The nineteenth century was full of people who didn't want to live in peace. They complemented and changed the world with their inventions. One of these engineering geniuses was Etienne Lenoir. With no special education, he had a restless heart and faith in the infinite power of the mind.
From garson to mechanics
Jean Etienne Lenoir was born on 1822-12-01 in Mussy-la-Ville (Belgium). His father was a Belgian industrialist. He died when the boy was eight years old.
The young man dreamed of studying at a Parisian technical school, but instead he had to work as a waiter in a restaurant called "The Single Parisian". Mechanics and workshop owners were frequent visitors to this establishment. Etienne Lenoir often listened to the conversations of mechanics and engineers. An idea was born in his head - an improvement in the engine.
Soon the young man left the restaurant and went to work in a workshop, where he was compiling new enamels. A year later, he quarreled with the owner and became a free mechanic. He repaired everything that was required - from the carriages to the kitchenutensils.
Marinoni's work
Small repairs were a thankless job that did not bring in enough money to live on. Lenoir decided to go to work for the Italian Marinoni. Thanks to his work, Etienne Lenoir was able to transform the foundry into an electroplating workshop.
During these years, the mechanic led a comfortable life. In addition, he got the opportunity to experiment with his inventions. He managed to create his own versions of such devices as an electric motor, a dynamo regulator, a water meter. He received patents for all his inventions.
Lenoir devoted a lot of time to studying the engineering experience of other inventors in order to create a double-acting steam engine. His first creation struck with its noiselessness. At the same time, the engine quickly warmed up. The inventor was unable to take care of his invention legally, so his car was sealed.
Creating your own firm
The quarrel with the sponsor, who was Marinoni, prompted the inventor to create his own company. His company launched the production of gas engines. The power of the invention was four horsepower.
In 1860, Etienne Lenoir, whose biography is connected with the development of the automobile business, received a patent for his brainchild. Two years later, the car was demonstrated at the Paris Exhibition. In total, about three hundred engines were produced by such French and German companies as Marinoni, Gauthier, Kuhn and others.
They were used on ships, locomotives, in roadcrews. In 1872, the Lenoir engine was installed on an airship. His tests were successful. However, the glory ended after a few years. The reason for this was a new invention.
Colleague turned competitor
In 1860, Etienne Lenoir introduced his German colleague to his engine, who first glorified the work of the author, and later took away his laurels. Engineer Nikolaus Otto set up a Belgian-born engine company with Langen.
At the same time, a German engineer was working on creating his own version. He succeeded in this in 1878. His car was noisy and bulky. The engine was four-stroke. But he worked with an efficiency of 16%. Lenoir's machine gave only an efficiency of 5%. The record was broken and the glory passed to the Germans.
The inventor died on 1900-04-08 in France. Lenoir did not become a rich and famous inventor. But he was one of those who brought progress closer. He died as a citizen of France. He received such an honor not for his inventions, but for the defense of Paris in the Franco-Prussian War. The inventor is known to many as the creator of the writing telegraph.
What was the Lenoir engine
The machine created by Jean Etienne Lenoir (engine) was the first such invention to be mass-produced.
Its design was single-cylinder, two-stroke. The idea of such a technical solution was taken from Watt's steam engine. The difference was that not steam was used as the working fluid. He was replacedcombustion products produced by a gas generator in which a mixture of lighting gas and air was burned.
The gas engine had its advantages over steam:
- less bulky;
- easier to manage;
- did not require the boiler to warm up before starting;
- worked automatically (in stationary mode);
- low noise;
- low vibration.
All these advantages have made the gas apparatus popular. However, it was soon superseded by the Otto engine. The principle of operation of the latter invention is widely used in modern times. How was Lenoir's model inferior to the car of a German engineer?
Despite the many advantages, the invention of the Belgian-born Frenchman had low efficiency, as well as low power. Therefore, it could not withstand the competition, and was forced out of the market by the more productive brainchild of Nikolaus Otto.
