Sit in a boat with a load in the form of a large stone, take a stone, forcefully throw it from the stern, and the boat will float forward. This will be the simplest model of the principle of operation of a rocket engine. The vehicle on which it is installed contains both an energy source and a working fluid.
Rocket engines: facts
The rocket engine works as long as the working fluid - fuel - enters its combustion chamber. If it is liquid, then it consists of two parts: a fuel (burning well) and an oxidizer (increasing the combustion temperature). The higher the temperature, the more the gases are ejected from the nozzle, the greater the force that increases the speed of the rocket.
Rocket engines: facts
Fuel can also be solid. Then it is pressed into a container inside the rocket body, which simultaneously serves as a combustion chamber. Solid fuel engines are simpler, more reliable, cheaper, easier to transport, and have a longer shelf life. But energetically they are weaker than liquid ones.
Of the currently used liquid rocket fuels, the greatest energy is provided by the "hydrogen + oxygen" steam. Disadvantage: to store components in liquid form, powerful low-temperature units are needed. Plus: when this fuel is burned, water vapor is formed, so that hydrogen-oxygen engines are environmentally friendly. Theoretically, only engines with fluorine as an oxidizing agent are more powerful than them, but fluorine is an extremely aggressive substance.
The most powerful rocket engines operated on the hydrogen + oxygen pair: RD-170 (USSR) for the Energia rocket and F-1 (USA) for the Saturn-5 rocket. The three propulsion liquid engines of the Space Shuttle system also ran on hydrogen and oxygen, but their thrust was still not enough to lift the super-heavy carrier from the ground - it was necessary to use solid-propellant boosters for acceleration.
Less in terms of energy, but easier to store and use fuel steam "kerosene + oxygen". Engines on this fuel put the first satellite into orbit, sent Yuri Gagarin into flight. To this day, practically unchanged, they continue to deliver to the International Space Station manned Soyuz TMA with crews and automatic Progress M with fuel and cargo.
The unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine + nitrogen tetroxide fuel pair can be stored at ambient temperatures, and when mixed, it ignites by itself. But this fuel, called heptyl, is highly toxic. For several decades now it has been used on Russian rockets of the Proton series, one of the most reliable. Nevertheless, every accident involving a release of heptyl turns into a headache for the missilemen.
Rocket engines, the only ones in existence, helped humanity first to overcome the gravity of the Earth, then send automatic probes to the planets of the solar system, and four of them - and away from the Sun, in interstellar voyage.
There are still nuclear, electric and plasma rocket engines, but they either have not left the design stage, or are just beginning to be mastered, or are not applicable for takeoff and landing. In the second decade of the 21st century, the overwhelming majority of rocket engines are chemical. And the limit of their perfection has practically been reached.
Photon engines using the energy of the outflow of light quanta are also theoretically described. But so far there is not even a hint of creating materials that can withstand the stellar temperature of annihilation. And an expedition to the nearest star on a photon starship will return home no earlier than ten years later. We need engines on a different principle than jet thrust ...
Engines have been used in the passenger car industry for over 100 years internal combustion and during all this time no revolutionary changes in their work or industrial structure were invented. However, these motors have a lot of disadvantages. Engineers have always fought them, as they still do. It happens that some ideas develop into quite original and impressive ones. technical solutions... Some of which remain at the development stage, while others are being implemented on some series of cars.
Let's talk about the most interesting engineering developments in the field of "car engines"
Notable facts of history
The classic four-stroke engine was invented back in 1876 by a German engineer named Nikolaus Otto, the cycle of operation of such an internal combustion engine (ICE) is simple: intake, compression, power stroke, exhaust. But already 10 years after Otto's version, British inventor James Atkinson proposed to improve this scheme. At first glance, the Atkinson cycle, its cycle order and operating principle are the same as the engine that the German invented. However, in fact, this is a completely different and very original system.
Before we talk about the changes in the classic structure of the internal combustion engine, let's look at the principle of operation of such an engine so that everyone understands what we are talking about.
