Brief History of Department of Applied Mechanics
Antecedents
1782-1850: Early courses on Mechanics in Latin in Institutum Geometricum-Hydrotechnicum (IGH) (1st year 2 classes/week, then 1792-1850-ig 1 class/week).
Professors (physicists): János Horváth (1782-1791), József Domin (1791-1801), Ádám Tomcsányi (1801-1831), Lőrinc Gröber (1832-1834), Ányos Jedlik (1834-1850)1850-1867: IGH merged into the Joseph Polytechnics and the Department of Mechanik und Maschinenlehre (Mechanics and Machines) was established in 1857.
First head of the department: Vince Hauszmann, later István Kruspér (until 1864), finally Miksa Bielek (1864-1867).
Independent Department of Mechanics
1867-1881: Splitting of the Department of Mechanics and Machines to two parts: Theoretical Machine Construction and Technical Mechanics. With the latter, the independent Department of Technical Mechanics was formed.
First head of the department: Ignác Horváth (1869-1881)1882-1941: Dezső Nagy (1882-1914), a 29 year old professor became head of the Department of Machine Construction II., and 12 years later the head of the Department of Technical Mechanics. He established the laboratory of material testing in 1894. His successor was Béla Bresztovszky (1914-1941). During his period the name of the department became Department of Applied Mechanics.
Department of Applied Mechanics
1942-1959: Head of Department: Ádám Muttnyánszky (1942-1959). During his teaching period the Department, ruined in the World War II, has been restored. He reorganized the education of mechanics. His basic textbooks are: Statics (1951), Strength of Materials (1956), Kinematics and Kinetics (1957).
1951-1959: The Faculty of Mechanical Engineering established the Department II. of Applied Mechanics in 1951 with the leadership of György Kozmann (1951-1959). In 1953 Prof. Endre Reuss, one of the founders of modern plasticity, co-author of the Prandtl-Reuss Theory joined the Department I. of Applied Mechanics till his retirement in 1967.
1959-1995: The two departments of mechanics merged in 1959. The head was György Kozmann (1959-1970). He had a great activity in establishing of post-graduate engineering training. He is the author of 8 textbooks and 2 technical books. His successor was Gyula Béda (1970-1995.) He introduced new subjects (continuum mechanics, analytical mechanics) in the curriculum of students.
1995-: Gábor Stépán (1995-2018) member of the Hungarian Academy of Science, highlighted the role of time-delay in machine tool vibrations, stability of robot control. New subjects in master courses: nonlinear vibrations, mechanics of robots. He attracted several PhD students to the Department establishing a prosperous school in the field of dynamics. He was followed by one of his former PhD students Tamás Insperger (2018-) an acknowledged scholar of time-delay systems.
