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Karl Benz

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Engineers and inventors

   Karl Benz
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   Karl Benz

   Karl Friedrich Benz ( November 26, 1844 – April 4, 1929) was a German
   engine designer and automobile engineer, generally regarded as the
   inventor of the gasoline-powered automobile. Other German
   contemporaries, Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach, also worked
   independently on the same type of invention, but Benz patented his work
   first and, after that, patented all of the processes that made the
   internal combustion engine feasible for use in automobiles. In 1879
   Karl Benz was granted a patent for his first engine, which he designed
   in 1878.

   In 1885, Benz created the Motorwagen, the first commercial automobile,
   powered by a gasoline engine. It had three wheels, being steered by the
   front wheel and with the passengers and the engine being supported by
   the two in the rear—some now refer to it as the Tri-Car. Among other
   things, he invented the carburetor, the speed regulation system known
   also as an accelerator, ignition using sparks from a battery, the spark
   plug, the clutch, the gear shift, and the water radiator.

   In 1896, Karl Benz designed and patented the first internal combustion
   boxer engine with horizontally-opposed pistons, which continues to be
   the design principle for high performance engines used in motorsports.

   Benz founded the Benz Company, precursor of Daimler-Benz,
   Mercedes-Benz, and DaimlerChrysler. Before dying he would witness the
   explosion of automobile use during the 1920s, thanks to his inventions.

Early life

   Karl Benz was born Karl Friedrich Michael Vaillant, in Karlsruhe,
   Germany to locomotive driver Johann George Benz and Josephine Vaillant.
   When Karl was two years old, his father was killed in a railway
   accident, and his name was changed to Karl Friedrich Benz in
   remembrance of his father.

   Despite living near poverty, his mother strove to give him a good
   education. Benz attended the local Grammar School in Karlsruhe and was
   a prodigious student. In 1853, at the age of nine he started at the
   scientifically oriented Lyzeum. Next he studied in the Poly-Technical
   University under the instruction of Ferdinand Redtenbacher.

   Benz had originally focused his studies on locksmithing, but eventually
   followed his father's steps toward locomotive engineering. On September
   30, 1860, at age fifteen he passed the entrance exam for mechanical
   engineering at the University of Karlsruhe which he subsequently
   attended. He was graduated on July 9, 1864.

   During these years, while riding his bicycle he started to envision
   concepts for a vehicle that would eventually become the horseless
   carriage.

   Following his formal education, Benz had seven years of professional
   training in several companies, but did not fit well in any of them. The
   training started in Karlsruhe with two years of varied jobs in a
   mechanical engineering company. He then moved to Mannheim to work as a
   draftsman and designer in a scales factory. In 1868 he went to
   Pforzheim to work for a bridge building company Gebrüder Benckiser
   Eisenwerke und Maschinenfabrik. Finally, he went to Vienna for a short
   period to work at an iron construction company.

Benz's Factory and his first inventions (1871 to 1882)

   Replica of the Benz Patent Motorwagen built in 1885
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   Replica of the Benz Patent Motorwagen built in 1885

   In 1871, at the age of twenty-seven, Karl Benz joined August Ritter in
   launching a mechanical workshop in Mannheim, also dedicated to
   supplying construction materials: the Iron Foundry and Mechanical
   Workshop, later renamed, Factory for Machines for Sheet-metal Working.

   The enterprise's first year was a complete disaster. Ritter turned out
   to be unreliable and local authorities confiscated the business. Benz
   then bought out Ritter's share in the company using the dowry provided
   by the father of his fiancée, Bertha Ringer.

   In July 20, 1872 Benz and Ringer married, later having five children:
   Eugen (1873), Richard (1874), Clara (1877), Thilde (1882), and Ellen
   (1890).

   Despite such business misfortunes, Karl Benz led in the development of
   new engines. To get more revenues, in 1878 he began to work on new
   patents. First, he concentrated all his efforts on creating a reliable
   gas two-stroke engine, based on Nikolaus Otto's design of the
   four-stroke engine . A patent on the design by Otto had been declared
   void. Benz finished his engine on New Year's Eve and was granted a
   patent for it in 1879.

