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Gottlieb Daimler

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Gottlieb Daimler
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Gottlieb Daimler

Gottlieb Wilhelm Daimler (17 March, 1834–6 March, 1900) was an engineer, industrial designer and industrialist, born in Schorndorf in what is now Germany. He was a pioneer of internal-combustion engines and automobile development.

Daimler and his lifelong partner Wilhelm Maybach were two workaholic inventors whose dream was to create small, high speed engines to be mounted in any kind of locomotion device. They patented in 1885 a precursor of the modern petrol engine which they subsequently fitted to a two-wheeler, supposedly the first motorcycle and in the next year to a stagecoach or horseless carriage, and a boat.

Later, in 1890, they founded Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft (DMG). In 1900 Daimler died and Maybach quit DMG in 1907. In 1924, the DMG signed an agreement with Karl Benz's Benz & Cie., and in 1926 the two companies merged to become Daimler-Benz AG, which is now part of DaimlerChrysler.

Contents

Early life (1834 to 1852)

Gottlieb Wilhelm Daimler was the son of a baker named Johannes Däumler (Daimler) and his wife Frederika, from the town of Schorndorf near Stuttgart. By the age of 13 (1847), he had completed his six years of primary studies in Lateinschule where he had also had additional drawing lessons on Sundays and expressed an interest in engineering. The next year, he started studying gunsmithing; building with his teacher, Riedel, a double-barreled gun.

Again, Daimler became restless in his studies as his main interest still lay in engineering. In 1852 when 18, he finally decided to take up mechanical engineering, and left his hometown.

Career beginnings and Maybach

Gottlieb Daimler took up his first mechanical engineering work in industry at Graffenstaden but abandoned it in 1857 to begin studies at the Stuttgart Polytechnic.

After this, Daimler travelled through several European countries. In France, he studied the novel gas engine of J J Lenoir and also worked in other factories including one in Strasbourg making locomotives and another making band saws.

In the United Kingdom, Daimler helped start engineering works in Oldham, Leeds and Manchester (with Joseph Whitworth). Later, he also worked in Belgium. Finally he returned to Germany, working as technical designer in a metal factory at Geislingen an der Steige, with the father of his friend Heinrich Straub.

At 29 years old, in 1863, Daimler started in a special factory, a Bruderhaus in Reutlingen. It had charitable purposes, with a staff made up of orphans, invalids and poor people. One of the orphans was Wilhelm Maybach a qualified Industrial designer aged 19 years who would become his lifelong partner.

In his free time Daimler had fun designing machinery, agricultural equipment and also some scales. In 1867, he married Emma Kunz, a pharmacist's daughter. They were to have 5 sons among whom was Paul Daimler.

In 1869 (35), Daimler moved to Karlsruhe, to work at the engineering manufacturer Maschinenbau-Gesellschaft Karlsruhe AG Six months later, Maybach joined him as Technical Designer. Both inventors spent long nights discussing new designs for engines for pumps, lumber industries, and metal pressing.

The Otto Four-Stroke engine (1876)

In 1872 (at age 38), Gottlieb Daimler and Maybach moved to work at the world's largest manufacturer of stationary engines of the time, the Deutz-AG-Gasmotorenfabrik in Cologne. It was half-owned by Nikolaus August Otto who was looking for a new Technical Director. As Directors, both Daimler and Otto focused on gas-engine development while Maybach was Chief Designer.

In 1876, Otto invented the Four-stroke cycle also known as the Otto Cycle a system characterized by four piston strokes (intake, compression, power and exhaust). Otto intended that his invention would replace the steam engines predominant in those years, even though his engine was still primitive and inefficient. Otto's engine was patented in 1877, but the patent was soon challenged and overturned. Unknown to Daimler and Maybach, Karl Benz was concentrating all his efforts in Mannheim, during 1878, on creating a reliable two-stroke gas engine based on Nikolaus Otto's design of the four-stroke engine. Benz finished his engine on New Year's Eve and was granted a patent for it in 1879.

