View source for Clarence Floyd Hirshfeld

{{Short description|American engineer}}
'''Clarence Floyd Hirshfeld''' (January 30, 1881 – April 19, 1939) was an American electrical, mechanical and consulting engineer, educator, chief of research for the Detroit Edison Co., now [[DTE Electric Company]], author, and inventor, who was awarded the [[John Fritz Medal]] posthumously in 1940.
==Biography==
===Youth, education and early career===
Hirshfeld was born in San Francisco in 1881, son of Charles Hirshfeld and Lotta (McCarthy) Hirshfeld.<ref name="WSD 1936">Winfield Scott Downs, ''Encyclopedia of American biography: New series,'' American Historical Company. 1936. p. 182</ref> He obtained his BSc in electrical engineering at the [[University of California]] in 1902, and later his MA in mechanical engineering from [[Cornell University]] in 1905.<ref>ASME. ''Transactions of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers,'' Volume 62, 1941. page 240</ref>
At Cornell University Hirshfeld had started his career in 1903 as instructor at its Sibley College of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanic Arts, now [[Cornell University College of Engineering]]. There he served until 1914 working his way up to assistant professor and eventually Professor of mechanical engineering. In those days he had also started his own consultancy practice.<ref name="WSD 1936"/>
===Further career and acknowledgment===
In 1913 Hirshfeld left Cornell University for the industry. He joined the Detroit Edison Company, now [[DTE Electric Company]], where he was appointed chief of its research department. In [[World War I]] he took a leave of absence to serve at the [[United States Army Ordnance Corps|United States Ordnance Department]] in the rank of Major and Lieutenant Colonel.<ref name="WSD 1936"/>
Afterwards Hirshfeld continued to run his Detroit Edison Company's research department. He directed researches in a wide variety of fields including "problems dealing with the design, construction, operation and maintenance of steam-electric power plants and the operation and interconnection of the electrical system; industrial electric heating and other load-building efforts; disposal of industrial waste; electric cable deterioration: electric welding; development of electric furnaces, and new methods of developing electrical energy."<ref>"DR. CLARENCE F. HIRSHFELD." in: ''Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan.'' Thursday, April 20, 1939. page 1</ref>
From 1932 to 1939, in the last seven years of his life, he directed development of [[PCC streetcar]] as chief engineer. In his days these form of transportation was introduced in cities, such as Toronto, Brooklyn, Pittsburgh, Washington, Baltimore, Chicago, San Diego and Los Angeles.<ref name="TEEIB 1939">''The Edison Electric Institute Bulletin,'' Vol. 7, 1939. p. 268</ref>
In 1932 Hirshfeld obtained his Doctorate in Engineering at [[Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute]].<ref>Lester Gray French. ''Machinery,'' Volume 46. 1939. page 271</ref> In 1940, he was posthumously awarded the [[John Fritz Medal]].
==Selected publications==
*Hirshfeld, Clarence Floyd, ''[https://archive.org/details/engineeringtherm00hirsrich Engineering thermodynamics],'' New York, D. Van Nostrand company, 1910.
*Hirshfeld, Clarence Floyd and Tomlinson Carlile Ulbricht, ''[https://archive.org/details/gaspowerhirshfel00hirsrich Gas Paower]. New York, Wiley, 1913.
*Hirshfeld, Clarence Floyd and Tomlinson Carlile Ulbricht, ''[https://archive.org/details/steampower01hirs Steam power].'' New York, J. Wiley & sons, inc., 1916.
*Barnard, William Nichols, Frank Oakes Ellenwood, and Clarence Floyd Hirshfeld. ''Heat-power engineering.'' Volume 2. Wiley, 1935.
;Articles, a selection
*{{cite journal |author-first1=Clarence Floyd |author-last1=Hirshfeld<!-- (Hirschfeld) --> |author-link1=Clarence Floyd Hirshfeld |author-first2=C. H. |author-last2=Berry |title=Size Standardization by Preferred Numbers |publisher=[[The American Society of Mechanical Engineers]] |journal=Mechanical Engineering |location=New York, USA |volume=44 |number=12 |date=1922-12-04 |pages=791– |url=https://archive.org/stream/sizestandardizat00hirsiala#page/n1/mode/1up}} [https://www.forgottenbooks.com/en/download/SizeStandardizationbyPreferredNumbers_10296778.pdf<!-- https://web.archive.org/web/20171102005125/https://www.forgottenbooks.com/en/download/SizeStandardizationbyPreferredNumbers_10296778.pdf -->]
*Hirshfeld, Clarence Floyd "Disturbing effects of horizontal acceleration." ''Electric Railway Presidents' Conference Committee,'' 1932.
*Hirshfeld, Clarence Floyd, and G. U. Moran. "Performance of Modern Steam-Generating Units." ''ASME Trans.(Fuels and Steam Power Section)'' 55 (1933): 117.
;Patents, a selection:
*[http://www.google.tl/patents/US1958577 Patent US1958577 - Apparatus for dust separation], 1934
*[http://www.google.com.gi/patents/US2010668 Patent US2010668 - Tire for rail vehicles], 1935
*[https://patents.google.com/patent/US2124350 Patent US2124350 - Wheel assembly], 1938
*[http://www.google.ch/patents/US1923147 Patent US1923147 - Electric cable and method of operating the same], 1933
*[http://www.google.com.pg/patents/US2207151 Patent US2207151 - Brake shoe], 1940
*[https://www.google.us/patents/US2243068 Patent US2243068 - Braking system], 1941
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
{{John Fritz Medal|state=collapsed}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hirshfeld, Clarence Floyd}}
[[Category:1881 births]]
[[Category:1939 deaths]]
[[Category:American electrical engineers]]
[[Category:American mechanical engineers]]
[[Category:University of California alumni]]
[[Category:Cornell University alumni]]
[[Category:Cornell University faculty]]
[[Category:Engineers from San Francisco]]
[[Category:John Fritz Medal recipients]]
[[Category:Engineers from California]]