August Denayrouze (1837–1883) was an inventor of a demand valve for control of breathing air supply, and one of the inventors of a

diving suit A diving suit is a garment or device designed to protect a diver from the underwater environment. A diving suit may also incorporate a breathing gas supply (such as for a standard diving dress or atmospheric diving suit). but in most cases the te ...

, along with Benoît Rouquayrol. Espalion - Musée Joseph Vaylet - Auguste Denayrouze

Biography

Denayrouze was born on October 1, 1837, at Montpeyroux,

Aveyron Aveyron (; oc, Avairon; ) is a department in the region of Occitania, Southern France. It was named after the river Aveyron. Its inhabitants are known as ''Aveyronnais'' (masculine) or ''Aveyronnaises'' (feminine) in French. The inhabitants ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

, on the

Aubrac Aubrac is a small village in the southern Massif Central of France. The name is also applied to the surrounding countryside, which is properly called L'Aubrac in French. The Aubrac region has been a member of the Natura 2000 network since August 20 ...

plateau. In 1852, at the age of fifteen, he was admitted to the Naval School. He was promoted to lieutenant de vaisseau in 1862, and embarked on an expedition to

Cochinchina Cochinchina or Cochin-China (, ; vi, Đàng Trong (17th century - 18th century, Việt Nam (1802-1831), Đại Nam (1831-1862), Nam Kỳ (1862-1945); km, កូសាំងស៊ីន, Kosăngsin; french: Cochinchine; ) is a historical exony ...

(present-day Vietnam). He contracted a serious illness which rendered him unfit for service at sea. While recovering in the commune of

Espalion Espalion (; oc, Espaliu) is a commune in the Aveyron department in southern France. Population Sights *Château de Calmont d'Olt *The Pont-Vieux (Old Bridge) is part of the World Heritage Sites of the Routes of Santiago de Compostela in Fr ...

, Denayrouze met Benoît Rouquayrol, with whom he collaborated in several inventions. Since 1860, Rouquayrol took out three patents for equipment intended for mining emergencies, to supply miners with air in case of

firedamp Firedamp is any flammable gas found in coal mines, typically coalbed methane. It is particularly found in areas where the coal is bituminous. The gas accumulates in pockets in the coal and adjacent strata and when they are penetrated the releas ...

or flooding of the mine. Denayrouze investigated the possibility of adapting the

pressure regulator A pressure regulator is a valve that controls the pressure of a fluid or gas to a desired value, using negative feedback from the controlled pressure. Regulators are used for gases and liquids, and can be an integral device with a pressure setti ...

and developing it for underwater use. The two men thus designed and patented their "Rouquayrol-Denayrouze

" in 1864. This was the first diving suit that could supply air to the diver on demand. In the same year, the Imperial

French Navy The French Navy (french: Marine nationale, lit=National Navy), informally , is the maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the five military service branches of France. It is among the largest and most powerful naval forces in t ...

created a similar device. In February 1865, August Denayrouze created the "Rouquayrol-Denayrouze Society" to commercialize their inventions for sale to both the Navy and to private enterprises. The same year, he created the "French Society for Fish and Sponges Of The Eastern Mediterranean," based in Izmir, Turkey. Two years later, the Rouquayrol-Denayrouze diving apparatus was presented at the 1867

World's Fair A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition or an expo, is a large international exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specif ...

and won the gold medal. Jules Verne, who attended the exposition, discovered the invention with enthusiasm and chose it as the equipment for his fictional Captain Nemo and the crew of the Nautilus in the 1869 novel

20,000 Leagues Under The Sea ''Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas'' (french: Vingt mille lieues sous les mers) is a classic science fiction adventure novel by French writer Jules Verne. The novel was originally serialized from March 1869 through June 1870 in Pierre-J ...

. Verne paid homage to the inventors by mentioning them by name. In 1869, Denayrouze passed governance of the Society for Fish and Sponges to his brother,

Louis Denayrouze Louis may refer to: * Louis (coin) * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also Derived or associated terms * Lewis ( ...

, so that he could advance the commercial interests of the diving apparatus in the Eastern Mediterranean. In 1874, August Denayrouze dissolved both societies and created a single "Reunited Society for Mechanical Specialities," with his brother Louis as its director. Denayrouze died on 1 January 1883, aged 45, of illness.

References

External links

*
Musée du Scaphandre
(Diving Suit Museum), Escalion, France 1837 births 1883 deaths 19th-century French inventors People from Aveyron {{France-engineer-stub