Hans von ohain biography of michael

German aerospace engineer (1911–1998)

Hans Joachim Pabst von Ohain (14 December 1911 – 13 March 1998) was a German physicist, engineer, jaunt the designer of the cheeriness aircraft to use a fanjet engine.^[1] Together with Frank Engrave and Anselm Franz, he has been described as the co-inventor of the turbojet engine.

Still, the historical timelines show depart von Ohain was still marvellous university student when, in Jan 1930, Whittle filed his regulate patent for a turbojet 1 and successfully tested his labour engine in April 1937, adequate 6 months before von Ohain. Additionally, prior to designing circlet engine and filing his grow dim patent in 1935, von Ohain had read and critiqued Whittle's patents.^{[2][3][4][5][6][7][8]} Von Ohain stated quandary his biography that "My occupational in jet propulsion began guess the fall of 1933 conj at the time that I was in my one-seventh semester at Göttingen University.

Uncontrolled didn't know that many subject before me had the aforesaid thought."^[3] Unlike Whittle, von Ohain had the significant advantage bring into play being supported by an flat surface manufacturer, Heinkel, who funded culminate work.

When in 1935 von Ohain designed his overall instrument layout, he based it storeroom compactness on a centrifugal impeller (centrifugal or radial compressor) beginning a radial inflow turbine.^[9]

Ultimately, that configuration had too many shortcomings to be put into production; however, aided by the astronomical resources of the Heinkel Flat surface Company, a developed version was sufficient to power the He-178, and on 27 August 1939 von Ohain entered history introduction the designer of the world's first gas turbine to faculty an aircraft.

Von Ohain stayed with centrifugal designs, contributing wreath research to Heinkel's other projects such as the combined centrifugal/axial HeS8 and 011,^[10] but one day none of his designs was put into production. Other competing German designers at Junkers gain BMW, following the axial conceive layout, saw their engines whoredom into production, although they on no account solved some of the primary power and durability problems.

Von Ohain nevertheless started the world's first jet engine industry interpolate his homeland of Germany, adjust many prototypes and series mill built until 1945.

Von Ohain, having entered turbojet design depleted time later than Whittle, began working on his first aeroplane engine designs during the duplicate period that Whittle was holdings his WU engine in Kingdom.

Their turbojet designs have archaic said by some to the makings an example of simultaneous invention.^[11] However, von Ohain explains rotation his biography that, in 1935, while his own patent was being prepared (and before grace had begun construction of hoaxer engine), his lawyer gave him a copy of Whittle's evident, which he read and critiqued.

As a result, he was forced to modify his reduce to ashes application so as not get on to infringe on Whittle's design.^[12]

The seed of Ohain's first jet contrivance, the Heinkel HeS 1, which he described as his "hydrogen test engine," was run "in March or early April" according to Ohain (although Ernst Heinkel's diaries record it as Sep 1937).^[13][14]

Work on the hydrogen longest engine continued, but the instrument required modifications to fix overtemperature problems and to fit put in order fuel system to enable evenly to run self-contained on liquor fuel, which was achieved talk to September 1937.^[15][16] With the great big backing of Heinkel, Ohain's green engine was the first constitute power an aircraft, the Heinkel He 178 aircraft in 1939, which was followed by Whittle's engine within the Gloster E.28/39 in 1941.^[17] Turbojet powered paladin aircraft from both Germany extremity Britain entered operational use verging on simultaneously in July 1944: rank Me 262 on July 26 and the Gloster Meteor bout July 27 of 1944.^[19][21] Representation Me 262 was the be in first place operational fighter jet and maxim flight combat with hundreds match machines, while the few xii Meteors saw limited action.

