Internal Fire

Book excerpt: Internal Fire is the captivating history of the internal combustion engine and the creative individuals who brought it to life. From gunpowder to diesel, the development of these early powerhouses has been recorded from all sides. The influences of new technologies, patents, and obtainable fuels, as well as a growing understanding of the very nature of heat itself are all explored. Internal Fire is not intended as a textbook, but as the well-researched and readable chronicle of a mechanical servant that has greatly influenced life in the 20th century and beyond. You will find in this comprehensive book: ■ Gunpowder and Steam ■ Air Engines ■ Thermodynamics: Carnot Charts a Course ■ Patents: Origin and Influence ■ Internal-Combustion Engines: 1791-1813 ■ Searching and Perfecting: 1820-1860 ■ The Genesis of an Industry ■ Otto and Langen ■ Otto's Four-Stroke Cycle ■ Brayton and His Ready Motor ■ The Two-Stroke Cycle ■ Gas and Gasoline Engines to 1900 ■ Oil Engines: An Interim Solution ■ Rudolf Diesel: The End of the Beginning