NECHLEBA

CZECH REPUBLIC AND SLOVAKIA (see also List of Individuals)

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9.3.1908 Louny/CR - 2.4.1996 Brno/CR

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Miroslav Nechleba was born in Bohemia. After graduation as a mechanical engineer from the Czech Technical University VUT in Brno he joined CKD Blansko as a designer in the area of hydraulic turbines. In 1935 he gained his doctorate with a dissertation in the field of turbine regulation. In 1947 he was appointed Reader at VUT and in 1952 professor at the Slovak Technical University in Bratislava. In 1953 Nechleba was elected Corresponding Member of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences where he chaired its energy section. He was transferred in 1957 to the chair of turbine design at VUT in Brno.

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Whilst at CKD, Nechleba was in charge of its theoretical department and there tested turbines; he also founded the CKD Research Institute. Apart from turbine regulation, Nechleba was closely involved in the development and the installation of high head turbines, such as the pump storage plant in Stechovice, and high head Kaplan turbines at the power plants of Slapy and Orlik on Vltava River. He also took interest in developing reversible flow turbines. He authored several patents in turbine design and its regulation. Nechleba presented a number of technical books both in turbine design and in general hydromechanics. Several of his writings were translated into English, given the limited amount of books in turbine development available in Western Europe. Nechleba was also present at the centennial commemoration of Viktor Kaplan (1876-1934) held in 1976. The latter had left an impact in the Czech Republic while staying in Brno despite he was Austrian by birth.

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_{Danek, M. (2006). Miroslav Nechleba. Personal communication. P}

_{Maresch, G. (1976). Nechleba. Feiern anlässlich des 100. Geburtstages von Viktor Kaplan. Blätter der Technikgeschichte 38: 99. P}

_{Nechleba, M. (1949). Sur l'influence de l'âpreté des surfaces exposées au courant d'eau sur le rendement des machines hydrauliques. Sborník Vysoké Školy Technické: 213-226 (in Czech, with French Abstract).}

_{Nechleba, M. (1957). Hydraulic turbines - Their design and equipment. Constable: London. Nechleba, M. (1964). Theory of indirect speed control. Praha.}

_{Nechleba, M. (1964). Aplikovana hydromechanika. Nakl. Techn. Lit.: Praha. Nechleba, M., Husek, J. (1967). Hydrauliké stroje. Praha.}

_{Nechleba, M., Druckmüller, M. (1990). Vodni turbiny. Edicion VUT: Brno. Novak, P. (2004). Miroslav Nechleba. Personal communication. P}