History of the Department

 

The history of the Department of Strength and Fatigue of Materials and Structures is years of tradition, research and teaching work within the frames of various organizational forms of today's Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Robotics, AGH. The current Department's name and place in the structures of the Faculty has been in function since 01.11.2008.

We invite you to take a look at our brief chronology and biographies famous scientists who worked in the Department.

History
1946 The Faculty of Electromechanics (Wydział Elektromechaniczny) is created, and the Department* of Theoretical Mechanics (Zakład Mechaniki Teoretycznej) within it.
1947 The Department of Theoretical Mechanics is transformed into the Chair of Technical Mechanics (Katedra Mechaniki Teoretycznej).
End of 1948, 1949 The Chair of Higher Issues of Mechanics (Katedra Wyższych Zagadnień Mechaniki) is established ad personam for professor M.T. Huber. The professor became the head of the Chair and developed a very active centre of scientist education, rallying many students and colleagues.
01.09.1949 As a result of the reorganization of the Chair of Technical Mechanics there is created an independent Department of Strength (Zakład Wytrzymałości).
1950 Prof. dr. h.c. Wacław Olszak becomes the head of the Department and remains in office until 1952.
1951 The Department is transformed into the Chair of Strength of Materials (Katedra Wytrzymałości Materiałów).
1952 Division of the Department of Electromechanics. The Chair from now belongs to the newly created Faculty of Mechanization of Mining and Metallurgy (Wydział Mechanizacji Górnictwa i Hutnictwa). Prof. Aleksander Lisowski becomes the head of the Chair and remains in office until 1962.
1962 Prof. Józef Golecki becomes the head of the Chair and remains in office until 1968.
1964 The following Departments are created within the Chair:
  • The Department of Strength of Materials (Zakład Wytrzymałości Materiałów),
  • The Department of Steel Structure of Equipment and Machines (Zakład Stalowych Konstrukcji Urządzeń i Maszyn).
1968 – 1969 Prof. Adam Siemieniec becomes the head of the Chair.
1969 As a result of the reorganization of the structure of the Academy, the Chair is renamed as the Department of Strength of Materials (Zakład Wytrzymałości Materiałów) and becomes a part of the newly established Institute of Fundamentals of Machine Design (Instytut Podstaw Budowy Maszyn). The Head of the Department is prof. A. Siemieniec.
01.04.1992 The Faculty of Mining and Metallurgical Machines (Wydział Maszyn Górniczych i Hutniczych) is renamed as the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Robotics (Wydział Inżynierii Mechanicznej i Robotyki).
1993 The Academy (AGH) departs from the structure based on institutes. The former Institute of Fundamentals of Machine Design is transformed into the Chair of Fundamentals of Construction and Operation of Machines, with the staff employed. Strength of materials science is developed in the Team of Strength of Materials (Zespół Wytrzymałości Materiałów) included in the newly formed Chair.
01.01.2000 Division of the Chair of Fundamentals of Construction and Operation of Machines into:
  • the Chair of Strength of Materials and Structures (Katedra Wytrzymałości Materiałów i Konstrukcji),
  • the Chair of Strength and Technology of Machines (Katedra Wytrzymałości i Technologii Maszyn).
01.11.2008 The two Chairs join to form the Chair* of Strength, Fatigue of Materials and Structures (Katedra Wytrzymałości, Zmęczenia Materiałów i Konstrukcji).
* In this chronology we use the name "Department" for the Polish "Zakład", which is a different organisational unit name from "Chair" which stands for traditional "Katedra". The difference between Zakład and Katedra is that they have different formal organisational structure and formal rights at a University or Academy.
Nowadays, people most often use "Department" for "Katedra" and to this convention we stick in general, except for the said chronology table. The current official name of our unit to be used is then the Department of Strength and Fatigue of Materials and Structures (Katedra Wytrzymałości, Zmęczenia Materiałów i Konstrukcji). up...

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Maksymilian Tytus Huber (1872–1950)

World authority in the field of mechanics of solids, author of material effort theories based on energy of distortion.

His scientific biography begins in 1889, when he enrolled at the Faculty of Engineering of the Polytechnic School in Lviv. Until the year 1928 he remained at this great Polish university: he earned Ph.D., then the title of a professor, later he became the head of the Chair of Applied Mechanics, next he was elected to become a dean and then a rector. The World War I interrupted the normal rhythm of academic life, but returned the long-awaited freedom to Poland. In 1928 Huber moved to Warsaw to teach at the University of Warsaw. The turmoil of the World War II again interrupted the time of peace. After the war, in 1945, Huber moved to teach at the Technical University of Gdansk, then in 1949 to Krakow to the Mining Academy. Shortly afterwards, in 1950, he died.

He was an author of about 200 scientific publications and a member of many scientific societies and organizations.

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Wacław Olszak (1902-1980)

An outstanding scientist and structural designer. The creator of the Polish school of the theory of plasticity and engineering design.

The scientific path of Wacław Olszak began at the Technical University in Vienna. At that time he also completed violin studies at the Conservatory of Vienna. From 1946 he was a professor of AGH in Krakow. In May 1948 he became the Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Electromechanics. Then, in 1952 he became professor of the Warsaw University of Technology. Since 1954 he was a member of the Academy of Sciences. He directed the Institute of Fundamental Technological Research in the years 1963-1972. From 1969 until his death he was the head of the Centre International des Sciences Mécaniques in Udine, Italy.

He designed many bridge structures. His results in the theory of plasticity are used in designing large buildings, overpasses and bridges.

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