The first external rotor motor emerged from the mechanical designs of Emil Ziehl, a German engineer whose work bridged the gap between nineteenth-century craft and early twentieth-century industrialization. Born in Berlin in 1873, he navigated a career defined by technical innovation, eventually establishing a manufacturing enterprise that persisted well beyond his death in 1939.
Early Development and Technical Training
Raised in Brandenburg alongside five siblings, Ziehl was initially expected to join the family blacksmith and cart workshop. His aptitude for technical drawing prompted a local teacher to intervene, securing his enrollment at the Rackow Drawing School. This pivot facilitated his entry into the professional sphere as an engineer at AEG, where he focused on the measurement and testing of various generator systems.
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In 1897, he transitioned to the Berliner Maschinenbau AG. During this period, he successfully engineered the inaugural electric-powered rotor utilizing cardanic suspension. This breakthrough resulted in the development of the first external rotor motor. His intellectual property efforts were rewarded with a patent granted on 27 November 1900, followed by the issuance of a German patent in 1904.
Founding Ziehl-Abegg
Early in 1910, Ziehl partnered with Swiss investor Eduard Abegg to establish Ziehl-Abegg. The partnership centered on the development of wind turbines, but the venture faced immediate instability. Abegg failed to secure the promised capital, and his proposed wind motor patents proved technically inadequate. Abegg resigned from the organization only two months after its inception, leaving the firm's future solely under Ziehl's guidance.
Legacy and Family Continuity
Ziehl fathered five children, including three daughters and two sons, Günther and Heinz. Günther, born in 1913, began his academic career in 1935 at the Technische Hochschule in Charlottenburg, now known as the Technische Universität Berlin. He eventually assumed leadership of his father's company. Decades after Ziehl died, the Schöntal community in Baden-Württemberg honored his contributions. In 2015, Mayor Patrizia Filz presented a street sign in the locality of Bieringen to Uwe Ziehl, the engineer's grandson, marking 50 years of production at the site.
Fast facts
- Born: 1873, Berlin
- Died: 1939
- Citizenship: German Reich
- Primary Occupation: Engineer, entrepreneur
- Key Innovation: First external rotor motor
- Patents: 1900, 1904
- Partnership: Eduard Abegg (1910)
- Commemoration: Street named in Bieringen, 2015
Questions readers ask
What was the result of Emil Ziehl's partnership with Eduard Abegg?
The partnership, formed in 1910 to develop wind turbines, collapsed after two months when Abegg failed to provide promised funding and his technical designs proved unsuitable.
How was Emil Ziehl recognized by the community of Schöntal?
In 2015, the community named a street in the locality of Bieringen after him to mark 50 years of company production at that location.