Albert Fonó (born 2 July 1881 in

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

, d. 21 November 1972 in Budapest), a Hungarian

mechanical engineer Mechanical may refer to: Machine * Machine (mechanical), a system of mechanisms that shape the actuator input to achieve a specific application of output forces and movement * Mechanical calculator, a device used to perform the basic operations o ...

who was one of the early pioneers of

turbojet The turbojet is an airbreathing jet engine which is typically used in aircraft. It consists of a gas turbine with a propelling nozzle. The gas turbine has an air inlet which includes inlet guide vanes, a compressor, a combustion chamber, and ...

and

ramjet A ramjet is a form of airbreathing jet engine that requires forward motion of the engine to provide air for combustion. Ramjets work most efficiently at supersonic speeds around and can operate up to . Ramjets can be particularly appropriat ...

propulsion and was first to patent a ramjet engine and a turbojet engine in 1928 (granted in 1932). Fonó graduated from the József Technical University in Budapest in 1903 and travelled widely, gaining experience working for German, Belgian, French and Swiss manufacturers, before attaining his Ph.D. His main specialty was energetics. He had 46 patents in 20 topics of research, including a steam boiler and an air compressor for mines. In 1915 he devised a solution for increasing the range of

artillery Artillery consists of ranged weapons that launch Ammunition, munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sieges, and l ...

, comprising a gun-launched projectile combined with a ramjet propulsion unit. This was to make it possible to obtain a long range with low initial muzzle velocities, allowing heavy shells to be fired from relatively lightweight guns. Fonó submitted his invention to the

Austro-Hungarian Army The Austro-Hungarian Army, also known as the Imperial and Royal Army,; was the principal ground force of Austria-Hungary from 1867 to 1918. It consisted of three organisations: the Common Army (, recruited from all parts of Austria-Hungary), ...

but the proposal was rejected.* He summarised the essence of his innovation for the military officers: "The projectile stores chemical energy in the fuel it carries, instead of simple kinetic energy. On the way, the fuel is burned by the air flowing against it, the heat generated being converted into work, overcoming the air resistance. This not only overcomes the resistance but also allows the flying projectile to accelerate during the flight. It becomes possible to achieve a long range at a relatively low initial velocity and a high impact energy at the point of impact." After

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

Fonó returned to the subject of jet propulsion, in May 1928 describing an "air-jet engine" (now called a

) which he described as being suitable for high-altitude supersonic aircraft, in a German patent application. In an additional patent application he adapted the engine for subsonic speed. The patent was finally granted in 1932 after four years of examination (German Patent No. 554,906, 1932-11-02). From 1954 he was a corresponding member of the

Hungarian Academy of Sciences The Hungarian Academy of Sciences ( , MTA) is Hungary’s foremost and most prestigious learned society. Its headquarters are located along the banks of the Danube in Budapest, between Széchenyi rakpart and Akadémia utca. The Academy's primar ...

and received the Hungarian

Kossuth Prize The Kossuth Prize (, ) is a state-sponsored award in Hungary, named after the Hungarian politician and revolutionist Lajos Kossuth. The Prize was established in 1936, by the Hungarian National Assembly, to acknowledge outstanding personal and grou ...

in 1956 (awarded for outstanding merit in the cultural and artistic fields). In 1968 he became a corresponding member of the

International Academy of Astronautics The International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) is a Paris-based non-government association for the field of astronautics. It was founded in Stockholm, Sweden) on August 16, 1960, by Dr. Theodore von Kármán. It was recognised by the United Nation ...

. Finally, in 1960, the

American Rocket Society The American Rocket Society (ARS) began its existence on 4 April 1930, under the name of the American Interplanetary Society. It was founded by science fiction writers G. Edward Pendray, David Lasser, Laurence Manning, Nathan Schachner, and ot ...

reviewed his patents and acknowledged him as the inventor of the jet engine. He is remembered by the Albert Fonó Award, which is awarded by the Hungarian Astronautical Society.

Notes

References

External links

* http://www.mszh.hu/feltalalok/fono.html - biography on the Hungarian Patent Office's website (in Hungarian). * https://www.sztnh.gov.hu/en/hungarian-inventors-and-inventions/albert-fono - a briefer version of the above, in English. 1881 births 1972 deaths 20th-century Hungarian inventors Engineers from Budapest Jet engine pioneers Members of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences Ramjet engines {{hungary-engineer-stub