But, meanwhile, serious personal differences arose between Daimler and Otto, reportedly with Otto being jealous of Daimler, because of his university background and knowledge. Daimler was fired in 1880, receiving 112,000 Gold-marks in Deutz-AG shares in compensation for the patents of both Daimler and Maybach. Maybach resigned later.

Daimler Motors: small high speed engines (1882)

Daimler's summerhouse (Cannstatt)
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Daimler's summerhouse (Cannstatt)

After leaving Deutz-AG, Daimler and Maybach began to work together. In 1882, they moved back to Stuttgart in Southern Germany, purchasing a cottage in Cannstatt's Taubenheimstrasse, with 75,000 Gold marks from the compensation from Deutz-AG. In the garden, they added a brick extension to the roomy glass-fronted summerhouse and this became their workshop. Eventually, their activities alarmed the neighbours who called the police and reported them as suspected counterfeiters. The police obtained a key from their gardener and raided the house in their absence, but found only engines.

In 1890 Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft (Daimler Engines Company) or DMG, was founded with Maybach as Chief Designer. Its purpose was the construction of small, high speed engines for use on land, water and air transport. The three uses is the basis for the modern Mercedes-Benz logo of a three-pointed star.

Daimler and Maybach spent long hours debating how best to fuel Otto's Four-Stroke design, and turned to a byproduct of petroleum. The main distillates of petroleum at the time were lubricating oil, Kerosene (burned as lamp fuel), and Benzene (now known as Gasoline or Petrol), which up to then was used mainly as a cleaner and was sold in pharmacies.

The Grandfather Clock Engine (1885)

In late 1885, Daimler and Maybach developed the first of their engines which is often considered the prototype of all modern petrol engines. It featured: In 1885, they created the first carburetor which mixed gasoline with air allowing its use as fuel. In the same year Daimler and Maybach assembled a new and bigger version of their engine, still relatively compact, but now with vertical cylinder: It was baptized the Grandfather Clock (Standuhr), because Daimler's thought that it resembled an old pendulum clock.

In the same time, Karl Benz had built a three wheeled automobile in 1885 and was granted a patent for this first automobile, dated January 29, 1886.

Soon after this in November 1885, Daimler installed a smaller version of his engine in a wooden bicycle, creating the first motorcycle (Patent 36-423: "Vehicle with gas or petroleum drive machine"). It was named the "riding car" ("Reitwagen"). Maybach drove it for 3 kilometers along the river Neckar, from Cannstatt to Untertürkheim, reaching 12 km/h (7 mph).

On 8 March 1886, Daimler and Maybach secretly brought a stagecoach made by Wilhelm Wimpff & Sohn to the house, telling the neighbours that it was a birthday gift for Mrs. Daimler. Maybach supervised the installation of a larger 1.5 hp version of the Grandfather Clock engine into this. This "Motorwagen" became the first four wheeled vehicle to reach 16 km/h (10 mph). The engine power was transmitted by a set of belts. Like the motor cycle it was also tested on the road to Untertürkheim where nowadays the Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion is situated.

Daimler and Maybach also used the engine in other types of transport including:

They sold their first foreign licenses for engines in 1887 and Maybach went as company representative to the Paris World's Fair (1886 to 1889), to show their achievements.

IMAGE:zzzzzzus-Daimler-000.jpg|Grandfather´s clock engine (1885) IMAGE:zzzzzzus-Daimler-010.jpg|Replica of the first motorcycle (1885) IMAGE:zzzzzzus-Daimler-020.jpg|Daimler-Maybach motorized stagecoach (1886)

First Daimler-Maybach automobile (1889)

 Steel Wheel automobile 1889
1889 automobile
high speed four-stroke petrol engine
fuel vaporization
2 cylinders V-configured
mushroom shaped valves
water-cooled
4 speed toothed gearbox
pioneer axle-pivot steering system

Engine sales increased, mostly for boat use, and in June 1887, Daimler bought another property at Seelberg hill, Cannstatt. It was located some distance from the town on Ludwigstraße 67 because Cannstatt's mayor did not approve of the workshop which cost 30,200 gold marks. The new premises had room for 23 employees and Daimler managed the commercial issues while Maybach ran the Design Department.

