BELL Theodor

SWITZERLAND (see also List of Individuals)

\

8.3.1840 Luzern/CH - 17.1.1933 Kriens/CH

\

The name Bell became known worldwide through the Bell turbines. Its founder Theodor Bell was the son of an industrial owing a mechanical workshop specializing in turbine design from the 1850s. After graduation as a mechanical engineer from Karlsruhe Polytechnic, Theodor joined his father in Kriens. He expanded the firm by including steel engineering works such as bridges, cable railways and hydraulic machinery. Bell also added a hydraulic laboratory to his firm, as had done others before him, to test on site a certain element. Following his great success mainly with the Bell turbines, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology ETH decorated the Swiss nestor of hydraulic machinery in 1918 with the Honorary Doctorate. Bell gained the Honorary Membership of the Swiss Association of Engineers and Architects in 1920.

\

Bell started in 1859 with the production of the Jonval turbine, based on the design of Nicolas-Joseph Jonval (1804-1844). Shortly later, the "Zuppinger wheel" from Walter Zuppinger (1814-1889) as an alternative turbine was developed. After Bell's father had passed away in 1870, Theodor Bell took over as the director of the Maschinenfabrik. Next to turbines and paper production machinery, he also added steam boilers and steel works in general. From 1884, the firm concentrated to steel elements in hydraulic machinery following the developments and the public demand of electricity. The young hydropower industry was therefore furnished with regulation elements, with gates and penstocks, and of course with a variety of turbines from Bell Maschinenfabrik. The hydraulic laboratory allowed detailed checks of the efficiency of a certain hydraulic element. Bell turbines were internationally well known and contributed to the reputation of Switzerland in hydropower engineering. Bell was also a Member of the Lucerne Cantonal Council for 52 years and therefore contributed in addition to the local politics.

\

_{Anonymous (1928). Drahtseilbahnen. Theodor Bell & Cie: Kriens. Anonymous (1933). Theodor Bell. Schweizerische Bauzeitung 101(12): 148. P}

_{Anonymous (1955). Zur Feier des 100jährigen Bestehens der Theodor Bell & Cie., Kriens. Schweizerische Bauzeitung 73(24): 365-366; 73(35): 521-523.}

_{Bell & Cie (1925). Unser Werk: Seine Entstehung, Entwicklung und seine Erzeugnisse. Fretz: Zürich.}

_{Walter, O. (1926). Die Turbinen-Versuchsanlage der Maschinenfabrik von Theodor Bell & Cie.}

_{Kriens. Schweizerische Bauzeitung 87(9): 111-116; 87(10): 125-130; 87(11): 146-148. Hurter, H. (1967). 100 Jahre Bell Eisenund Stahlbau. Bell Maschinenfabrik AG: Kriens.}