Prof. em. Dr. Gabor Oplatka

Gàbor Oplatka heads, till his retire in 2000 the discipline of ropeways at the Institute of Lightweight Structures and Ropeways of the ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology). In 1983 he was awarded the title of Professor, and in 1995 received the honorary title of Dr.h.c. from the University of Miskolc, Hungary.

Born on 28 September 1935, from Zurich, Switzerland, Prof. Oplatka studied in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Technical University of Budapest and at the ETH Zurich, where he earned his degree. Subsequently he was a member of the scientific staff, a senior assistant, and a section leader at the ETH Zurich Institute of construction equipment and transportation machinery under Prof. Otto Zweifel, where he completed his doctorate with a thesis on the endurance of wire ropes. Following Prof. Zweifel's retirement Oplatka took over the direction and the lectures of the institute. Since the founding of the Institute for Lightweight Structures and Ropeways, he has headed the field of ropeways. He has courses in material handling, ropeways and mechanical equipments for rural engineering, mechanical engineering. Prof. Oplatka's research concentrates on the areas of wire ropes and ropeways and  material handling. Here the focus is primarily on safety problems and damage.

Prof. Oplatka is a past president and a honorary member of the OIPEEC (International Organization for the study of the endurance of ropes), of the OITAF (International Organization for transportation by cables), Honorary member of the Chamber of the Hungarian Engineers and External Member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.

Publications: www.ropeways.ethz.ch