Wilhelm Maybach is the founder of Mercedes and Maybach automobile companies. Biography

Wilhelm Maybach is a German businessman and automaker. As the technical director of the company, "Motors Daimler" made a significant contribution to the creation of the first modern machine. The car "Maybach" is now one of the best in the world. In this article we will present a brief biography of the inventor.

Childhood

Wilhelm Maybach was born in Heilbronn (Germany) in 1846. The boy's father was a carpenter. It so happened that after reaching the age of ten, Wilhelm became a round orphan. He was brought to the home of Pastor Werner. When Maybach was fifteen, he began to receive technical training in Reutlingen at a machine-building plant. During the day, the boy practiced in the workshop of the plant, and in the evening took drawing and math lessons at the city school. Also, the future German automaker began to study English and study three volumes of the textbook "Technical Mechanics", written by Julius Weissbach. The young man's determination and perseverance were soon noticed.

Job

In 1863 Gottlieb Daimler came to the post of technical director of the Reutlingen plant. There he met Wilhelm. Three years later, Gottlieb moved to the same position in the firm "Deutz", which produced stationary internal combustion engines. It was headed by E. Langen and N. A. Otto. In 1869, Daimler remembered a workable, talented worker and invited Maybach to his place in Karlsruhe. During the meeting, they discussed the idea of creating a new engine, which was supposed to become more compact and light. Langen approved the project, but Otto resisted. After many years (in 1907), the "Deutz" still begins building cars - first cars, and then buses, tractors and trucks, but the pioneers of ICE at that time will not be in the company.

My business

Unable to understand the head of the company, Daimler opened his own firm in Bad Cannstadt. Naturally, Gottlieb persuaded Wilhelm to go with him. In 1882, their own company was founded. Maybach was exclusively engaged in technical design.

First inventions

In August 1883, Wilhelm Maybach released a stationary motor of its own design. The engine weighed 40 kilograms and worked exclusively on a light gas. At the end of the same year, his next version with a capacity of 1.6 hp appeared. And a volume of 1.4 liters. Along the way, Maybach designed a new ignition system. At that time in stationary engines, the ignition of the mixture occurred with an open flame. Wilhelm also came up with an incandescent tube, heated up to the red with a burner. And the process was controlled by a special valve in the combustion chamber, which, if necessary, was opened or closed. Such a system ensured stable operation even at low revs.

The pursuit of excellence

It was this that distinguished Wilhelm Maybach from others. Since the beginning of his activity, he has sought to upgrade any design and used new patents. At the end of 1883, another engine was tested - a single-cylinder air-cooled engine, which at 0.2 rpm developed 0.25 hp. An improved version (246 cubic centimeters and 0.5 hp) was developed in a year. Maybach himself dubbed him "outdoor clock", because the shape of the engine was quite unusual. A few decades later, historians of technology will note that Wilhelm has not only reduced the weight of the engine. He gave him more and more exquisite grace.

Hansom cab

Soon Wilhelm developed an evaporation carburetor. This was a breakthrough in the ICE sphere, since now it was possible to use liquid fuel instead of the luminous gas. And in 1885 there was a revolutionary event in technology - the Maybach engine set in motion a two-wheeled crew. Motorcycle (or, as they say, a motorcycle) had on each side a pair of miniature wheels to maintain stability. Engine power of 0.5 hp. Constantly rotating, and a two-stage belt transmission made it possible to develop a speed of up to 6 or 12 kilometers per hour. The founder of Maybach tested in early November 1885 with his son Carl.

Of course, not everything went smoothly. A year later, Wilhelm perfected the motor, increasing the stroke and diameter of the piston. The volume of the engine increased to 1.35 liters, but during tests it constantly overheated. The use of a water-cooling device did not correct the situation. Therefore, the invention had to be abandoned.

New engine

Next, Wilhelm began developing a motor for the world's first four-wheeled car with a volume of 0.462 liters. Since Maybach and Daimler were in a great hurry with the release, the engine was mounted on a horse-drawn carriage. In March 1887, the first tests were carried out. A month later a motor boat with this engine appeared on a lake near Bad Cannstadt. The results of all tests Wilhelm carefully collected and systematized, understanding their importance for future experiments.