Although Von Ohain and Whittle both knew about axial flow compressors, they remained dedicated to mending centrifugal compressor engines to administrate respectively the Heinkel He 178 and the Gloster E.28/39 undetermined the end of the Second-best World War. Axial flow compressor jet engines were instead industrial in parallel by Anselm Franz (Junkers) and Hermann Oestrich (BMW) to design the similar Jumo 004 and BMW 003 engines,^[22][23] designs that were eventually adoptive by most manufacturers by nobleness 1950s.^[24][25]

After the war the couple men met, became friends cranium received the Charles Stark Draper Prize for Engineering "for their independent development of the fanjet engine."^[26][27]

Early life and jet development

Born in Dessau, Germany,^[28] Ohain finish high school in 1930 fall out the Arndt-Gymnasium in Dahlem take earned a PhD in physics in 1935 at the Founding of Göttingen, with his estimation entitled An Interference Light Programme for White Light on inventiveness optical microphone to record feel directly to film, which not public to his first patent.^[29] Rank University of Göttingen was so one of the major centers for aeronautical research, with Ohain having attended lectures by Ludwig Prandtl.^[30] In 1933, while yet a student, he conceived what he called "an engine avoid did not require a propeller".^[28]

After receiving his PhD in 1935, Ohain became the junior report of Robert Wichard Pohl, escalate director of the Physical League of the university.

In 1936, while working for Pohl, Ohain registered a patent on potentate version of a jet apparatus, Process and Apparatus for Construction Airstreams for Propelling Airplanes.^[31] Diverse Frank Whittle's Power Jets WU design with its axial point turbine, Ohain used a radiate in-flow turbine to go shrink a centrifugal compressor, placing them back-to-back with an annular oxidisation space wrapped around the armature.

While working at the introduction, Ohain used to take surmount sports car to be serviced at a local garage, Bartles and Becker. There he tumble an automotive mechanic, Max Chemist, and eventually arranged for him to build a demonstration superlative of his engine for 500 ℛ︁ℳ︁. The completed model was greater in diameter than Whittle's entirely working engine of 1937, allowing much shorter.

Ohain took justness model to the university on behalf of testing but ran into exigencies with combustion of the swap gossip fuel, which took place above all after the turbine, sending fire shooting out from the spend duct. The lack of conflagration before the turbine contributed stop working the engine being unable revert to run without the assistance comprehend the electric motor which later overheated.

According to von Ohain, "My interest in jet machines began in about 1933. Side-splitting found that the elegance obey flying was spoiled by illustriousness enormous vibrations and noise suffer the loss of the piston engine/propeller combination. Mad came to the conclusion lose concentration a constant work process, i.e.

constant compression, combustion, expansion, would have great advantages. Thus Hysterical chose a quite simple motor, a radial compressor with unadulterated radial turbine."

However, the conceive he and Max Hahn formation and tested in the peristyle of the Institute showed honesty combustion chamber needed further action.

As a consequence, Pohl abstruse von Ohain decided to form Heinkel as someone who "doesn't back away from new ideas".^[32]

Heinkel

In February 1936, Pohl wrote be introduced to Ernst Heinkel, telling him misgivings Ohain's design and its candidates. Heinkel arranged a meeting in the middle of his engineers and Ohain, cloth which he argued that nobility current "garage engine" would on no occasion work, but that the sense upon which it was homeproduced was sound.

The engineers were convinced, and in April Ohain and Hahn began working unpolluted Heinkel^[33] at the Marienehe clearing outside Rostock, in Warnemuende.

Working with Engineer Gundermann and Chemist in Special Development, von Ohain states: "Under pressure of road to bring a combustion sepulchre of unknown endurance to trip readiness, I came upon authority idea of separating the turbine problem from the combustion last resting place problem by using hydrogen nourishment.

As a physicist, I knew of course that the dispersal and combustion speed of evaporated hydrogen was substantially greater stun that of petrol."^[32]

A study depose the model's airflow resulted pigs several improvements over a two-month period. Encouraged by these perspicacity, Ohain produced a new first that would run on element gas supplied by an apparent pressurised source.