3-D model of the internal combustion engine:
Comments and the simplest ICE scheme:
Atkinson cycle
First, the Atkinson engine has a unique crankshaft with offset mounting points.
This innovation made it possible to reduce the amount of friction losses and increase the compression level of the engine.
Secondly, the Atkinson engine has different phases of gas distribution. In contrast to the Otto engine, where the intake valve closes almost immediately after the piston passes the bottom point, in the engine of the British inventor the intake stroke is much longer, as a result of which the valve closes when the piston is already halfway to the cylinder's top dead center. In theory, such a system was supposed to improve the process of filling the cylinders, which in turn would lead to fuel savings and an increase in engine power indicators.
In general, the Atkinson cycle is 10% more efficient than the Otto cycle. But still, serially cars with such an internal combustion engine were not produced and are not produced.
Atkinson cycle in practice
And the thing is that such an engine can ensure its normal operation only on increased revs, at idle - it tends to stall. To prevent this from happening, the developers and engineers tried to introduce a supercharger with mechanics into the system, but its installation, as it turned out, practically nullifies all the advantages and benefits of the Atkinson engine. In view of this, mass-produced cars with such an engine were practically not produced. One of the most famous is Mazda Xedos 9 / Eunos 800, produced in 1993-2002. The car was powered by a 2.3-liter V6 engine with 210 hp.
Mazda Xedos 9 / Eunos 800:
Manufacturers of hybrid vehicles, on the other hand, have happily begun to use this ICE cycle in their development. Because at low speed such a car moves using its electric motor, and for acceleration and fast driving it needs a gasoline one, then it is possible to realize all the advantages of the Atkinson cycle to the maximum.
Spool valve timing
The main source of noise in a car engine is the gas distribution mechanism, because there are quite a few moving parts in it - various valves, pushers, camshafts etc. Many inventors have tried to "calm down" such a cumbersome mechanism. Perhaps the most successful was the American engineer Charles Knight. He invented his own engine.
It has neither standard valves nor a drive to them. These parts are replaced by spools, in the form of two sleeves, which are placed between the piston and the cylinder. A unique drive made the spools move to the upper and lower positions, they, in turn, opened at the right time the windows in the cylinder, where the fuel entered, and exhaust gases were released into the atmosphere.
For the beginning of the 20th century, such a system was quite noiseless. It is not surprising that more and more car manufacturers have become interested in it.
Only now, such an engine was far from cheap, and therefore it took root only on prestigious brands such as Mercedes-Benz, Daimler or Panhard Levassor, whose buyers were chasing maximum comfort, and not cheapness.
But the age of the motor invented by Knight was short-lived. And already in the 30s of the last century, automakers realized that engines of this type are not quite practical, because their design is not entirely reliable, and the high degree of friction between the spools increases fuel and oil consumption. Therefore, it was possible to recognize a car with an internal combustion engine of this type by the gray haze from exhaust pipe car from burning grease.
In world practice, there have been many different solutions in the field of modernization of the classic internal combustion engine, however, its original scheme has survived to this day. Some automakers, of course, put into practice the discoveries of successful scientists and craftsmen, but in essence, the ICE has remained the same.
The article uses images from the sites www.park5.ru, www.autogurnal.ruToday we will remember the truly few engine configurations - both in terms of cylinder count and cylinder arrangement. And let's go ascending ...
Single cylinder engine
Now these single-cylinder engines can be found only on mopeds, small-capacity motorcycles, rickshaws and other equipment with the prefix "moto". Meanwhile, in the 50s and 60s of the last century, the lion's share of post-war microcars was equipped with such simple engines. Take, for example, the British Bond Minicar with a Villiers engine: yes, even if it is three-wheeled and cramped, but it has a hood, a roof, a full-fledged steering wheel - a minimum set of amenities is present.