In 1889, Daimler and Maybach built their first automobile that did not involve adapting a horse drawn carriage but was somewhat influenced by bicycle designs. Its was licensed to be built in France and presented in public in Paris in October 1889 by both inventors. The same year, Daimler´s wife, Emma Kunz, died.

Their agreed licenses to build Daimler engines around the world included:

Gottlieb Daimler´s \"pact with the devil\" and the Phoenix engine (1890 to 1900)

Daimler and Maybach were struggling financially with the company, they were not selling enough engines or making enough money from their patents. Two financiers and munitions makers, Max Von Duttenhofer and William Lorenz, along with the influential banker Kilian Steiner agreed to inject some capital and converted the company on 28 November 1890 into a public corporation named the Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft.

Many German historians consider that this was Daimler's "pact with the devil" [link]. DMG expanded, but it changed. The newcomers, not believing in automobile production, ordered the creation of additional stationary building capacity, and also considered merging DMG with Otto's Deutz-AG.

Daimler and Maybach preferred to produce automobiles and reacted against Duttenhofer and Lorenz. Maybach was denied a seat on the Board and on February 11, 1891, left the company. He continued his design work as a freelance in Cannstatt from his own house, with Daimler's support, moving to the closed Hermann Hotel in the autumn of 1892 using its ballroom and winter garden, employing 12 workers and 5 apprentices.

Gottlieb Daimler, at age 58, had heart problems and suffered a collapse in the winter of 1892/1893. His doctor prescribed a trip to Florence, Italy where he met Lina Hartmann, a widow 22 years his junior, and owner of the hotel where he was staying. They married on 8 July 1893, honeymooning in Chicago during its World Fair.

The disputes with Lorenz continued. Daimler attempted to buy 102 extra shares to get a majority holding but was forced out of his Technical Director post. The company was also in debt to the tune of 400,000 gold marks and threatened to declare bankruptcy if Daimler didn't sell them all his shares and all his personal patent rights from the previous 30 years. Daimler accepted the option, receiving 66,666 Gold-marks, resigning in 1893.

In 1894 in the Hermann Hotel, Maybach together with Daimler and his son Paul designed a third engine called the Phoenix and had DMG make it. It featured:

It became famous around the world and one fitted to a car won the petrol engine category of the first car race in history, the Paris to Rouen 1894.

The ill defined relationship between the inventors and DMG harmed the image of DMG's Technical Department. This continued until 1894 when the British industrialist Fredrick Simms made it a condition of his 350,000 mark purchase of a Phoenix license, which would stabilize the company finances, that Daimler now aged 60 should return. Gottlieb Daimler received 200,000 gold marks in shares, plus a 100,000 bonus. In 1895, the year DMG assembled its 1000th engine, Maybach also returned as Chief Engineer, receiving 30,000 in shares.

IMAGE:zzz-Phoenix1894.jpg|Third Daimler-Maybach engine: The Phoenix (1894) IMAGE:zz-Daim-MayB-1894.jpg|DMG Phoenix car of 1894 IMAGE:zzzzzzus-Daimler-030.jpg|DMG Phoenix car of 1896

Daimler's last months (1900)

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Gottlieb Daimler became unwell but still attended the design department with Maybach and Paul. He kept fighting to mass produce cars against the wishes of the chairmen. On 6 March, 1900 Daimler died from heart disease in Cannstatt, Stuttgart, at the age of 65, he was buried in Cannstatt's Uff Kirchhof cemetery.

Gottlieb Daimler left a quarter of his shares to his widow and four children. But under Duttenhofer's influence, DMG refused them the royalties from the French licences. Daimler's family finished as small shareholders with no great influence, though did later prevent Duttenhofer from becoming DMG's chairman.

After suffering in the post war economic crisis and under pressure from the banks, Daimler Motors decided to merge with Karl Benz's Benz & Cie., Rheinische Gasmotorenfabrik Mannheim in 1926, to form Daimler Benz AG. Gottlieb Daimler had never met Karl Benz.

Trivia

Image:Daimler logo.jpg|The logo of the British Daimler brand Image:zzz-BenzMerceBenz.jpg|1926 logo of Mercedes-Benz

See also

External links

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