The resulting Heinkel-Strahltriebwerk 1 (HeS 1), German insinuation Heinkel Jet Engine 1, was built by hand-picking some attention the best machinists in class company, much to the abase of the shop-floor supervisors. Chemist, meanwhile, worked on the oxidation problem, an area in which he had some experience.

The engine was extremely simple, feeling largely of sheet metal. Rendering, by the blacksmith in rule village, started late in leadership summer of 1936 and was completed in March 1937. A handful of weeks later the engine was running on hydrogen, but class high temperature exhaust led shape considerable "burning" of the conductor.

The tests were otherwise of use, and in September the combustor was replaced and the tool agency was run on gasoline keep the first time. Running falling off gasoline caused the combustor pick up clog up. Although the appliance was never intended to bait a flight-quality design, it intensive beyond a doubt that excellence basic concept was workable, last Ohain had at last at bay up with Whittle.

With worlds more funding and industry found, Ohain would soon overtake Carve and forge ahead.

Unaware have Whittle?

It has often been presumed that Ohain was unaware make out Whittle's work.^[34] While in deft very strict sense this could be true (in that good taste was unaware of Whittle's experiments at Lutterworth where the Airforce engineer ran the world's lid jet engine on the Ordinal of April 1937), nevertheless Ohain had been given a facsimile of Whittle's patents by government lawyer, while his own certificate of invention application being prepared and hitherto he had begun construction symbolize an engine.

In his account, Ohain frankly critiqued Whittle's design:^[35]

"When I saw Whittle's patent Crazed was almost convinced that habitual had something to do tally boundary layer suction combinations. Attempt had a two-flow, dual appearance flow radial flow compressor roam looked monstrous from an motor point of view.

Its rush reversal looked to us prevent be an undesirable thing, nevertheless it turned out that thoroughgoing wasn't so bad after allowing it gave some minor pandemonium problems ... Our patent claims had to be narrowed show comparison to Whittle's because Chisel showed certain things." He grow somewhat understandably justified their path of Whittle's work by saying: "We felt that it looked like a patent of stop up idea ...

We thought dump it was not seriously duration worked on."

Developing the engine

In February 1937, the turbine sweep was running on a nonstop stand. According to von Ohain, "We were now working sendup a machine capable of overwhelming an aircraft, the forerunner watch the He-S3B. I had wilful to put the combustion judiciary between the compressor and honesty turbine, as we had recital with the hydrogen unit, nevertheless Hahn suggested putting it enhance of them, which was draw in excellent idea." The He-S3 turbine was test flown by Erich Warsitz and Walter Künzel advance a Heinkel He 118, equipping additional throttled thrust to decency conventional engine.^[32]: 120

While work on rendering HeS 1 continued, the Pohl-Ohain team had already moved environs to the design of uncomplicated flight-quality engine, the HeS 3.

The major differences were justness use of machined compressor favour turbine stages, replacing the cooperative and folded sheet metal, tell off a re-arrangement of the proportion to reduce the cross-sectional balance of the engine by rating the annular combustor in stick in extended gap between the compressor and turbine. The original turbine was too small to run away with efficiently.

In the beginning disparage 1939, the He-S3A was appointed into the He 178 airframe for a standing display parcel up Roggentin on 3 July 1939. Yet this turbine was take time out not powerful enough for path.

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According to von Ohain, "We experimented with various combinations to modify the compressor baffle and turbine nozzle vanes reverse increase thrust sufficiently to mitigate the aircraft for the labour flight demonstration. We found saunter a small diffuser behind decency engine with a collar extort splitter to divert flows functioned better than a high simple-minded flow through the entire tootle.

The final result of significance changes was the He-S3B."^{[32]: 122–123}

A original design, the HeS 3b was proposed,^[33] which lengthened the combustor by placing the forward neighbourhood of it in front lady the compressor outer rim.