Forked twin-piston engine
Such a motor is a mechanism in which two pistons work in parallel in two cylinders. But there is one snag - the combustion chamber of these cylinders is one, common. Thus, a more efficient combustion of the air-fuel mixture is achieved in comparison with conventional single-cylinder engines, fuel efficiency is improved, and power is increased. This type of engine was used in Western Europe before the war, but after the Second World War it became much less in demand. One of the few cars with a forked engine was the Iso Isetta, whose 236cc engine produced 9 horsepower.
V-shaped 2-cylinder engine
The pride of Harley-Davidson, unlike in-line or opposed 2-cylinder engines, did not take root in cars - the vibrations from them are too great. V-shaped engines with two "pots" are found only on a variety of exotics, such as the three-wheeled "Morgan" of the 30s, as well as some kei-cars of the early post-war period. One example is the Mazda R360 with a miniature air-cooled V2. Later on its base appeared commercial vehicles B360 / B600 - also with V-shaped "twos".
V-shaped 4-cylinder engine
Three-cylinder V-shaped engines are not found on cars (only on motorcycles, and even then rarely), but V-shaped “fours” are quite. True, in terms of popularity, they are inferior to both in-line and boxer engines with the same number of cylinders. You can meet this outlandish power plant these days, for example, on "Zaporozhets", LuAZs, some early versions Ford Transit as well as sports cars like the Saab Sonnet or, for a second, the Le Mans triumphant Porsche 919 hybrid.
V-shaped five-cylinder engine
Now in-line five-cylinder engines are experiencing their rebirth: now they can be found not only in the middle-aged Audi 200 / Quattro of the 80s, but also in more than modern Audi TT-RS... But before the revival of the V-shaped "five" the hands of engineers have not yet reached. In the 90s, engineers from Volkswagen thought of this unusual scheme, sawing off one cylinder from the VR6 engine - formally, the Volkswagen V5 is exactly VR5, since the engine has only one cylinder head with a slight camber of these same cylinders. The V5 with a pleasant voice was installed on many Volkswagen models of the late 90s: VW Golf, Bora, Passat, and Seat Toledo.
V-shaped in-line six-cylinder engine (VR6)
By the way, VR6 is also a rare configuration. And it is also found only on cars of the Volkswagen concern. The VR6 was a very small camber V6 (10.5 or 15 degrees) with only one cylinder head and a zig-zag pattern. Now the motor has a controversial fame: being installed in the most powerful volkswagen 90s (Golf VR6, Corrado VR6 and even Volkswagen T4), it stands out with high torque and a velvety roar, but in the event of a malfunction it starts to devour gasoline - there have been cases when the consumption increased to more than 70 liters per 100 kilometers.
Inline 8-cylinder engine
Before World War II, in-line "eights" were the favorite engines of American premium brands (Packard, Duesenberg, Buick), but they were equally popular at that time in Europe: it was with this engine that the Bugatti Type 35 won more than a thousand races around the world It was with the in-line 8-cylinder engine that the original Alfa Romeo 8C shone at the Mille Miglia and 24 Hours of Le Mans. The swan song of a long engine was 1955, when Juan Manuel Fangio became the champion for the second time behind the wheel of a Mercedes W196. However, in the same year, the famous tragedy at Le Mans happened, when Pierre Levegh's Mercedes 300 SLR (also with an inline-eight) killed more than 80 spectators. After this incident, Mercedes retired from motorsport for more than 30 years.
Boxer 8-cylinder engine
Although these engines are more common in aviation, at one time they experimented with them at Porsche - the racing Porsche 907 and 908 built in the 60s were equipped with boxer 8-cylinder engines, which provide high power and a low center of gravity. Not to say that the idea was unsuccessful, but the company quickly abandoned such engines, preferring them to boxer "six", but with a pressurization system. At the end of its life, the 908 - like the one in which Yost and X finished second at the 1980 24 Hours of Le Mans - was already a six-cylinder.
W-shaped 8-cylinder engine
The W8 engine, which was installed only on Volkswagen passat The B5 + can be thought of as two V4 motors that are mounted side by side at 72 degrees to each other. Thus, four rows of cylinders are obtained, for which the engine was named W8. Before the Volkswagen Phaeton, the Passat W8 was flagship sedan company, developing 275 horsepower and accelerating to "hundreds" in a sports car 6 seconds.
