The+motor+technology+by+Bill+Zhai

The Motor Technology---Where is My Horse?

Everything started with the first discovery of oil. Oil, along with gas and electricity, powered up the whole process of the Second Industrial Revolution. In 1859, oilfields had been discovered in Pennsylvania[1]. Initially crude oil had been refined to produce kerosene, also known as paraffin. This was used in oil lamps as a form of lighting fuel. The oil lamp gave more light than a candle with the same amount of energy to be produced. Therefore the invention of oil lamp really accords with the objectives of the Second Industrial revolution--to lead a faster, cleaner and more efficient lifestyle. Crude oil was also distilled to provide lubricants for machines, which furthermore boosted up the economy by "honing" the machines.

The development in new fuels and new ideas of means of transportation together sparked the motor technology in the 19th Century. The steam had opened an era that people started to have more leisure time which they saved from traveling long distance on horses. The invention of bicycle had become both a tool of transportation and a way of entertainment. By the 1880's, many people were able to spend the leisure time cycling on the newly developed safety bicycle. This had been developed from the crude, wooden bicycle, with solid tyres, invented in Britain in 1839 by K. Macmillan. The "modern" bicycle of 1888 was running on pneumatic tyres, inflated by air, that had been invented by J. Dunlop.[2] In the latter part of the 19th Century, the search was mounted for a truly independent, economic and reliable method of power generation for use in road transport.

In 1860, Lenoir designed the first engine to be driven by internal combustion using gas as a fuel. In other words, the power was provided by gases expanding as a result of a reaction within the cylinder of the engine.[3]

Lenoir had devised a method of driving an engine that was originally steam driven, by using the power of gas. The important difference between his engine and a steam engine was that gas entered the cylinder and was then ignited by a spark. The expanding gas then pushed the cylinder forward, in a similar manner to the steam engine cycle. In 1862, Lenoir was the first person to fit an internal combustion engine to a vehicle. However, the vehicle lacked power, and gas was a difficult fuel to use.[4]

In 1896, Karl Benz was granted a patent for his design of the first engine with horizontally opposed pistons. His design created an engine in which the corresponding pistons move in horizontal cylinders and reach top dead center simultaneously, thus automatically balancing each other with respect to their individual momentum.[5]    Karl Benz's invention of flat engines have been influencing the modern car industry for long. Engines of this design are often referred to as flat engines because of their shape and lower profile. They are or were used in: the Volkswagen Beetle, some Porsche and Subaru cars, many BMW and Honda motorcycles and aircraft engines and so on. media type="custom" key="25122396" Resources:

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[ 1] Burchill, Shirley. "The Open Door Web Site : History : The Second Industrial Revolution : From Horse to Horseless Carriage Continued." The Open Door Web Site : History : The Second Industrial Revolution : From Horse to Horseless Carriage Continued. Accessed February 14, 2014. http://www.saburchill.com/history/chapters/IR/064.html. =====

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[2]Burchill, Shirley. "The Open Door Web Site : History : The Second Industrial Revolution : From Horse to Horseless Carriage Continued." The Open Door Web Site : History : The Second Industrial Revolution : From Horse to Horseless Carriage Continued. Accessed February 14, 2014. http://www.saburchill.com/history/chapters/IR/064.html. =====

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[5]Unknown Producer. "Glass Engine, Rendered CAD Animation, Combustion High Speed Imaging, Based on a Pannonia Block." YouTube. November 08, 2013. Accessed February 14, 2014. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ObmAOJA__1k. =====