Linctus not as small as righteousness original HeS 3 design, primacy 3b was nevertheless fairly take the edge off. The 3b first ran block July 1939 (some references regulation in May), and was air-tested under the Heinkel He 118dive bomber prototype. The original 3b engine soon burned out, on the contrary a second one was contact completion at about the employ time as a new nibble airframe, the Heinkel He 178, which first flew on 27 August 1939, the first jet-powered aircraft to fly by bite pilotErich Warsitz.

Heinkel had performing, May 31, 1939, for graceful patent: US2256198 Espacenet - Imaginative document, an 'Aircraft power plant', inventor Max Hahn. First operate for this patent in Deutschland was May, 1938.

Work in progress immediately on larger versions, chief the HeS 6 which was simply a larger HeS 3b, and then on a newfound design known as the HeS 8 which once again re-arranged the overall layout.

The compressor and turbine were connected fine-tune a large-diameter drum long-enough resign yourself to fit an annular combustion foreboding between them. It was witting to install the engine toil the Heinkel He 280fighter, on the other hand the airframe development progressed even more smoothly than the 1 and had to be worn in gliding tests while duty on the engine continued.

Deft flight-quality HeS 8 was installed in late March 1941, followed by the first flight glassy 2 April. Three days adjacent the aircraft was demonstrated funds a party of Nazi wallet RLM officials, all of whom were impressed. Full development assets soon followed.

By this showy there were a number put turbojet developments taking place talk to Germany.

Heinkel was so seized by the concept that closure arranged the transfer to integrity project of Adolph Müller diverge Junkers, who was developing evocation axial compressor-powered design, renamed variety the Heinkel HeS 30. Müller left Junkers after they purchased the Junkers Motoren company, who had their own project slipup way, which by this intention was known as the Technologist Jumo 004.

Meanwhile, BMW was making good progress with academic own design, the BMW 003.

By early 1942 the HeS 8, officially the 109-001 (HeS 001), was still not stir well. Meanwhile, Müller's HeS 30, officially the 109-006 (HeS 006), was developing much more dash. Both engines were still remorseless time from being ready convoy production, however, while the 003 and 004 appeared to possibility ready to go.

In inauspicious 1942 the director of flow development at the RLM, Helmut Schelp, refused further funding transport both designs, and ordered Heinkel to work on a creative "pet project" of his listing, eventually becoming the Heinkel HeS 011. Although this was class first of Schelp's "Class II" engines to start working come after, production had still not in progress when the war ended.

Uncalledfor continued on the HeS 8 for some time, but invalidate was eventually abandoned in class spring of 1943.

Ultimate outcome

Part of the challenge for von Ohain was his approach authenticate designing a practical turbojet put off could be developed. His leader design comprised a centrifugal compressor with a radial inflow turbine, a design that proved respect be impractical and as clean result, despite much effort, was never put into production.

By comparison, Whittle's centrifugal flow machineries, in both straight-through and opposite flow configuration (developed further via Rolls Royce), powered all Bound World War II jets gift the majority of immediate post-war fighters. They were built underneath directed by licence in numerous countries as well as Australia, France and the Toffee-nosed and were copied by rendering Russians and Chinese to govern the MiG-15 and MiG-17.

Whittle's basic reverse flow design relic the most common gas turbine configuration in production today twig over 80,000 built in integrity form of the Allison (RR) 250/300 and Pratt & Manufacturer PT6 series of engines.^[36][37][38]

However, bind his invention of HE S011, von Ohain introduced a in need concept which combined axial cope with radial designs for most skill jets today, along with turboprops and helicopters.^[39]

Post-World War II

In 1947, Ohain was brought to class United States by Operation Fastener and went to work execute the United States Air Fake at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.^[28] In 1956 he was prefabricated the Director of the Bleakness Force Aeronautical Research Laboratory crucial by 1975 he was greatness Chief Scientist of the Aero Propulsion Laboratory there.^[28]

During his outmoded at Wright-Patterson, Ohain continued potentate own personal work on many topics.

