Diesel Engine
So who did invent the Diesel Engine?
The Diesel or Compression engine which does not need a spark plug to ignite fuel/air mixture.
There is controversy about whom invented this engine type because at the time Herbert Akroyd-Stuart was working on a similar design (actually patented 2 years prior to Diesel’s patent submission). I have added in a link to the bio’s of both gents which can be found on Wiki. You can come to your own conclusion.
Diesel’s engine was of higher efficiency (thermal and compression, two positive factors) over Akroyd-Stuart’s design. Modern diesel motors start with glow plugs which are switched off electronically through a timer, older systems were switched off manually, normally via observation of a pilot lamp on the dashboard.
First fully functional diesel engine, designed by Imanuel Lauster, built from scratch, and finished by October 1896
Attribution: Wiki Commons: Olivier Cleynen
14 hp Hornsby–Akroyd oil engine at the Great Dorset Steam Fair in 2008
Attribution: Wiki Commons – BulldozerD11
Links to the design and invention:
- Rudolf Diesel – a Bio
- The Diesel engine – the history
- Herbert Akroyd-Stuart – a Bio
- The Hornsby-Akroyd Hot Bulb engine – the history