Boxer 10-cylinder engine
Alas, this idea turned out to be too cool to become a reality, although GM worked on a similar engine in the 60s, based on the 6-cylinder "opposed" Corvair model. It was assumed that the new 10-cylinder engine will take its place in the full-size sedans and light-duty pickups of General Motors, but the project was quickly scrapped for reasons unknown now. There were no inline 10-cylinder engines on the machines either - except for heavy sea container ships.
Inline 12-cylinder engine
In his book The Illustrated Encyclopedia of the Automobiles of the World, David Bergs Weisz claims that the only production car with a 12-cylinder in-line engine was the Corona, which was produced in France in 1908. However, this does not mean that the idea did not appeal to other companies - for example, it is reliably known that Packard experimented with a similar type of motors. The running copy was built in 1929, and Warren Packard personally tested it for six months ... until he died in a plane crash. After his death luxury convertible dismantled, and the 150-horsepower unique engine was destroyed.
V-shaped 16-cylinder engine
With the advent of the Bugatti Veyron / Chiron, 16-cylinder engines are mostly presented as W-shaped, but this was not always the case - throughout the past century, 16 cylinders were almost always lined up in two rows. Auto union Type A, Cadillac V16, Cizeta V16T are just a few examples of V16 vehicles. But such an engine could well appear on modern Rolls-Royce cars - the running prototype of the Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe with a 9-liter V16 was presented in the movie "Agent Johnny English: Reloaded".
Boxer 16-cylinder engine
Obviously, such a motor could only be created with an eye to motorsport. However, the irony is that 16-cylinder boxers were never raced: the prototype of the Porsche 917 with 16 cylinders was sent to the history shelf almost immediately, opting for 12 pots, and the new Coventry Climax engine FWMW, which was supposed to equip Formula Lotus and Brabham in the 60s, proved to be so unreliable that they opted for a more conservative V8.
H-shaped 16-cylinder engine
The H-shaped engine is a "sandwich" of two "boxer", which positively affects the compactness of the power plant, but negatively - on its center of gravity. In the 60s, the BRM formula team ventured to build such an engine ... and the results were mixed - the engine was powerful, but not particularly reliable and difficult to repair. However, Jim Clark's Lotus 43 equipped with such an engine was the first to cross the finish line at the US Grand Prix in 1966. This was the first and last triumph of the H16.
V-shaped 18-cylinder engine
When it seems like there’s nowhere else to go, haul trucks take the stage and prove otherwise. A car with a V18? And there are such - such as, for example, BelAZ 75600, equipped with a 78-liter Cummins QSK78 diesel engine. This "heart" produces 3500 horsepower at 1500 rpm, and its torque reaches 13,770 Newton meters. Well, how else to budge a loaded colossus weighing 560 tons?
W-shaped 18-cylinder engine
Now, probably, few will remember that the Bugatti Veyron was originally supposed to be an 18-cylinder - the original concept car had just such a power plant. However, Bugatti was unable to get the engine to work properly (there were gear shifting problems), so the Veyron ended up being a 16-cylinder. At one time, Ferrari minder Franco Rocci thought about the W18 engine, but he did not advance further than the plan.
V-shaped engine
Similar power plants are used on heavy ships or as industrial diesel generators, but sometimes they are used in mining dump trucks. One of these 20-cylinder monsters is the Caterpillar 797F, which is powered by a Cat C175-20 4000 power engine. horse power... This is how 106 liters of working volume look like. There are more complex multi-cylinder engines, but these are mostly home-made units created by connecting several 8- or 12-cylinder engines.
X-shaped 32-cylinder engine
Whereas motors with a W-shaped design have V-shaped blocks converging at an acute angle, then in X-shaped engines they are located at an angle of 180 degrees. Thus, four rows of pistons and cylinders are formed, forming the letter X. At one time, Honda intended to build such a 32-cylinder engine for Formula 1, but changes in the regulations and disappointing results of bench tests forced the Japanese to abandon the daring experiment. But Muscovites and guests of the capital will be able to see (and hear) the X-shaped engine very soon on the main square of the country - after all, the 12-cylinder ChTZ A-85-3A engine with an X-shaped scheme is used at the Armata State Unitary Enterprise.
