Rudolf Diesel
German inventor and mechanical engineer, famous for the invention of the Diesel engine
1858 CE to 1913 CE
Rudolf Christian Karl Diesel (March18, 1858 – September 29, 1913) is a German inventor and mechanical engineer, famous for the invention of the Diesel engine, and for his suspicious death at sea.
Diesel is the namesake of the 1942 film Diesel.
World
The Great Crossroads
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Rudolf Diesel applies for a patent on his compression-ignition engine (soon to be known the Diesel engine), on February 27, 1892.
Rudolf Diesel builds his first fully successful engine in 1897.
Diesel understands thermodynamics and the theoretical and practical constraints on fuel efficiency.
He knows that as much as ninety percent of the energy available in the fuel is wasted in a steam engine.
His work in engine design is driven by the goal of much higher efficiency ratios.
In his engine, fuel is injected at the end of compression and the fuel is ignited by the high temperature resulting from compression.
From 1893 to 1897, Heinrich von Buz, director of MAN AG in Augsburg, has given Diesel the opportunity to test and develop his ideas.