   Karl Benz showed his real genius, however, through his successive
   inventions registered while designing what would become the production
   standard for his two-stroke engine. Benz soon patented the speed
   regulation system, the ignition using sparks with battery, the spark
   plug, the carburetor, the clutch, the gear shift, and the water
   radiator.

Benz's Gasmotoren-Fabrik Mannheim (1882 to 1883)

   Problems arose again when the banks at Mannheim demanded that Benz's
   Gas Factory enterprise be incorporated due to the high production costs
   it maintained. Benz was forced to improvise an association with
   photographer Emil Bühler and his brother (a cheese merchant), in order
   to get additional bank support. The company became the joint-stock
   company Gasmotoren Fabrik Mannheim in 1882.

   After all the necessary agreements, Benz was unhappy because he was
   left with merely 5% of the shares and a modest position as director.
   Worst of all, his ideas weren't considered when designing new products,
   so he withdrew from that corporation just one year later, in 1883.

Benz & Cie. and the Motorwagen

                                      CAPTION: 1885 Benz Patent Motorwagen

                                           1885 Benz Tri-Car
                              Three wheels
                              Electric ignition
                                       Differential rear end gears

                                      (mechanically operated inlet valves)
                              Water-cooled engine
                              Gas or petrol four-stroke horizontal engine
                              Single cylinder. Bore 116 mm, Stroke 160 mm
                              Patent model: 958 cc, 0.8 hp, 600 W, 16 km/h
                              Commercialized model: 1600 cc, ¾ hp, 8 mph
                              Steering wheel chained to front axle

   Benz's lifelong hobby brought him to a bicycle repair shop in Mannheim
   owned by Max Rose and Friedrich Wilhelm Eßlinger. In 1883 the three
   founded a new company producing industrial machines: Benz & Company
   Rheinische Gasmotoren-Fabrik, usually referred to as, Benz & Cie.
   Quickly growing to twenty-five employees, it soon began to produce gas
   engines as well.

   The company gave Benz the opportunity to indulge in his old passion of
   designing a horseless carriage. Based on his experience with, and
   fondness for, bicycles, he used similar technology when he created an
   automobile with a four-stroke engine of his own design between the rear
   wheels. Power was transmitted by means of two roller chains to the rear
   axle. Benz finished his creation in 1885 and named it the Benz Patent
   Motorwagen. It was the first automobile entirely designed as such, not
   simply a motorized carriage, which is why Karl Benz is regarded by many
   as the inventor of the automobile.

   The beginnings of the Motorwagen in 1885 were less than spectacular.
   The tests often attracted many onlookers who laughed mockingly when it
   smashed against a wall because it initially was so difficult to
   control. The Motorwagen was patented on January 29, 1886 as DRP-37435:
   "automobile fueled by gas". The first successful tests were carried out
   in the early summer of 1886 on public roads. The next year Karl Benz
   created the Motorwagen Model 2 which had several modifications, and in
   1887, the definitive Model 3 with wooden wheels was introduced.

   Benz began to sell the vehicle—advertising it as the Benz Patent
   Motorwagen—making it the first commercially available automobile in
   history. The first customer, in late summer of 1888, is alleged later
   to have been committed to an insane asylum. The second buyer, the
   Parisian Emile Roger, who purchased an 1888 Benz, had a profound effect
   on Benz's success. Roger had been building Benz engines under a license
   from Karl Benz for several years, and in 1888, decided to add his
   automobiles to the line. Many of the early Benz automobiles were indeed
   built in France and sold by Roger, since the Parisians were more
   inclined to purchase automobiles at the time.

   Early customers faced significant problems. At the time, gasoline was
   available only from pharmacies that sold it as a cleaning product, and
   they didn't stock it in large quantities. The early-1888 version of the
   Motorwagen had to be pushed when driving up a steep hill. This
   limitation was rectified after Berta Benz made her famous trip driving
   one of the vehicles a great distance and suggested the addition of
   another gear to her husband. The popular story goes that, on the
   morning of August 5, 1888, Berta Benz took this vehicle (without the
   knowledge of her husband), and embarked on a 106 km (fifty miles) trip
   from Mannheim to Pforzheim to visit her mother, taking her sons Eugen
   and Richard with her. In addition to having to scrounge for fuel at
   pharmacies on the way, she also overcame various technical problems and
   finally arrived at nightfall announcing the achievement to Karl Benz by
   telegram. Today the event is celebrated in Germany with an antique
   automobile rally.

