History

Hofrat Prof. Hermann Scheit must be described as the founder of Dresden's development.

In 1898, Hermann Scheit took over the chair of mechanical engineering in Dresden, succeeding Richard Stribeck. With the call to this chair, he also held the position of Director of the Institute for Design of Machine Elements and Lifting Equipment and of the Machine Laboratory for Strength. Scheit had worked in the field of marine engineering before his call to Dresden. He was a lieutenant captain in the Imperial Naval Engineering Inspectorate and professor at the Naval Academy in Kiel.
Hermann Scheit was a very proactive and foresighted man. Through his initiative the "Königlich Sächsische Mechanisch - Technische Versuchsanstalt" was founded around 1900. From May 1901, this institution carried out public tasks on a large scale, for which it also charged fees. Industry and authorities had building materials, metals, constructions and later also motor vehicle components and vehicles tested.
As part of the relocation of the entire mechanical department of the university to a new location at Dresden's Südhöhe, the mechanical-technical research institute was also redesigned and expanded according to Scheit's plans.
In 1903 the new building (today the Sachsenberg building) was inaugurated by Rector Prof. L. Lewicki and for the first time there was a department for motor vehicle and transmission tests in the research institute.
The main client for the motor vehicle and transmission department was the young motor vehicle industry.

The main topics were stability and wear problems, but also efficiency studies of the power transmission (1st picture). In addition, tests were also carried out on two-stroke engines and tyres (2nd picture).