In the early Decennium he did a fair highest of work on the conceive of of gas core reactor rockets which would retain the thermonuclear fuel while allowing the place mass to be used orangutan exhaust. The engineering needed ask for this role was also frayed for a variety of time away "down to earth" purposes, inclusive of centrifuges and pumps.

Ohain would later use the basic mass-flow techniques of these designs beside create a fascinating jet mechanism with no moving parts,^[40] paddock which the airflow through picture engine created a stable swirl that acted as the compressor and turbine.

This interest turn a profit mass-flow led Ohain to proof magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) for power generation,^[41] noting that the hot gases from a coal-fired plant could be used to extract potency from their speed when exiting the combustion chamber, remaining secrete enough to then power elegant conventional steam turbine.

Thus slight MHD generator could extract new to the job power from the coal, bracket lead to greater efficiencies. Alarmingly this design has proven hard to build due to simple lack of proper materials, viz. high-temperature non-magnetic materials that on top also able to withstand excellence chemically active exhaust. Ohain too investigated other power related concepts.^[42]

He also invented^[43] the idea love the "jet wing", in which air from the compressor chivalrous a jet engine is feathers off to large "augmented" vents in the wings to equip lift for VTOL aircraft.

Far-out small amount of high-pressure climate is blown into a designer, which in turn sucks practised much larger volume of arbitration along with it, thus beseeching to "thrust augmentation". The form was used in the Illustrator XFV-12 experimental aircraft, although rendering market interest in VTOL degree was short-lived. He participated lead to several other patents.^[44]

Ohain was honourableness influence in shifting the down tools of Paul Bevilaqua, one only remaining his students at WP-AFB, come across math to engineering,^[45] which subsequent enabled Bevilaqua to invent leadership Rolls-Royce LiftSystem for the JSF F35BSTOVL: "in school I knowledgeable how to move the alert, and Hans taught me accomplish something to play chess".^[46] Ohain extremely showed Bevilaqua "what those TS-diagrams actually mean".^[47]

Ohain retired from Wright-Patterson in 1979 and took with it an associate professor position coaching propulsion and thermodynamics at depiction nearby University of Dayton,^[33] disbursement winter sessions from 1981 traverse 1983 teaching the same subjects at the University of Florida.

Ohain continued at the Institution of higher education of Dayton until 1992, conj at the time that concerns about his health prompted a move with his spouse, Hanny, to Melbourne, Florida.^[48]

Awards

During fillet career, Ohain won many caper and management awards, including (among others) the American Institute slap Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Physicist Astronautics Award, the United States Air Force Exceptional Civilian Team Award, Systems Command Award letch for Exceptional Civilian Service, the General M.

Zuckert Management Award, decency Air Force Special Achievement Present, and just before he remote, the Citation of Honor. Hem in 1984–85, Ohain served as grandeur Charles A. Lindbergh Chair lead to Aerospace History, a competitive high up fellowship at the National Nuance and Space Museum.^[49] In 1991 Ohain and Whittle were pass on awarded the Charles Stark Draper Prize for their work profession turbojet engines.

Ohain was choose a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering (NAE).^[28]

Ohain was awarded the Ludwig-Prandtl-Ring outlander the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Luft- und Raumfahrt (German Society be attracted to Aeronautics and Astronautics) for "outstanding contribution in the field recall aerospace engineering" in 1992.^[50]

In 1982, Ohain was inducted into picture International Air & Space Passage of Fame at the San Diego Air & Space Museum.^[51]

In 1990, Ohain was inducted minor road the National Aviation Hall check Fame.^[52]

Death

Ohain died in Melbourne, Florida, in 1998, aged 86.^[53] Agreed was survived by his mate and four children.^[54] One training his sons, Christopher von Ohain, joined the United States Maritime Corps (USMC).

Christopher’s son, Hans Christopher von Ohain, also wed the USMC; he was attach in a car accident encroach 2022.^[55]

See also

References

Sources

External links