Hermann Seger
{{Short description|German ceramicist (1832–1893)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Hermann August Seger
| image = Seger.gif
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1839|12|26|df=y}}
| birth_place =
| death_date = {{death date and age|1893|10|30|1839|12|26|df=y}}
| death_place =
| nationality = German
| other_names =
| alma_mater = University of Rostock
| occupation = Ceramicist
| years_active =
| known_for = Pyrometric cones
| notable_works =
}}
Hermann Seger (1832–1893) was a German ceramicist who is widely credited with pioneering the development of the pyrometric cone, which enabled the rapid growth of the ceramic industry around the turn of the century.
Biography
Seger was born in the German Province of Posen in 1839 to wealthy parents and studied under various ceramic scientists at the
Königliche Bauakademie in Berlin (now Technische Universität Berlin).{{cite book |last1=Seger |first1=Hermann August |title=The Collected Writings of Hermann August Seger |date=1902 |publisher=American Ceramic Society and Chemical Publishing Company |location=Easton, PA |url=https://archive.org/details/collectedwritin00hechgoog/page/n9/mode/2up}}{{rp | p xi |style=ama |q= The Life of Hermann August Seger}}
After graduating he managed an alum and vitriol processing plant at Kreuzkirche at Neuwied on the Rhine. In 1868 he graduated from the University of Rostock and briefly managed a chemical factory in Sweden.{{rp |p xi |style=ama |q= The Life of Hermann August Seger}}
Seger was inspired by the significant advances being made in most fields of science and technology at the time and became interested in advancing the field of ceramic science in a similar manner. He became editor of a ceramic trade journal in 1872 and used his new position to draw attention to various advances being made abroad, such as the continuous kiln and new machinery.{{rp |p xi |style=ama |q= The Life of Hermann August Seger}}
Seger's 1876 essay The Constitution of Plastic Clays and the Kaolins helped promote the understanding that most clay behavior is a result of its chemical composition, paving the way for further development of ceramic studies.{{rp |p xv |style=ama |q= The Life of Hermann August Seger}}
In 1878 he was appointed first director of the Chemical-Technical Experiment Station at the Royal Porcelain Factory, Berlin (KPM). Soon after his arrival he was given two samples of Japanese porcelain bodies and was inspired to develop a porcelain consisting only of quartz, feldspar, and clay substance, which has since led to a variety of porcelains known as Seger porcelain.{{cite web |last1=Engel |first1=Michael |title=Seger, August Hermann |url=https://www.deutsche-biographie.de/gnd172742137.html#ndbcontent |website= Deutsche Biographie |publisher= Bavarian State Library |language=de }}{{rp |p xvii |style=ama |q= The Life of Hermann August Seger}}
He worked with Georg Wilhelm Timm to develop new methods of applying glazes and engobes to whiteware ceramics. Seger also experimented with glaze formulations, developing new color effects and lead-free glazes.{{rp |p xix |style=ama |q= The Life of Hermann August Seger}}
One of Seger's most impactful works was his 1886 essay Standard Cones for the Measurement of Temperatures in the Kilns of the Ceramic Industries, which was the first to specify formulas for pyrometric cones. These cones enabled ceramicists to precisely identify the actual heat-work experienced by ceramics through monitoring the cones' slumping during firing.{{cite journal |last= Lange |first= P. |title= Role of August Hermann Seger in the development of silicate technology. |journal= Ceram. Forum Int./Ber. DKG |volume= 68 |issue= 1/2 |year= 1991}}{{rp |p xx |style=ama |q= The Life of Hermann August Seger}}
In 1890 Seger left the KPM due to declining health and spent the remainder of his life focused on editing his trade journal Thonindustrie-Zeitung. He died on 30 October 1893.
Personal life
Legacy
Seger had a large impact on ceramic industry and art. His work helped spur greater interest in the chemistry and molecular properties of ceramics and formed the basis of most following ceramic research.
The American Ceramic Society's first action after approving their constitution was to translate the complete works of Seger, since he was considered the world's pioneering ceramicist.{{cite book |title=The American Ceramic Society: 100 Years |date=1998 |publisher=The American Ceramic Society |isbn=1-888903-04-X |page=23}}
He is commonly credited with creating the Unity Molecular Formula (UMF) method of glaze formulation, which is sometimes referred to as the Seger formula. It functions on the basis of viewing glazes not by their raw ingredient composition, but instead by their elemental composition by mole percent.{{cite web |last1=Quinlan |first1=Brian |title=THE UNITY MOLECULAR FORMULA APPROACH TO GLAZE DEVELOPMENT |url=https://aura.alfred.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/182c2504-e6ac-42f7-bb12-34492c950d5f/content |website=Alfred University Research & Archives |publisher=New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University. Inamori School of Engineering. |date=February 2002}}
Seger's pyrometric cones remain the most effective gauge of the heat-work experienced by ceramics during firing, and continue to be widely used internationally in ceramic industries and art. These are often referred to as Seger cones.{{cite journal|title=The Seger Cone: 100 years old.|journal=Osterr. Keram. Rundsch. |volume=23 |issue=9/10 |pages=9}}
References
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