1843 The idea of using the explosion of a gaseous mixture caused by an electric spark to produce mechanical energy came to P. Barsanti when, in his early twenties, he taught at the Pious Schools of Volterra. Here, to demonstrate his experience to his students, he had handcrafted a "Volta's pistol”; the original is still preserved at the Civic Museum of VolterraBy repeating the experiment many times, he was able to understand that the explosive force of gaseous mixtures could be used as a motive force.
He also realized the need for further research to better understand the phenomenon and make its practical application possible. P. Barsanti, however, did not possess the technical skills to continue the experiments. Thus, towards the end of the 1851, began the collaboration with Felice Matteucci, specialized in mechanics, with whom he undertook a series of experiments aimed at conceiving a mechanism capable of transforming the explosive force into a regular, successive, uniform motion.
In 1853, the experiments having reached a good stage, the two inventors decided to illustrate the results obtained in a Conference proceedings On June 5th, they deposited it at the Accademia dei Georgofili in Florence, in a sealed envelope that was to be disclosed only later, upon their request. This fulfilled the need to demonstrate the work they had done and the results obtained in order to claim ownership of the invention, and at the same time protect them from use by others. The envelope was opened ten years later, on September 20, 1863, to support the priority of their invention in light of the advent of the Lenoir engine and the enormous outcry it had generated.
Probably in the same year 1863, another document was drawn up, the Ximenian Manuscript, which summarises everything the two inventors had achieved in their studies and which therefore represents a fundamental document for the reconstruction of the overall work.
The "Volta pistol" built by Barsanti
original preserved at the Civic Museum of Volterra
Il first engine prototype it was built in 1853: there is evidence of this in some invoices and letters from the Pietro Benini company of Florence, the engine only worked on an experimental basis, without any practical application.
Encouraged by the results obtained from the first prototype, Barsanti and Matteucci felt the need to patent their invention before others could copy its principles. So they began the process of obtaining a patent in England. The process was rather controversial; in 1854 they only got one temporary protection certificate which reported the No. 1072 and which was published in the Morning Journal under the title Specification of Eugène Barsanti and Felix Matteucci Obtaining Motive Power by the Explosion of Gases.
Following the achievement of the 1854 certificate, on 21 October of the same year they established theAssociation for the Construction of a New Engine, in order to make the best use of future patents and the fruits of the applications of the invention.
Drawing of the engine according to the English patent No. 1072 of 1854
Drawing of the engine according to the English patent No. 1655 of 1857
Un engine compliant with that described in the English certification n° 1072 it was built in 1856 and was put into operation at the Maria Antonia Railway workshops in Florence to transmit movement to a pair of scissors and a drill.
In 1857 Barsanti and Matteucci obtained the English Patent No. 1655 relating to the engine in two different construction solutions: with or without an auxiliary piston. These engines formed the basis on which, years later, the so-called Bauer engine was built, which brought success to the two scientists.
Starting from 1857 Barsanti and Matteucci began a collaboration with the mechanic from Forlì Giovanni Battista Babacci, who later joined the Company.
Following the suggestions of Babacci and Fathers Cecchi and Antonelli of the Ximenian Institute, in 1858 they turned to various workshops, including the Benini workshop in Florence, to create engines equipped with a horizontal cylinder and two opposing pistons, a solution that eliminated the problem of backlash.
This type of engine was covered by the Piedmontese patent no. 700 of 1858 and French patent no. 39730 of 1859.
Engine drawings according to French patent No. 39730 of 1859
Following the success of the Benini-built, opposed-piston engine, Barsanti and Matteucci decided to transform the Association into a joint-stock company to commercially exploit their designs.
So on October 14th 1859 was born the Barsanti and Matteucci New Engine Public Company, of which they were the technical directors.
In 1861 another was built by the Escher Wyss company of Zurich engine with two cylinders and opposed pistons, which satisfied the two inventors. It was presented at the first Exhibition of Arts and Manufactures in Florence, where it met with considerable success.
This prototype led to the achievement of the Piedmontese patent no. 1397 of 1861 and the subsequent British Patent No. 3270 of 31 December 1861. Further patents were obtained in France and Belgium in 1862.
Drawing of the engine according to the English patent No. 3270 of 1861
The Bauer engine
In 1863 the construction of the so-called was decided Bauer engine according to the model of English patent no. 1655 of 1857, that is, with an auxiliary piston and transmission of motion to a flywheel by means of a rack and pinion. The company entrusted the construction to the firm Bauer & Co., also known as Helvetica, of Milan, which completed the engine in early 1863. The assembly work was supervised only by P. Barsanti, as Matteucci had been seriously ill since March 1862, so much so that he was forced to resign as the company's technical director.
This engine was examined by the Royal Lombard Institute of Sciences, Letters and Arts: tests were carried out and a comparison was also made between the fuel consumption of this engine, that of the Lenoir engine and the steam engine. From the report published in the Proceedings of the Institute in July 1863The speakers stated that they fully understood the importance of the invention and further affirmed its priority over Lenoir's. The Royal Institute awarded Barsanti and Matteucci "the silver medal, with judgment suspended for a higher prize, subject to the outcome of further tests."
The success of the 1863 engine and the numerous requests it received prompted the inventors, also encouraged by the president of their company, to begin large-scale production of small-power engines. The John Cockerill Company of Seraing near Liège was chosen to mass-produce the engine.
In March 1864, P. Barsanti left for Belgium taking with him this machine, which aroused great admiration.
Unfortunately, series construction was not started due to the death of P. Barsanti, which occurred on April 19, shortly after his arrival in Seraing.
The machine, left with a trusted local person, was unfortunately destroyed, while the drawings were returned to Fathers Antonelli and Cecchi.
After the death of P. Barsanti, Matteucci, with the collaboration of the technician Babacci, resumed studies on possible improvements to be made to the engine.
After the appearance of the Otto and Langen engine, which occurred in 1867Matteucci repeatedly attempted to have the paternity of the invention recognized, without achieving any success.
In 1866 the Society was dissolved and Matteucci returned to his hydraulic studies.