Cart Kyuno

In 1769, the French inventor Kunho tested the first prototype of a steam engine machine ^[1] , known as the “Small Carto Kunho” (the first tested model was exhibited in a museum in Paris ), and in 1770 - the “Large Carto Cuigno”. The inventor himself called it the "Fiery Cart" - it was intended to tow artillery pieces.

The second option 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 .

The Kunho Cart is considered the forerunner of not only a car, but also a steam locomotive , as it was driven by steam . The steam cart Kunho (fardier à vapeur de Cugnot) had a drive on a single front wheel. However, apparently, its controllability was unimportant, which was the cause of the world's first car accident: during testing, the inventor lost control, and the miracle of technology of the 18th century demolished the wall of the Arsenal. True, some authors ^[2] question the fact of the accident. In 1794, Cunho was taken to the Paris Museum of Arts and Crafts , where he is still in excellent condition.

In 1764, Cuignot received an official order from the French Minister of War Marquis de Choiselle to create a steam tractor for the needs of artillery. In October 1769, Kunho first demonstrated his car 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 made on the ground under the boiler. After the steam pressure rose to the proper level, the car 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 underneath. Despite the shortcomings, the engine was very interested in the Minister of War and he ordered Kunho a larger and more powerful machine.

April 22, 1770 was presented the next machine for testing. The steam boiler mechanism 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 a wall and it collapsed. In July 1771 the car was repaired, but at that time the minister, who patronized Kunho, was in disgrace at court and the work of Kunho was stopped. Kunho was thus deprived of the necessary financial support.

• Total length: 7.25 m
• Total width: 2.19 m (other sources 2.3 m)
• Wheelbase: 3.08 m
• Front-wheel drive car with front-engine layout
• Drive wheel with a diameter of 1.23 m (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.
• Diameter of rear wheels: Larger diameter than the front wheel, similar to the front.
• Distance between rear wheels: 1.75 m
• Engine - two-cylinder, steam,
• Cylinder diameter - 325 mm,
• Piston stroke - 378 mm
• wall thickness 9 mm,
• Diameter of the boiler: 1.5 m (according to other sources 1.34 m)
• Boiler height: 0.98 m
• Diameter of the furnace: 1 m
• Fire chamber fill well height: 0.30 m
• Fuel is firewood
• Weight - 2.8 tons
• Payload - 5 t
• Speed ​​- 3-4 km / h.
• Maximum rotation angle: 15 degrees left and right

Cunho Design

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

The transmission of the car was performed in a very unusual way. 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 using the mechanism into the rotational movement of the front drive wheel. Pistons were connected to each other by a beam, thanks to which the movement of levers in opposite directions was ensured. There was no crank mechanism on the machine. The front wheel was equipped with a ratchet mechanism and was rotated 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 travel both forward and backward, depending on what position the latch in the mechanism is in. The idea of ​​front-wheel drive appeared along with the idea of ​​a car and was logical, because the horse was harnessed in front of the cart. The Kunho cart had a drive on a single front wheel, and the engine and transmission were located on a metal subframe that had the form of a grip, which also served as a front wheel fork. This arrangement of the power unit caused a good load on the drive wheel, which was advantageous from the point of view of achieving high traction qualities necessary to perform the main function of the “steam cart” - an artillery tractor (or rather a steam truck for transporting cannon trunks). The rear of the vehicle was designed to accommodate a cannon barrel that was attached to the bottom of the frame.

For its time, the project was revolutionary. The problem for the inventor was the general underdevelopment of the technology of the 18th century. Almost every structural element was made from scratch. The steam engine was a modified version of Newcomen's steam-atmospheric engine, which had not previously been used to drive vehicles. The transmission was a unique mechanism, possibly borrowed from a clockwork. The suspension was a primitive version of the cart. The working brake system was absent at all. 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 assembly layout. Without any automation of the steam unit’s operation, the only option for ensuring the engine’s trouble-free operation would be the inclusion of a driver and a stoker in the crew, which in the following self-propelled means with a steam engine was due to the integration of the engine compartment with the control compartment. In general, the car was not suitable for operation in real road conditions as a tractor and was an experimental demonstration model.

In several museums in the world you can see copies of the Kunho cart - in France, Italy, the USA.

241 years later, in 2010, a copy of the Kunyo cart was built by the joint efforts of students from the Arts et Métiers ParisTech institute, the French Grande école (an unofficial organization of the Big Schools that include prestigious universities in the country) and the village of Voua-Vacon (Void- Vacon). This copy worked perfectly, confirming the test results of 1769 and thereby proving that the concept was quite viable. This copy was exhibited at the 2010 Paris Motor Show. She is currently represented by a local organization in the village of Kunho, in Vua Vacon.

Ferry cart