and supposedly removing harmful particles. Kirsten developed it after being told by his physician to stop smoking. To manufacture and sell these pipes he created the Kirsten Pipe Company that is still run by his descendants.[3]
Kirsten-Boeing Propeller
editThe Kirsten-Boeing propeller is a cycloidal propeller that differs from other such propellers in that instead of the propeller blades being parallel to the motion of the craft, in Kirsten's design the blade going backwards is perpendicular, operating like a paddle. Kirsten first envisioned this propeller to be used in airplanes, but later realized it was more suited to be used in water. Unlike a cycloidal propeller controlled with a linkage, in Kirsten's design only direction can be controlled.[4] The propeller can be also used as a turbine, and some research has been done to improve Kirsten's original design in this domain. [6]
References
edit- ^ Levinson, Mark (March 1992). Frederick Kurt Kirsten - A Biographical Sketch (PDF). Seattle: University of Washington. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
- ^ "The Inventive Mind – Frederick Kirsten 1915-1951". Washington University. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
- ^ a b "Kirsten Pipe Company - History". Retrieved 19 April 2024.
- ^ a b Sachse, H. (February 1926). Kirsten-Boeing Propeller (PDF) (Report). National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics.
- ^ "Kirsten Wind Tunnel (KWT)". Kirsten Wind Tunnel (KWT). University of Washington. 13 April 2015. Retrieved 20 April 2024.
- ^ Küppers, Jan-Philipp; Metzger, Jens; Jensen, Jürgen; Reinicke, Tamara (January 2019). "Performance Optimization of a Kirsten–Boeing Turbine by A Metamodel Based on Neural Networks Coupled with CFD". Energies. 12 (9): 1777. doi:10.3390/en12091777. ISSN 1996-1073.