   Benz's Model 3 made its widescale debut to the world in the 1889
   World's Fair in Paris, and about twenty-five Motorwagens were built
   during the period between 1886 and 1893.

Benz & Cie. expansion

   First bus in history: a Benz truck modified by Netphener company (1895)
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   First bus in history: a Benz truck modified by Netphener company (1895)
   Benz "Velo" model presentation in London 1898
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   Benz "Velo" model presentation in London 1898

   The great demand for stationary, static internal combustion engines
   forced Karl Benz to enlarge the factory, and in 1886 a new building
   located on Waldhofstrasse (operating until 1908) was added. Benz & Cie.
   had grown in the interim from 50 employees (1890) to 430 (1899). During
   the last years of the 19th century— Benz & Company—was the largest
   automobile company in the world with 572 units produced in 1899.

   Because of its size, in 1899 the Benz & Cie. became a joint-stock
   company with the arrival of Friedrich Von Fischer and Julius Ganß, who
   came aboard as members of the Board of Management. Ganß worked in the
   commercialization department.

   The new directors recommended that Karl Benz should create a less
   expensive automobile suitable for mass production. In 1893 Benz created
   the Victoria, a two-passenger automobile with a 3 hp engine, which
   could reach the top speed of 11 mph and a pivotal front axle operated
   by a roller-chained tiller for steering. The model was successful with
   45 units sold in 1893.

   In 1894 Benz improved this design in his new Velo model. This
   automobile was produced on such a remarkably large scale for the
   era—1200 units from 1894 to 1901—that it is considered the first
   mass-produced automobile. The Benz Velo also participated in the first
   automobile race: Paris to Rouen 1894.

   In 1895 Benz designed the first truck in history, with some of the
   units later modified by the first bus company: the Netphener, becoming
   the first buses in history.

   In 1896, Karl Benz was granted a patent for his design of the first
   boxer engine with horizontally-opposed pistons. His design created an
   engine in which the corresponding pistons reach top dead centre
   simultaneously, thus balancing each other with respect to momentum.
   Flat engines with four or fewer cylinders are most commonly boxer
   engines and are also known as, horizontally-opposed engines. This
   continues to be the design principle for high performance, automobile
   racing engines such as Porsches.

   Although Gottlieb Daimler died in March of 1900—and there is no
   evidence that Karl Benz and Daimler knew each other nor that they knew
   about each other's early achievements—eventually, competition with
   Daimler Motors ( DMG) in Stuttgart began to challenge the leadership of
   Benz & Cie.. In October of 1900 the main designer of DMG, Wilhelm
   Maybach, built the Mercedes-35hp to the specifications of Emil Jellinek
   under a contract for him to purchase thirty-six of them and for him to
   become a dealer of the model. Maybach would quit DMG in 1907, but he
   designed the model and all of the important changes. After testing, the
   first one was delivered to Jellinek on December 22, 1900. Jellinek
   continued to make suggestions for changes to the model and obtained
   good results racing the automobile in the next few years, encouraging
   DMG to increase their production of automobiles.

   Benz countered with his Parsifil automobile, introduced in 1903 with 2
   vertical cylinders and a top speed of 37 mph. Then, without consulting
   Benz, the other directors hired some French designers. France was a
   country with an extensive automobile industry based on Maybach's
   creations. Because of this action, after difficult discussions, Karl
   Benz announced his retirement from design management on January 24,
   1903, although he remained as director on the Board of Management until
   his death in 1929. Benz's sons Eugen and Richard also left the company,
   but Richard returned in 1904 as designer of passenger vehicles.

   By 1904 the sales of Benz & Cie. were up to 3480 automobiles and the
   company remained the leading manufacturer of automobiles. Along with
   continuing as a director of Benz & Cie., Karl Benz soon would found
   another company—with his son, Eugen—that was closely held within the
   family, manufacturing automobiles under another brand.

