The Papers of Karl Weissenberg

Karl Weissenberg was born in Vienna, Austria, 11 June 1893. He was educated at Vienna University, Berlin University and Jena University, 1910-16.

He was a researcher at the General Hospital, Vienna, 1914-18; Jena University, 1918-20; Berlin University, 1920-1; and the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Chemistry, Berlin, 1921-4. He was a Scientific Adviser, Kaiser Wilhelm Gesellschaft, 1925-33, and Professor of Physics, Berlin University, 1932. He left Germany and took up posts as Guest Professor, Sorbonne, Paris, 1933-4, and Guest Professor, Southampton University, 1934-40. He was Scientific Adviser to the Petroleum Warfare Department at Imperial College, London, 1943-6. He worked as Liaison Officer, British Cotton Research Association, Shirley Institute, Manchester, 1940-8; Head of the Mathematic Division, Rayon Research Association, 1948-50; and Senior Scientific Adviser (later Consultant), Ministry of Supply, based at Harwell, London and Cambridge, 1950-8. From 1958 he held a number of consultancies to industry in Britain and the United States. He was an expert in rheology, the study of the deformation and flow of materials, and invented the Weissenberg rheogoniometer, a device for measuring viscosity. He retired in The Netherlands. He died in 1976.

Papers comprising articles, lectures, notes, correspondence, photographs and textile samples.

The papers were given to Churchill Archives Centre by the National Museum of the History of Science and Medicine, Leiden, 1986.

The collection is open for consultation by researchers using Churchill Archives Centre, Churchill College, Cambridge. Churchill Archives Centre is open from Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm. A prior appointment and two forms of identification are required.

Researchers wishing to publish excerpts from the papers must obtain prior permission from the copyright holders and should seek advice from Archives Centre staff.

In English/German

Please cite as Churchill Archives Centre, The Papers of Karl Weissenberg, WEIS

A copy of this finding aid and a box list of the collection are available for consultation at Churchill Archives Centre, Cambridge, and the National Register of Archives, London.

This collection (fonds) level description was prepared by Sophie Bridges at Churchill Archives Centre, July 2003. The collection has been box listed. Information was obtained from a curriculum vitae among the papers.