Construction of a new car

In 1889, Daimler planned to participate in the World Paris Exhibition. Wilhelm Maybach, quotes and notes about whose activities were often published in the media, decided to build a new machine for this event. And she impressed everyone! At the Daimler-Stahlradvagen, the world's first V-shaped two-cylinder engine with a camber angle of 17 ° was delivered. At 900 rpm, the motor developed 1.6 hp. Instead of the old belt transmission, the wheel started gear. In fact, the author has developed a conceptual design. Nevertheless, it had commercial success. The car was built by the bicycle factory NSU. Its owners Emil Levassor and Arman Peugeot bought a patent for transmission and engine. At the same time, under the terms of the contract, they were required to produce engines under the Daimler brand.

Gottlieb paid for the money in the creation of a separate workshop for Maybach. Due to this research was carried out quite actively, and all the friction with the shareholders of the company against the background of promising developments were smoothened.

New inventions by Wilhelm Maybach

In 1893, the hero of this article developed a spray carburetor with a jet like a syringe. A year later, Maybach received a patent for the installation of hydraulic brakes. And in 1895 appeared his famous two-cylinder in-line motor "Phoenix". Initially, at 750 rpm, it developed 2.5 hp. Gradually the design was improved, and in 1896 the power increased to 5 hp. The performance of the motor made it possible to improve the radiator of the new original design. Three years later, the four-cylinder Phoenix with a capacity of 23 hp was produced. And a volume of 5900 cm ³ . The motor was installed on a car designed by Emil Jellinek (ambassador in Nice from the Austro-Hungarian Empire). In March 1899, he won this car in mountain races. Jellinek acted under the pseudonym "Mercedes" (the daughter's name). Soon it will become the brand of the Daimler plant.

Changes

In 1900, Gottlieb died, and Wilhelm's position greatly deteriorated. Maybach, who completely laid out at work and lost some of his health, was forced to write to the head of the firm petition for an increase in salary. But they remained unanswered. It is not surprising, because the new management of the company remembered that in disputes with them, Wilhelm always took the side of Daimler.

Meanwhile, the development of technology continued. In 1902, "Simplex" came to replace "Phoenix", which is produced under the brand name "Mercedes". The four-cylinder engine with a volume of 5320 cm ³ at 1100 rpm developed a power of 32 hp. Then there was a Mercedes with a motor of 6550 cm ³ , and for the popular at the time the Gordon-Bennet races built a car with a four-cylinder engine of 60 hp. At 1000 rpm.

"Zeppelin"

In 1907, Maybach left the company, whose fame was limited solely to his efficiency and talent. After this designer was fascinated by the idea of creating engines for the then known zeppelin airships. In 1908, Count Ferdinand tried to sell the LZ3 and LZ4 models to the government. But the latter was wrecked. The engines of the LZ4 simply did not cope with the load during an emergency landing. Nevertheless, the production of airships did not stop. The main task of the hero of this article was the improvement of engines.

Having received the support of Count Ferdinand, Wilhelm, together with his son, opened the company "Maybach Motorenbau." The company was actually run by Karl, and his father became a leading consultant. During the First World War, they sold about 2,000 aircraft engines. In 1916, the Technical University of Stuttgart awarded Wilhelm Maybach with his doctorate.

Maybach Cars

In 1919, after the end of the war, the Versailles Agreement was signed. It prohibited the production of airships in Germany. Thus, Maybach was forced to return to the creation of gasoline engines for cars, as well as diesel engines for trains and ships of the navy.

In Germany, a crisis occurred. Many automotive companies because of a lack of funds could not afford the engines of third-party manufacturers and were developing their own. Only Dutch company "Spiker" agreed to cooperate with Maybach. But the terms of the contract were so unprofitable that Wilhelm rejected it four times. In the end, the inventor decided to start manufacturing his own machines. In 1921, the first Maybach limousines were launched.

The car was working almost to old age and for a long time did not want to retire. A German engineer died at the end of 1929 and was buried in the cemetery of Uff-Kirchhof next to Daimler.

Heritage

Wilhelm Maybach, whose biography was presented above, was one of the first to understand that a car is not just a wagon with an engine. Huge experience in designing and engineering talent allowed the German to regard the machine as a complex of all its components. Wilhelm believed that it was from this position that it was necessary to approach design. And now, when assessing the convenience and functionality of cars named after his name (for example, Maybach Exelero), one can see the correctness of the concept of a German engineer.

Even during life, Maybach was called the "King of Designers." And in 1922 the Society of German Engineers awarded him the title of "pioneering designer". That's exactly what he was. A year earlier, when the seventy-five-year-old Maybach was no longer working, the first Maybach car was built at the Friedrichshafen plant. At the moment, the line of models of the legendary brand has significantly expanded. The most expensive car is Maybach Exelero, the price of which is up to $ 8 million.