It doesn't matter what these were made for, in an attempt to create the very economical motor or vice versa, the most powerful. Another fact is important - these engines were created and they exist in real working copies. We are glad of this and invite our readers to look with us at the 10 craziest car engines that we managed to find.
To compile our list of 10 Crazy Car Engines, we followed a few rules: only power plants of serial passenger cars; no racing motors or experimental models because they are unusual by definition. We also did not use the "best" motors, the largest or the most powerful, exclusivity was calculated according to other criteria. The immediate purpose of this article is to highlight the unusual, sometimes crazy, engine design.
Gentlemen, start your engines!
8.0 liters, over 1000 hp The W-16 is the most powerful and complex engine ever produced. It has 64 valves, four turbochargers, and enough torque to change the Earth's direction of rotation - 1,500 Nm at 3,000 rpm. Its W-shaped, 16-cylinder, essentially combining multiple engines, never existed before, or on any other model other than a new car. By the way, this engine is guaranteed to work out its entire service life without breakdowns, the manufacturer assures of this.
Bugatti Veyron W-16 (2005-2015)
Bugatti Veyron, the only car today, where you can meet a W-shaped monster in action. Bugatti opens the list (Pictured 2011 16.4 Super Sport).
At the beginning of the last century, automotive engineer Charles Knight Yale had an epiphany. Traditional poppet valves, he reasoned, were too complex, return springs and tappets too ineffective. He created his own kind of valves. His solution was dubbed the "spool valve" - a clutch sliding around a piston driven by a gear shaft that opens the intake and exhaust ports in the cylinder wall.
Knight Sleeve Valve (1903-1933)
Surprisingly, it worked. Spool valve motors offered high displacement performance, low noise levels, and no risk of valve sinking. There were few drawbacks, they included increased oil consumption. Knight patented his idea in 1908. Subsequently, it was used by all brands, from Mercedes-Benz to Panhard and Peugeot cars. Technology is a thing of the past when classic valves are better able to handle high temperatures and high turnover... (1913-Knight 16/45).
Imagine, in the 1950s, you are an automaker trying to develop a new car model. Some German guy named Felix comes into your office and tries to sell you the idea of a triangular piston rotating inside an oval box (special profile cylinder) to fit your future model. Did you agree to this? Probably yes! The work of this type of engine is so mesmerizing that it is difficult to tear yourself away from the contemplation of this process.
The inherent minus of everything unusual is complexity. V in this case the main challenge was that the engine had to be incredibly balanced, with precisely matched parts.
Mazda / NSU Wankel Rotary (1958-2014)
The rotor itself is triangular with convex edges, its three corners are vertices. As the rotor rotates inside the housing, it creates three chambers that are responsible for the four phases of the cycle: inlet, compression, travel and outlet. Each side of the rotor, when the engine is running, performs one of the stages of the cycle. Not in vain rotary piston type engine is one of the most efficient internal combustion engines in the world. It is a pity that the normal fuel consumption from the Wankel engines has not been achieved.
An unusual motor, isn't it? Do you know what's even stranger? This motor was in production until 2012 and it was put on a sports car! (1967-1972 Mazda Cosmo 110S).
The Connecticut Eisenhuth Horseless Vehicle Company was founded by John Eisenhuth, a man from New York who claimed to have invented Gas engine and had an uncomfortable habit of receiving lawsuits from his business partners.
His Compound 1904-1907 models featured three-cylinder engines in which the two outer cylinders were set in motion by ignition, the middle dead cylinder was driven by exhaust gases the first two cylinders.
