Hans Behn-Eschenburg
Hans Behn-Eschenburg was born in Obertrass, Switzerland. His work on the AC single-phase motor was important to the electrification of railways.
He studied mathematics and physics in Zurich and Berlin between 1886 and 1890. In 1892, Behn-Eschenburg worked at Maschinenfabrik Oerlikon, where he became chief electrician, director, director General Technical and Administrative Counselor. Oerlikon was prominent in the construction of single-phase motors with commutators for traction. He died on 18 May 1938 in Küsnacht.
His work focussed on alternating current technology, including the asynchronous motor and the AC single-phase motor. which marked a major turning point in the electrification of railways.
Behn-Eschenburg gave his name to a vector diagram for synchronous reactance.
