Editing Turbocharger (section)

== History ==

Prior to the invention of the turbocharger, [[forced induction]] was only possible using mechanically-powered [[supercharger]]s. Use of superchargers began in 1878, when several supercharged two-stroke gas engines were built using a design by Scottish engineer [[Dugald Clerk]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Encyclopedia of the History of Technology |year=1990 |publisher=Routledge |location=London |isbn=0-203-19211-7 |page=315 |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopaediaofh00mcne/page/315|editor=Ian McNeil}}</ref> Then in 1885, [[Gottlieb Daimler]] patented the technique of using a gear-driven pump to force air into an internal combustion engine.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.calaisturbo.org/history-of-the-supercharger.php |title=History of the Supercharger |access-date=30 June 2011 |archive-date=13 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150713170831/http://www.calaisturbo.org/history-of-the-supercharger.php |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The 1905 patent by [[Alfred Büchi]], a Swiss engineer working at [[Sulzer (manufacturer)|Sulzer]] is often considered the birth of the turbocharger.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://new.abb.com/turbocharging/110-years-of-turbocharging |title=Celebrating 110 years of turbocharging |publisher=ABB |access-date=22 July 2021 }}</ref><ref name="newatlas.com">{{cite web |title=The turbocharger turns 100 years old this week |url=https://newatlas.com/go/4848/ |website=www.newatlas.com |access-date=20 September 2019 |language=en |date=18 November 2005}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Porsche Turbo: The Full History |first=Peter |last=Vann |publisher=MotorBooks International |date=11 July 2004 |isbn=9780760319239}}</ref> This patent was for a compound [[radial engine]] with an exhaust-driven axial flow [[turbine]] and compressor mounted on a common shaft.<ref name="Miller">{{cite book |last1=Miller |first1=Jay K. |title=Turbo: Real World High-Performance Turbocharger Systems |date=2008 |publisher=CarTech Inc |page=9 |isbn=9781932494297 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hhiVyuHS76UC |access-date=20 September 2019 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{patent|DE|204630|"Verbrennungskraftmaschinenanlage"}}</ref> The first prototype was finished in 1915 with the aim of overcoming the power loss experienced by aircraft engines due to the decreased density of air at high altitudes.<ref name="aeplus.com page 1">{{cite web |title=Alfred Büchi the inventor of the turbocharger - page 1 |url=http://ae-plus.com/milestones/alfred-bchi-the-inventor-of-the-turbocharger/page:1 |website=www.ae-plus.com |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150405003800/http://ae-plus.com/milestones/alfred-bchi-the-inventor-of-the-turbocharger/page:1 |archive-date=5 April 2015}}</ref><ref name="cummins.ru">{{cite web |title=Turbocharger History |url=http://www.cummins.ru/en/components/turbo-technologies/turbocharger-history |website=www.cummins.ru |access-date=20 September 2019}}</ref> However, the prototype was not reliable and did not reach production.<ref name="aeplus.com page 1"/> Another early patent for turbochargers was applied for in 1916 by French steam turbine inventor [[Auguste Rateau]], for their intended use on the Renault engines used by French fighter planes.<ref name="Miller"/><ref name="Air & Space, Hill Climb" >{{cite journal|url=http://www.airspacemag.com/history-of-flight/climb.html?c=y&page=1 |journal=Air & Space Magazine |title=Hill Climb |access-date=2 August 2010 }}</ref> Separately, testing in 1917 by the [[National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics]] (NACA) and [[Sanford Alexander Moss]] showed that a turbocharger could enable an engine to avoid any power loss (compared with the power produced at sea level) at an altitude of up to {{convert|4250|m|ft|0|abbr=on}} above sea level.<ref name="Miller"/> The testing was conducted at [[Pikes Peak]] in the United States using the [[Liberty L-12]] aircraft engine.<ref name="Air & Space, Hill Climb" />

The first commercial application of a turbocharger was in June 1924 when the first heavy duty turbocharger, model VT402, was delivered from the Baden works of [[Brown, Boveri & Cie]], under the supervision of Alfred Büchi, to SLM, [[Swiss Locomotive and Machine Works]] in Winterthur.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Jenny |first=Ernst |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hl58zgEACAAJ |title="The" BBC Turbocharger: A Swiss Success Story |date=1993 |publisher=Birkhäuser Verlag |pages=46 |language=en}}</ref> This was followed very closely in 1925, when Alfred Büchi successfully installed turbochargers on ten-cylinder diesel engines, increasing the power output from {{convert|1750|to|2500|hp|kW|disp=flip}}.<ref name="ae-plus.com page 2">{{cite web |title=Alfred Büchi the inventor of the turbocharger - page 2 |url=http://ae-plus.com/milestones/alfred-bchi-the-inventor-of-the-turbocharger/page:2 |website=www.ae-plus.com |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170929135541/http://ae-plus.com/milestones/alfred-bchi-the-inventor-of-the-turbocharger/page:2 |archive-date=29 September 2017}}</ref><ref>Compressor Performance: Aerodynamics for the User. M. Theodore Gresh. Newnes, 29 March 2001</ref><ref>Diesel and gas turbine progress, Volume 26. Diesel Engines, 1960</ref> This engine was used by the German Ministry of Transport for two large passenger ships called the ''Preussen'' and {{ship|German minelayer|Hansestadt Danzig||2}}. The design was licensed to several manufacturers and turbochargers began to be used in marine, railcar and large stationary applications.<ref name="cummins.ru" />