Eisenhuth Compound (1904-1907)
Eisenhuth promised a 47% improvement in fuel efficiency than standard engines of the same size. The humane idea did not come to the court at the beginning of the 20th century. At that time, no one thought about saving. The result is bankruptcy in 1907. (pictured 1906 Eisenhuth Compound Model 7.5)
Leave it to the French to design interesting engines that look ordinary at first glance. The well-known Gali manufacturer Panhard, mainly remembered for its eponymous jet rod-Panhard rod, installed in its post-war cars a series of boxer motors with air cooled and aluminum blocks.
Panhard Flat-Twin (1947-1967)
The volume varied from 610 to 850 cc. The power output was between 42 hp. and 60 hp, depending on the model. The best part of cars? The Panhard twin who ever manages to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans. (pictured 1954 Panhard Dyna Z).
A strange name, of course, but the engine is even weirder. The 3.3-liter Commer TS3 was a supercharged, opposed-piston, three-cylinder, two-stroke diesel engine. Each cylinder has two pistons facing each other, with one central spark plug located in one cylinder. It didn't have a cylinder head. One crankshaft was used (most boxer engines have two).
Commer / Rootes TS3 "Commer Knocler" (1954-1968)
The Rootes Group invented this motor for its Commer truck and bus brand. (Commer TS3 bus)
Lanchester Twin-Crank Twin (1900-1904)
The result was 10.5 hp. at 1,250 rpm and no noticeable vibrations. If you've ever wondered, take a look at the engine in this car. (1901 Lanchester).
Like the Veyron, the limited edition supercar Cizeta (née Cizeta-Moroder) V16T is defined by its engine. The 560 horsepower 6.0-liter V16 in the womb of the Cizeta has become one of the most hyped engines of its time. The intrigue was that the Cizeta engine was not, in fact, a true V16. In fact, it was two V8 engines combined into one. A single block and central timing was used for the two V8s. What It Does It doesn't make it even crazier - the location. The engine is mounted transversely, and the center shaft supplies power to the rear wheels.
Cizeta-Moroder / Cizeta V16T (1991-1995)
The supercar was produced from 1991 to 1995, this car was hand-assembled. Initially, it was planned to produce 40 supercars a year, then this level was lowered to 10, but in the end, in almost 5 years of production, only 20 cars were produced. (Photo 1991 Cizeta-16T Moroder)
Commer Knocker engines were actually inspired by the French family of counter-piston engines that were produced in two, four, six cylinders until the early 1920s. This is how it works in the two-cylinder version: pistons in two rows opposite each other in common cylinders in such a way that the pistons of each cylinder move towards each other and form a common combustion chamber. The crankshafts are mechanically synchronized, and the exhaust shaft rotates ahead of the intake shaft by 15-22 °, power is taken either from one of them or from both.
Gobron-Brillié Opposed Piston (1898-1922)
Serial engines were produced in the range from 2.3-liter "twos" to 11.4-liter sixes. There was also a monstrous 13.5-liter four-cylinder racing version of the engine. On a car with such a motor, racer Louis Rigoli first reached a speed of 160 km / h in 1904 (1900 Nagant-Gobron)
Adams-Farwell (1904-1913)
If the idea of an engine spinning behind you doesn't bother you, then Adams-Farwell cars are perfect for you. True, not all rotated, only the cylinders and pistons, because the crankshafts on these three- and five-cylinder engines were static. Radially positioned, the cylinders were air-cooled and acted as a flywheel as soon as the engine was started and started running. The motors were lightweight for their time, 86 kg weighed 4.3 liter three-cylinder engine and 120 kg - 8.0 liter engine. Video.
Adams-Farwell (1904-1913)
The cars themselves were with rear-mounted engine, the passenger compartment was in front of heavy engine, the layout was ideal for taking maximum damage to passengers in an accident. At the dawn of the automotive industry, they did not think about high-quality materials and reliable design; in the first self-propelled carriages, in the old fashioned way, wood, copper, and occasionally metal, not of the highest quality, were used. Probably, it was not very comfortable to feel the work of the 120 kg motor spinning up to 1,000 rpm behind your back. However, the car has been in production for 9 years. (Photo 1906 Adams-Farwell 6A Convertible Runabout).
