Sound and Vision of a Century

Sound and vibration pioneer Per V. Brüel turns 100

Per V. Brüel, one-half of the visionary duo that created leading sound and vibration company Brüel & Kjær, celebrates his 100th birthday on 6th March.

For this milestone moment, Mr. Brüel will look back on a century in which he played multiple larger-than-life roles, including engineer and visionary inventor, founder of a major global corporation, pilot and explorer who personally pioneered new markets.

“He literally created the field, as industries didn’t measure sound and vibration at all in the days when he started,” says Torben Rask Licht, M.Sc. E. E., product manager of vibration calibration systems for Brüel & Kjær, who worked alongside Brüel for more than two decades. “Per was a driving force behind setting standards and establishing the importance of sound and vibration. In today’s terminology, he branded the idea.”

As a young engineer, with a Ph.D. in acoustics from Danish Technical University, Mr. Brüel made his initial breakthroughs in the late 1930s and early 1940s with the development of the world’s first acoustics analyzer - and the first commercial piezoelectric accelerometer (Type 4303).

“I was able to make the first acoustics analyzer in the world,” he says. “No one had ever made anything like that before. We made two copies, which became our first commercial instrument when Viggo (Kjær) and I started Brüel & Kjær.”

During the early days, a main objective was to use these instruments to measure and reduce vibration and noise levels. “Even then we could see that noise is one of the biggest problems of our time - it affects millions of people every day,” says Mr. Brüel. “Our instruments could not only measure noise, but also help customers identify and eliminate noise problems.”

It also became clear to the pair, that - while the range of possible applications was extensive - the automotive and aircraft industries would be key markets. In both industries, sound and vibration instruments could help manufacturers improve safety and comfort by enabling them to see how their products stood up to real-world conditions. Mr. Brüel pioneered the development of products such as a revolutionary level recorder and microphones that set a new standard for accuracy and stability.

On Brüel’s 100th birthday it is interesting to consider that the passion he and Kjær brought to overcoming engineering challenges has led to sound and vibration innovations throughout the entire product life cycle – from modelling an early design to manufacturing the product and maintaining its operation – in multiple industries, including automotive, aerospace and telecom. There is a direct line of descent from Brüel’s early innovations to the sound and vibration solutions Brüel & Kjær provides today. And the company he founded with Viggo Kjær still operates along unmistakable guidelines that he and his partner established.

“Brüel & Kjær today is a reflection of his actions and vision,” says Managing Director, Lars Rønn. “Our company culture, our pride in product quality and our focus on innovation all stem from those early days. If this company is synonymous with sound and vibration it is because we still so closely identify with the beginning that Per Brüel and his partner Viggo Kjær gave us. Happy 100th, Per.”

The full article is available at  www.bksv.com/Bruel100years