- A Place for turbocharger information
Today, the turbocharger is common in cars as a convenient way to give an engine more power while improving its efficiency.
Turbochargers work by taking advantage of the way an internal combustion engine operates. Air is drawn into the engine, where it is mixed with fuel, compressed and ignited by a spark plug (or, in the case of diesel engines, by the heat of the air itself). This fundamental process is how engines generate their power stroke. Turbochargers force dense air into the engine, so that it produces a more powerful explosion when it ignited. This is known as forced induction, and is the fundamental principle behind turbocharging. Turbochargers can be added to existing engines, and so they offer a simple alternative to a drastic redesign of the engine in cases where added power is needed. Unlike superchargers, which are driven by the engine itself, turbochargers get power from the vehicle's exhaust, thus making use of wasted energy and turning it into usable power.
The turbocharger was invented by Swiss engineer Alfred Büchi. His patent of 1905 was for a turbocharger meant to be used on aircraft so that the thinner air at higher altitudes could still be used to provide ample power for stable flight. World War I brought increased need for aviation technology, and the turbocharger was the center of much attention in the engineering world. Private and commercial aviation in the 1920s and '30s also took advantage of turbochargers.
Fuel efficiency began to drive the use of turbochargers following the energy crisis of the 1970s. Into the 1980s and 1990s, turbocharged four-cylinder engines took the place of many large V8 engines that consumed far more fuel, produced more emissions and had no significant advantage in power over the smaller turbo.
Turbocharger motorcycles began to appear in the 1980s as well. Here the turbo was especially useful because of its low weight, allowing riders to buy and build motorcycles with more power but not larger, heavier engines. Turboprop aircraft are still in use today, generally in situations where jets are too large or costly.
The 1970s and 1980s are known as the Turbo Era in Formula 1 racing. Race teams invested their research and design efforts into new turbocharger designs that would give them a competitive advantage. These efforts were largely successful, with speeds increasing dramatically. The success of certain race teams led others to follow suit and soon turbos became the norm rather than the exception in F1 racing. The sport's officials started placing restrictions on the amount of power that could be generated by a turbocharger in an attempt to ensure driver safety and foster a competitive balance. With such limitations in place, the hype surrounding turbochargers died down. By the end of the 1980s, the Turbo Era ended with an official turbo ban in F1 racing.