Turbo research & installation / Shahrizal Sharif … [et al.]

The basic idea of supercharging, providing some form of forced induction system, is nearly as old as the internal combustion engine itself. In 1896 Rudolf Diesel introduced his supercharger design, only 18 years after the first successful Otto engine. The idea of using exhaust energy to provide the supercharging was not far behind, and in 1905, the Swiss engineer Buchi was granted the first patent for a practical turbocharger. Despite this early appearance, supercharging remained for a long time something of relevance only to motor racing fanatics, aero engine designers and a few other specialist users. In recent decades the application of the turbocharger to heavy trucks has gradually increased until suddenly in the 1980s turbocharged automobiles appeared everywhere. Now 'turbo' has become a generally used adjective associated with anything fast or powerful with its own image completely separate from the automotive industry. A brief check revealed a 'turbo' candy bar, an insulating house brick, a men's aftershave cosmetic, and a logo on a pair of pyjamas This does not include the more obvious connections such a domestic fan heater and a vacuum cleaner and automotive shock absorbers and cam shafts. This fashionable use of the word clearly has followed from the general appearance of turbocharged automobiles on the road, which has brought the public imo contact with the concept of supercharging.