Background
Ostenfeld was born in Hvirring near Horsens in Jutland in 1866.
engineer physicist civil engineer
Ostenfeld was born in Hvirring near Horsens in Jutland in 1866.
He is now considered to be the founding father of the theory of structures in Denmark. From 1900, he was professor of applied mechanics and steel structures at the Technical University of Denmark. In 1894, he designed the Langelinie Bridge at Østerport Station which at the time was the largest structure in Denmark built by a Danish engineer
In 1926, he was instrumental in creating Denmark"s first Theory of Structures Laboratory which he later directed.
Ostenfeld published a number of textbooks on the theory of structure which were widely read outside Denmark. Around 1920, Ostenfeld extended Axel Bendixsen"s method of deformations together with the force method creating the dual concept of the method of deformations.
His method represented significant progress in that "it enables previously analysed structural elements so to speak, to be built on". lieutenant allows the complete frame to be divided into finite elements.