Thirty cylinders, five blocks, five carburetors, 20.5 liters. This engine was developed in Detroit specifically for the war. Chrysler built the A57 as a way to satisfy an order for a tank engine for World War II. The engineers had to work in a hurry, making the most of the available components as much as possible.
BONUS. Incredible non-production engines: Chrysler A57 Multibank
The engine consisted of five 251cc passenger car inline-sixs arranged radially around a central output shaft. The output turned out to be 425 hp. used in the M3A4 Lee and M4A4 Sherman tanks.
The second bonus is the only racing engine in the review. 3.0-liter engine used by BRM (British Racing Motors), 32-valve H-16 engine, combining essentially two flat eights (H-shaped engine - an engine, the configuration of the cylinder block of which represents the letter "H" in a vertical or horizontal arrangement An H-shaped engine can be considered as two boxer engine located one on top of the other or one next to the other, each of which has its own crankshafts)... Power sports engine the end of the 60s was more than high, more than 400 hp, but the H-16 was seriously inferior to other modifications in terms of weight and reliability. saw the podium once, at the U.S. Grand Prix, when Jim Clark won the victory in 1966.
BONUS. Incredible non-production engines: British Racing Motors H-16 (1966-1968)
The 16-cylinder engine was not the only one that the guys at BRM were tinkering with. They also developed a supercharged 1.5-liter V16. It spun up to 12,000 rpm and produced approximately 485 hp. It would probably be cool to install such an engine on Toyota corolla AE86, enthusiasts from all over the world have thought about this more than once.
Did you know that Russia is the first country where a successful mass production diesel engines? In Europe they were called "Russian Diesels".
Despite the fact that the patent for a diesel engine is one of the most expensive in history, the path of formation of this device can hardly be called successful and smooth, as well as the life path of its creator, Rudolf Diesel.
The first pancake is lumpy - this is how the first attempts to produce diesel engines can be characterized. After a successful debut, licenses for the production of new items sold out like hot cakes. However, industrialists ran into problems. The engine was not working! More and more accusations were made against the designer that he had deceived the public and sold unusable technology. But the matter was not at all in malicious intent, the prototype was serviceable, but the production capacities of the factories of those years did not allow reproducing the unit: accuracy was required then unattainable.
Diesel fuel appeared long after the creation of the engine itself. The first, most successful units in production were adapted for crude oil. Rudolf Diesel himself in the early stages of developing the concept intended to use coal dust as a source of energy, but based on the results of experiments he abandoned this idea. Alcohol, oil - there were many options. However, even now experiments with diesel fuel do not stop. They are trying to make it cheaper, more environmentally friendly and more efficient. Illustrative example- in less than 30 years, 6 environmental diesel fuel standards have been adopted in Europe.
Back in 1898, Engineer Diesel signed an agreement with Emmanuel Nobel, Russia's largest oil industrialist. Work on improvement and adaptation lasted two years diesel engine... And in 1900, a full-fledged mass production, which was the first real success of the brainchild of Rudolph.
However, few people know that in Russia there was an alternative to the Diesel installation, which could surpass it. The Trinkler motor, created at the Putilov plant, fell victim to the financial interests of the powerful Nobel. Incredibly, the efficiency of this engine was 29% at the development stage, and in fact Diesel shocked the world by 26.2%. But Gustav Vasilyevich Trinkler was forbidden by order to continue working on his invention. The frustrated engineer left for Germany and returned to Russia years later.
Rudolph Diesel, thanks to his brainchild, became a truly rich man. But the intuition of the inventor denied him commercial activity. A series of unsuccessful investments and projects drained his fortune, and the severe financial crisis of 1913 finished him off. In fact, he went bankrupt. According to contemporaries, in the last months before his death, he was gloomy, thoughtful and absent-minded, but his behavior testified that he had something in mind and seemed to be forgiving forever. It is impossible to prove, but it is likely that he parted with his life voluntarily, trying to preserve his dignity in ruin.