Turbochargers were used on several aircraft engines during World War II, beginning with the [[Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress]] in 1938, which used turbochargers produced by General Electric.<ref name="Miller"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://aviationshoppe.com/manuals/wwii_aircraft_superchargers/wwii_aircraft_turbosupercharger.html|title=World War II - General Electric Turbosupercharges|website=aviationshoppe.com}}{{dead link|date=February 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> Other early turbocharged airplanes included the [[Consolidated B-24 Liberator]], [[Lockheed P-38 Lightning]], [[Republic P-47 Thunderbolt]] and experimental variants of the [[Focke-Wulf Fw 190]].

The first practical application for trucks was realized by Swiss truck manufacturing company [[Saurer]] in the 1930s. BXD and BZD engines were manufactured with optional turbocharging from 1931 onwards.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.saureroldtimer.ch/5000geschichte/5200chronosaurer/index.html |title=Saurer Geschichte |language=German |location=German |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100304062804/http://www.saureroldtimer.ch/5000geschichte/5200chronosaurer/index.html |archive-date=4 March 2010}}</ref> The Swiss industry played a pioneering role with turbocharging engines as witnessed by Sulzer, Saurer and [[Brown, Boveri & Cie]].<ref>Ernst Jenny: "Der BBC-Turbolader." Birkhäuser, Basel, 1993, ISBN 978-3-7643-2719-4. [https://zeitungsarchiv.nzz.ch/#read/11300/NZZ%20-%20Neue%20Z%C3%BCrcher%20Zeitung/1993-05-26/69 "Buchbesprechung."] [[Neue Zürcher Zeitung]], May 26, 1993, p. 69.</ref><ref>{{patent|US|4838234|Mayer, Andreas: "Free-running pressure wave supercharger"}}, issued 1989-07-13, assigned to BBC Brown Boveri AG, Baden, Switzerland</ref>  

Automobile manufacturers began research into turbocharged engines during the 1950s, however the problems of "turbo lag" and the bulky size of the turbocharger were not able to be solved at the time.<ref name="newatlas.com"/><ref name="cummins.ru"/> The first turbocharged cars were the short-lived [[Chevrolet Corvair#First generation (1960–1964)|Chevrolet Corvair Monza]] and the [[Oldsmobile Jetfire]], both introduced in 1962.<ref>{{cite news |last=Culmer |first=Kris |date=8 March 2018 |title=Throwback Thursday 1962: the Oldsmobile Jetfire explained |url=https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/anything-goes-throwback-thursday/throwback-thursday-1962-oldsmobile-jetfire-explained |newspaper=[[Autocar (magazine)|Autocar]] |access-date=15 April 2022}}</ref><ref name="bwauto.com">{{cite web |title=History |url=http://www.turbos.bwauto.com/en/products/turbochargerHistory.aspx |website=www.bwauto.com |access-date=20 September 2019}}</ref> 

The turbo succeeded in motorsport, but took its time. The [[1968 Indianapolis 500]] was the first to be won with a turbocharged engine, turbos winning on the fast oval track ever since. On twisty road race tracks, Porsche pioneered turbos in engines derived from the 1963 [[Porsche 911]] which had an air-cooled flat six engine, just like the Chevrolet Corvair, but got turbocharged ten years later. [[Porsche 935]] and [[Porsche 936]] won both kinds of Sportcars World Championships in 1976, as well as the Le Mans 24h, proving that they can be reliable and fast. In Formula One, capacity was limited to only 1.5 litre, with the first race victories coming in the late 1970s, and the first F1 World Championship in 1983, with a [[BMW M10]]-based 4-cylinder engine that dates back to 1961.

Turbodiesel passenger cars appeared in the 1970s, with the Mercedes 300 D. Greater adoption of turbocharging in passenger cars began in the 1980s, as a way to increase the performance of smaller [[engine displacement|displacement]] engines.<ref name="Miller"/>