Hans Kühl Medal of the GDCh Construction Chemistry Division
The Construction Chemistry Division of the German Chemical Society awards the Hans Kühl Medal at irregular intervals to individuals,
Prof Hans Kühl 1879 - 1969
The chemist Prof. Dr phil. Hans Kühl (1879 - 1969) was a pioneer of cement chemistry and building materials technology. The Executive Committee of the Specialist Group chose him as the eponym for the award due to his pioneering scientific work and his exemplary personality. The life, work and personality of this doyen of cement and silicate chemistry are described below.
Prof. Hans Kühl was born on 11 February 1879 as the son of a farmer in Karlsburg (Schleswig-Holstein). After graduating from secondary school in Flensburg in 1898, he devoted himself to studying chemistry at the universities of Freiburg, Kiel and Leipzig. There he was particularly fascinated by the lectures and work of the physical chemists Wilhelm Ostwald and Max Bodenstein, whose students he considered himself to be throughout his life. In 1903, he obtained his doctorate with a dissertation on the kinetics of carbon oxide oxyhydrogen gas with the grade "summa cum laude".After a period as an assistant at Bodenstein, his entry into the chemical-technical research institute of Dr Hermann Passow (a well-known cement expert at the time alongside Michaelis and Schott) in Blankenese (1905) was decisive for his life dedicated to the cement industry. Kühl made his first invention there by producing cement from blast furnace slag. In 1907, the 28-year-old Kühl moved to Berlin-Lichterfelde, where he took over the famous Cement and Mortar Technology Institute from Dr Wilhelm Michaelis, the most important German cement technologist of the time.
Scientist and practitioner
In 1922, the Lichterfeld Institute was affiliated to the Technische Hochschule Berlin. Kühl became a lecturer at the Technische Hochschule Berlin and an honorary professor in 1925. From then on, he was known far beyond the borders as a teacher and researcher of cement chemistry. The milestones of his scientific work are the introduction of the terms "silicate modulus" and "alumina modulus" in 1913 and 1926 respectively. His "lime standard" (1933) contrasts the empirical "hydraulic modulus" of Michaelis with the scientifically precisely calculated quantity of lime that can bind the hydraule factors. In 1924, Kühl invented bauxite-land cement (also known as "Kühl" cement) and worked on problems of grinding fineness. Of his numerous patents, only those for the production of sulphate cement (1909) and for the introduction of sludge into rotary kilns (1911) are worth mentioning. Over the decades, he produced over 400 technical and scientific publications in German, English, French, Italian, Russian and Spanish, testifying to his comprehensive research work and his never-ending diligence. In addition to topic-specific works, Kühl repeatedly published detailed overview articles that summarised the state of knowledge at the time
Characterisation of the raw meal composition of cement according to Hans Kühl
Describing the fundamental aspects of cement and building materials technology and demonstrating the interrelationships. This not only reveals Kühl as an outstanding expert, but also as a gifted teacher. Examples include the articles "Grundsätzliches und Geschichtliches zur Erhärtungstheorie der Mörtelstoffe" and "50 Jahre Zementchemie in Theorie und Praxis", both published in 1951 in the journal "Silikattechnik".
Text: Prof Dr Johann Plank
Hans Kühl Medal 2020
The Hans Kühl Medal is awarded to Dr Gerhard Albrecht (Kobe, Japan) in recognition of his outstanding achievements in the development of highly innovative concrete admixtures, including vinyl ether-based PCEs, which represent a unique selling point for BASF worldwide, and a completely new type of cement accelerator (C-S-H-PCE) based on nucleation seeding. Such admixtures will play a decisive and outstanding role in the introduction and distribution of CO2-reduced cements in the future.
As head of central development for concrete admixtures at SKW/Degussa/BASF for many years, Dr Albrecht has decisively influenced global concrete technology with key inventions and patents and led it into new dimensions.
Hans Kühl Medal 2013
Dr Tsuyoshi Hirata
Nippon Shokubai, Japan
Invention of PCE superplasticiser
Hans Kühl Medal 2010
Dr Hugo Rietveld
Energy Research Foundation ECN, The Netherlands
Refinement strategies of X-ray and neutron data
Hans Kühl Medal 2006
Prof. Dr Wolfgang Wieker
GNF e.V., Berlin
Fundamental research work on construction chemistry
Hans Kühl Medal 2004
Dr Michael Roth
Wacker Chemie, Burghausen
Invention of silicone resin paints and water repellents
Hans Kühl medals since 2003
| Year | Topic | Awardee |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Development of highly innovative concrete admixtures | Dr. Gerhard Albrecht , Kobe, Japan |
| 2013 | Invention of PCE superplasticiser | Dr. Tsuyoshi Hirata, Nippon Shokubai, Japan |
| 2010 | Refinement strategies of X-ray and neutron data | Dr. Hugo Rietveld, Energy Research Foundation ECN, The Netherlands |
| 2006 | Fundamental research work on construction chemistry | Prof. Dr Wolfgang Wieker, GNF e.V., Berlin |
| 2005 | Fundamental research work on construction chemistry | Prof. Dr Otto Henning, University of Architecture and Civil Engineering Weimar Prof. Dr Dietbert Knöfel, University of Siegen |
| 2004 | Invention of silicone resin paints and hydrophobing agents | Dr. Michael Roth, Wacker Chemie, Burghausen |
| 2003 | Invention of superplasticisers | Dr. Alois Aignesberger, SKW Trostberg Dr. Kenichi Hattori, Kao Soap, Japan |
University of Architecture and Civil Engineering Weimar Fundamental research work on construction chemistry
SKW Trostberg Invention of superplasticisers
University of Siegen Fundamental research work on construction chemistry
Kao Soap, Japan Invention of superplasticisers