The purpose of the Fritz Engineering Research Society is the interchange of ideas among the entire membership.
The Fritz Engineering Research Society (FERS) was founded in 1935 and is headquartered at the Fritz Engineering Research Laboratory at Lehigh University. The Society is a professional organization promoting experimental research in all areas of civil engineering. FERS provides support by creating a forum allowing the exchange of ideas on technical topics relevant to its members.
The Society is named in honor of our beloved laboratory's namesake John F. Fritz, considered to be the "father of the U.S. steel industry." John Fritz started his career as a blacksmith, but developed into an innovator within the iron industry by developing a new technique for making iron railroad rails. His rail technique became commonly used throughout the United States and England, and in 1860, he was hired as the superintendent and chief engineer for the Bethlehem Iron Company. At the company, he collaborated with Asa Packer, the founder of Lehigh Valley Railroad and Lehigh University, and developed Bethlehem Iron into one of the nation’s leading manufacturers of iron and steel.
In 1865, at the founding of Lehigh University, Asa Packer appointed John Fritz trustee. Fritz had no formal education, however, he supported and served the university from 1865 to 1882 and again from 1907 until his death on February 13, 1913. In 1909, Fritz committed to the construction of a state-of-the-art engineering laboratory to be modeled after the facilities at the Bethlehem Iron Company. Fritz supervised the design and construction of the laboratory. Fritz had an 800,000-pound Riehle universal testing machine installed, which was the largest in the world when the laboratory opened in June of 1910. the machine is capable of testing in both compression and tension for members up to 20 feet in length. The Fritz Engineering Laboratory at its inception, and still today, symbolizes Lehigh University’s dedication to engineering through testing, education, and the commitment needed to advance human knowledge.
