Fardier de Cugnot

Cugnot's cart ( fr.  chariot à feu ( *fardier) de Cugnot* ) is a prototype car and steam locomotive that was built in France in 1769 by military engineer Nicolas Joseph Cugnot ( fr.  Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot ).

The first automobile of the inventor Nicolas Joseph Cugno ( 1769 )

 Chief designer
 Years of construction
 Total built

 Locomotive Width
 Wheel base of a steam locomotive
 Driving wheel diameter
 Design speed
 Steam engine
 Number of cylinders
 Cylinder diameter
 piston stroke

# History

In 1769, the French inventor Cugnot tested the first example of a steam-powered machine  , known as the "small Cugnot cart" (the first model that passed the test is on display in a museum in Paris ), and in 1770  - the "big Cugnot cart". The inventor himself called it the "Fiery Cart" - it was intended for towing artillery pieces.

The second version was built and tested at the end of 1770, but in December of the same year, the inventor and customer were sent into exile as supporters of the opposition. These developments were intended for the transportation of heavy military cargo (guns) and were more like a steam car .

"Cugno's cart" is considered the forerunner not only of the car, but also of the steam locomotive , since it was driven by steam power . Cugno's steam cart was driven by a single front wheel. However, apparently, its handling was unimportant, which caused the world's first car accident: during the tests, the inventor lost control, and the miracle of technology of the 18th century demolished the wall of the Arsenal. True, some authors  question the fact of the accident. In 1794, Cugnot's cart was rolled back to the Musée des Arts et Métiers in Paris , where it is still kept in excellent condition.

# Project history

In 1764, Cugnot received an official commission from the French Minister of War, the Marquis de Choiseul, to build a steam tractor for the needs of artillery. In October 1769 Cugnot demonstrated his machine for the first time in Paris. The steam boiler of this machine did not have a firebox, and in order to heat the water in it, a fire was lit on the ground under the boiler. After the steam pressure rose to the proper level, the machine set off. The steam pressure of the boiler was only enough for 12 minutes of operation. Then the steam boiler again had to be filled with water, and a fire was lit under it. Despite the shortcomings, the Minister of War was very interested in the engine, and he ordered Cugnot to have a larger and more powerful car.

On April 22, 1770, the next machine was presented for trial. The mechanism of the steam boiler of this machine already had its own firebox. At first, the demonstration of the device was successful, but at one point the control system jammed, as a result of which the unit crashed into the wall and it collapsed. In July 1771, the car was repaired, but at that time the minister who patronized Cugno fell into disgrace at court and Cugno's work was stopped. Cugno was thus deprived of the necessary financial support.

# Characteristics

* Total length: 7.25 m
* Overall width: 2.19 m (according to other sources 2.3 m)
* Wheelbase: 3.08 m
* Front-wheel drive car with front-engine layout
* The driving wheel is 1.23 m in diameter (according to other sources 1.28 m), the width of the wheel is 0.19 m. The wheel is made of wood with an iron hoop.
* Rear wheel diameter: Larger diameter than the front wheel, similar to the front wheel.
* Distance between rear wheels: 1.75 m
* Engine - two-cylinder, steam,
* Cylinder diameter - 325 mm,
* Piston stroke - 378 mm,
* wall thickness 9 mm,
* Boiler diameter: 1.5 m (according to other sources 1.34 m)
* Boiler height: 0.98 m
* Firebox diameter: 1 m
* Height of the bulk well of the furnace: 0.30 m
* Fuel - firewood,
* Weight - 2.8 t,
* Load capacity - 5 tons,
* Speed ​​- 3-4 km / h.
* Power reserve - 1 km.
* Maximum rotation angle: 15 degrees left and right

# Construction of the Cugno cart

The cart had a massive oak frame on three wheels. The wheels were without springs . The front wheel was guiding. A steam boiler was fixed above the front wheel.

The transmission of the car was performed in a very unusual way. The steam from the boiler was discharged into two cylinders with pistons. The pistons worked alternately while one of them rose, the other fell. The translational movement of the pistons in the cylinders was transformed by means of a mechanism into the rotational movement of the front drive wheel. The pistons were connected to each other by a rocker arm, which ensured the movement of the levers in opposite directions. There was no crank mechanism on the car. The front wheel was equipped with a ratchetand turned by two pushing levers, each of which alternately pressed the cutouts in the rims attached to both sides of the front wheel. Each push turned the wheel a quarter of a full turn. The cart could ride both forward and backward, depending on the position of the latch in the mechanism. The idea of ​​front-wheel drive appeared along with the idea of ​​a car and seemed logical, because the horse is harnessed in front of the wagon. Cunho's cart was driven to a single front wheel, and the engine and transmission were located on a metal subframe that had the shape of a grip, which also served as a front wheel fork. Such an arrangement of the power unit led to a good load on the drive wheel, which was beneficial in terms of achieving high traction qualities,steam truck for transporting cannon barrels). The rear of the vehicle was designed to accommodate a cannon barrel, which was attached to the bottom of the frame.

# Project evaluation

For its time, the project was revolutionary. The problem for the inventor was the general underdevelopment of 18th century technology. Almost every element of the structure was made from scratch. The steam engine was a modified version of the Newcomen steam engine , which had not previously been used to power vehicles. The transmission was a unique mechanism, perhaps borrowed from a clockwork. The suspension was a primitive version of the cart. Service brake systemwas absent altogether. The control system for such a heavy vehicle was primitive and assumed that the driver had extraordinary strength and endurance. The main problem was the primitiveness of the front-engine layout of the unit. Without any automation of the operation of the steam unit, the only option to ensure trouble-free operation of the engine would be to include a driver and fireman in the crew of the machine , which in the following self-propelled vehicles with a steam engine was due to the combination of the engine compartment with the control compartment. In general, the machine was not suitable for work in real road conditions as a tractor and was an experimental demonstrator.

# Copies

In several museums around the world you can see copies of Cugno's cart - in France, Italy, the USA.

241 years later, in 2010, a copy of Cugno's cart was built by the combined efforts of students from the Arts et Métiers ParisTech Institute , the French Grande école (an unofficial organization of the Big Schools , which includes the country's prestigious universities) and the village of Void-Vacon (Void-Vacon). This copy worked perfectly, confirming the test results of 1769 and thus proving that the concept was quite viable. This replica was exhibited at the 2010 Paris Motor Show. She is currently represented by a local organization in Cugno's home village, in Vois Vacon.