Turbochargers were first invented as a means of refining aircraft engines to allow planes to fly at higher altitudes. More than one hundred years later, turbocharged engines have gone through a great deal of development and are common on certain types of vehicles, where they provide extra power and increase efficiency.
On a turbocharger engine, the turbocharger is a device which forces air into the engine's combustion chamber. The compressed air is mixed with fuel and ignited, resulting in a stronger power stroke than would have been achieved if air was drawn in normally. The process of forcing air into the engine is known as forced induction. In this way, turbochargers take advantage of the principle behind the internal combustion engine and add power without changing the engine's fundamental operation.
Turbochargers can be added to existing engines in cases where more power is needed, making them a cost effective alternative to the design of a larger engine. In addition, turbochargers use turbines that are driven by a vehicle's exhaust, thus making use of energy that would have otherwise been wasted. Development
Alfred Büchi, a Swiss engineer, invented the turbocharger in the early twentieth century. His design, patented in 1905, was meant to be used on airplane engines where the low air pressure at high altitudes meant less powerful combustion. By using forced induction, planes could fly higher and more stably.
During World War I, aviation technology became an important military matter, and turbochargers were refined and improved. Following the war, the commercial and private aviation industries continued to use new turbochargers to help power each new generation of aircraft.
In 1938, turbochargers were finally used outside of airplanes. A Swiss automaker began attaching them to its line of diesel trucks. Even so, turbochargers remained primarily an aviation technology until the 1950s, when American race teams began experimenting with them. The interest from the racing world led the major American automakers to consider applications for turbochargers on their standard fleets. In 1962, General Motors became the first American automaker to offer turbocharged engines in its production cars with turbo versions of the Chevrolet Corvair and Oldsmobile Cutlass.
In Europe, where diesel engines comprised a much larger segment of the market, turbo diesel engines became common (turbochargers provide even more power to diesel engines than gasoline engines due to the different process of combustion).
In the 1970s, the energy crisis drove many automakers to consider ways of finding more fuel efficient engines. Adding turbochargers to existing small engines was an easy way to do this, and turbos exploded in popularity. Through the 1980s and 1990s, turbocharged 4 cylinder engines were routinely sold alongside larger V6 and V8 engines, sometimes offering even more horsepower at far lower fuel costs. Turbocharged engines also produce fewer emissions, allowing cars to meet new federally mandated emissions standards, while still offering ample power.
In the 1980s, the first turbocharged motorcycles were produced. Drivers benefited from the low weight of the addition of a turbocharger compared to a larger, heavier engine. Despite the popularity of jet aircraft, turbocharged propeller planes continue to be used for many short flights at a fraction of the fuel cost of jet travel.
Formula 1 race teams saw the advantage of turbocharged engines as early as the 1950s, but it wasn't until the '70s that turbos became common in F1 fields. Large investments of research dollars and time were spent trying to gain a competitive advantage over other racers. The result was faster cars with more power and less weight. Turbochargers were becoming common in F1 racing. But soon race officials began to consider placing limits on how much power could be generated by a turbocharger as a means of keeping racing from becoming too dangerous or destroying competitive balance. These limits were enacted in the 1980s, and race teams turned to other technologies. Eventually, Formula 1 racing would ban turbocharged engines altogether, but the 1970s and '80s are still known as the "turbo era."
