Nicolaus Otto
Nicolaus August Otto was born on the 10th of June 1832 in Holzhausen an der Haide, Germany. He was the youngest of six children and lost his father before he turned one year old. School records show he began education in 1838 but never completed high school studies at Langenschwalbach. His academic record noted good performance despite leaving early to pursue a business apprenticeship instead. After three years of training, he moved to Frankfurt to work as a grocery salesman for Philipp Jakob Lindheimer. This role required him to travel across Western Germany selling coffee, tea, rice, and sugar. The daily grind of colonial goods sales did not match his growing interest in science and technology. He worked for various companies including IC Alpeter and later Carl Mertens by 1860. These travels exposed him to different mechanical ideas while he remained a traveling merchant.
In late autumn of 1860, Nicolaus Otto and his brother learned about a novel gas engine built by Jean Joseph Etienne Lenoir in Paris. They decided to build a copy of this Lenoir engine using their own resources. The brothers applied for a patent in January 1861 for a liquid fueled version based on the original design. Their application went to the Prussian Ministry of Commerce but received an immediate rejection. Otto had been aware of compressed fuel charge concepts since before that date. He attempted to create an engine using compression principles in 1861. That machine ran for only a few minutes before breaking apart completely. His brother gave up on the concept after the failure. Otto then sought help from Cologne Mechanic Michael J. Zons between 1862 and 1863. Running low on funds during this period, he returned to work for Carl Mertens to continue funding his research.
Early in 1864, Nicolaus Otto sought investors to fund his ongoing research efforts. He found Eugen Langen whose father was a sugar industrialist with deep pockets. Together they entered into a partnership agreement on the 31st of March 1864. They named their new firm NA Otto & Cie located in Cologne. This became the world's first company focused entirely on designing internal combustion engines. The resulting 1864 Otto & Langen engine used free piston atmospheric pressure for power generation. It consumed less than half the gas required by earlier Lenoir or Hugon models. By 1875 the company produced 634 engines per year showing strong commercial success. Despite these sales figures, the design hit a technical dead end as an atmospheric engine. Each unit required significant headroom to operate while producing limited power output. Production of the atmospheric engine eventually stopped after 2649 units were made in 1882.
Otto turned his attention back to the four stroke cycle concept he had failed to perfect in 1862. Franz Rings and Hermann Schumm joined the company through the influence of Gottlieb Daimler. These two men helped Otto succeed in creating the compressed charge four-stroke engine. Their work resulted in the Rings-Schumm engine appearing in autumn 1876. This model was immediately successful compared to previous attempts. It marked the first commercially successful engine to use in-cylinder compression technology. The Association of German Engineers later defined this specific design as the standard Otto Engine. The term Otto cycle now applies to all compressed charge four-cycle engines regardless of manufacturer. Nicolaus Otto only sold his engine as a stationary motor for industrial use. He did not initially see potential for vehicle applications despite future developments.
Nicolaus Otto held many patents from several different nations covering various features. His former manager Gottlieb Daimler wanted to build small engines for transportation purposes instead. Otto showed no interest in these mobile applications when Daimler proposed them. Daimler left the company taking Maybach with him to pursue independent goals. He had no desire to pay royalties to Otto's firm Deutz AG. A hired lawyer found a patent issued to Beau de Rochas in 1862 for the same concept. This prior patent allowed Daimler to sell engines without paying any royalty fees. Neither Otto nor Daimler were aware of the Rochas patent before the legal dispute arose. Rochas never built an actual engine and likely could not have done so at that time. Several other inventions like those by Marcus or Barsanti used two stroke cycles without compression.
Over 50,000 engines were produced during the seventeen years following the initial introduction. The 1864 atmospheric engine won the gold medal at the 1867 World Exhibition in Paris. In 1882 Nicolaus Otto received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Würzburg. His home has since been turned into a museum promoted by local government officials. Professor Nagël declared in 1936 that DIN Standard 1940 would define Ottomotor as all engines compressing fuel mixtures. This standard replaced terms like explosion motor or detonation engine used previously. Production milestones included the relocation of the company to larger facilities in 1872. The firm changed its name to Deutz Gasmotoren Fabrik during this expansion phase. Otto invented electric ignition technology in 1884 adding another layer to his legacy. His son Gustav Otto grew up to become an aircraft builder continuing the family engineering tradition.
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Common questions
When and where was Nicolaus Otto born?
Nicolaus August Otto was born on the 10th of June 1832 in Holzhausen an der Haide, Germany. He was the youngest of six children and lost his father before he turned one year old.
What did Nicolaus Otto invent that changed engine technology?
Nicolaus Otto invented the compressed charge four-stroke engine which appeared in autumn 1876 as the Rings-Schumm engine. This model marked the first commercially successful engine to use in-cylinder compression technology and became known as the standard Otto Engine.
Who partnered with Nicolaus Otto to form NA Otto & Cie?
Eugen Langen partnered with Nicolaus Otto to establish NA Otto & Cie on the 31st of March 1864 in Cologne. Their firm became the world's first company focused entirely on designing internal combustion engines.
Why did Gottlieb Daimler leave Nicolaus Otto's company?
Gottlieb Daimler left Nicolaus Otto's company because Otto showed no interest in mobile applications for small engines while Daimler wanted to build them for transportation purposes. Daimler departed taking Maybach with him to pursue independent goals without paying royalties to Deutz AG.
When did Nicolaus Otto receive an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Würzburg?
Nicolaus Otto received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Würzburg in 1882. His home has since been turned into a museum promoted by local government officials.