René Lorin

Patent draft by René Lorin (1908)

René Lorin (* 1877 ; † 1933 ) was a French engineer and a student at the École Centrale Paris . He was the first to describe the functional principle of a ramjet engine (ramjet tube). His ideas were aimed at a subsonic ramjet engine, which he patented in 1908. He hadn't considered supersonic applications.

Lorin first published his work in 1913 in the technical journal Aérophile . He himself could not develop his ideas to the end, let alone implement them in a prototype, due to the lack of the speeds attainable at the time that would have been necessary for them to function.

The Lorin concept was further developed by René Leduc (1898–1968) , among others , who applied for a patent for his own ramjet in 1933 and came across Lorin's publications. An attempt to contact Lorin failed because he had already died at the time. Leduc then paid tribute to him.

Furthermore, Eugen Sänger (1905–1964) dealt with Lorin's work.

Individual evidence

1. ^ "Engines and Innovation: Lewis Laboratory and American Propulsion Technology" , history.nasa.gov.