Ricardo, Harry Ralph

Lead Author: Cutler J. Cleveland (other articles)

This article has been reviewed and approved by the following Topic Editor: Peter Saundry (other articles)

Last Updated: December 5, 2006

Harry Ralph Ricardo (1885-1974) was an English engineer who played a leading role in the development of the internal-combustion engine. Ricardo graduated from the University of Cambridge Department of Engineering in 1906. His notable contributions include a patent for the two-stroke engine design, engines that would be used in the first tanks, research into the physics of internal combustion that led to the use of octane ratings, and the Diesel pre-combustion chamber that made high-speed diesel engines possible. During World War I and World War II, his work helped British forces because they had the advantage of technically superior engines.

Citation

Cleveland, Cutler (Lead Author); Peter Saundry (Topic Editor). 2006. "Ricardo, Harry Ralph." In: Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. Cutler J. Cleveland (Washington, D.C.: Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment). [Published in the Encyclopedia of Earth December 5, 2006; Retrieved November 7, 2009]. <http://www.eoearth.org/article/Ricardo,_Harry_Ralph>

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Ricardo, Harry Ralph