   In 1909 the Blitzen Benz was built by Benz & Cie. and the racecar set a
   land speed record of 228.1 km/h, said to be "faster than any plane,
   train, or automobile" at the time. The racecar was transported to
   several countries, even to the United States, to establish multiple
   records of this achievement. The bird-beaked, aerodynamically-designed
   vehicle contained a 21.5-liter displacement, 200-horsepower engine. The
   land speed record of the Blitzen Benz was unbroken for ten years.

Benz-Söhne (1906 to 1923)

   Karl Benz, Bertha Benz, and his son Eugen then moved to live in nearby
   Ladenburg, and solely with their own capital, founded the company Benz
   Sons ( Benz-Söhne) in 1906, producing automobiles and gas engines. The
   latter type was replaced by petrol engines because lack of demand. This
   company never issued stocks publicly, building its own line of
   automobiles independently from Benz & Cie.

   The Benz-Söhne automobiles were of good quality and became popular in
   London as taxis. In 1912, Karl Benz liquidated all of his shares in
   Benz-Söhne and left the company to Eugen and Richard, but remained as a
   director of Benz & Cie. On November 25, 1914, the 70 year-old Karl Benz
   was awarded an honorary Doctor title by the Karlsruhe University.
   1923 Benz "Teardrop" aerodynamic racecar
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   1923 Benz "Teardrop" aerodynamic racecar

   Almost from the very beginning of the production of automobiles,
   participation in sports car racing became a major method to gain
   publicity for manufacturers. At first, the production models were raced
   and the Benz Velo participated in the first automobile race: Paris to
   Rouen 1894. Later, investment in developing racecars for motorsports
   produced returns through sales generated by the association of the name
   of the automobile with the winners. Unique race vehicles were built at
   the time, as seen in the photograph here of the Benz, the first
   mid-engine and aerodynamically designed, Tropfenwagen, a "teardrop"
   body introduced at the 1923 European Grand Prix at Monza.

   In the last year of the Benz-Shone company, 1923, three hundred and
   fifty units were built. Finally, in the following year, 1924, Karl Benz
   built two additional 8/25 hp units tailored for his personal use, which
   he never sold; they are still preserved.

Toward Daimler-Benz and the Mercedes Benz of 1926

   During the First World War, Benz & Cie. and Daimler Motors (DMG) both
   had massively increased their production for the war effort. After the
   conflict ended, both manufacturers resumed their normal activities, but
   the German economy was chaotic. The automobile was considered a luxury
   item and as such, was charged a 15 % extra tax. At the same time, the
   country suffered a severe lack of petroleum. To survive this difficult
   situation, in 1919 Benz & Cie. proposed a cooperation suggested by Karl
   Benz through a representative, Karl Jahn, but DMG rejected the proposal
   in December.

   The German economic crisis worsened. In 1923 Benz & Cie. produced only
   1,382 units in Mannheim, and DMG made only 1,020 in Stuttgart. The
   average cost of an automobile was 25 million marks because of rapid
   inflation. Negotiations between the two companies resumed and in 1924
   signed an Agreement of Mutual Interest valid until the year 2000. Both
   enterprises standardized design, production, purchasing, sales, and
   advertising—marketing their automobile models jointly—although keeping
   their respective brands.

   In 1926] (June 28) Benz & Cie. and DMG finally merged as the
   Daimler-Benz company, baptizing all of its automobiles Mercedes Benz in
   honour of the most important model of the DMG automobiles, the
   Mercedes-35hp. The name of that DMG model had been selected after
   ten-year-old Mercedes Jellinek, the daughter of Emil Jellinek (by then
   one of DMG's partners) who had set the specifications for the new
   model. A new logo was created—consisting of a three pointed star
   (representing Daimler's motto: "engines for land, air, and water")
   surrounded by traditional laurels from the Benz logo—and was labeled,
   Mercedes-Benz. The next year, 1927, the number of units sold tripled to
   7918 and the diesel was launched for truck production. In 1928 the
   Mercedes Benz SS was presented.

   On April 4, 1929, Karl Benz died at his home in Ladenburg at the age of
   eighty-four from a bronchial inflammation in his lungs. Until her death
   on May 5, 1944, Bertha Benz continued to reside in their home. The Benz
   home has been designated as historic and is used as a scientific
   meeting facility for a nonprofit foundation that honours both Bertha
   and Karl Benz for their roles in the history of automobiles.
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