Apple bulb incandescent lamp. © Inventions and inventors of Russia. The last years of the inventor's life

For a long period of time, many Western European representatives of various fields of science spread deliberately false information about our country and our people. According to them, it turned out that among the Russians there could not be at least some worthy masters or scientists. At one time, such a slanderous fiction even went around: "There can be neither scientists nor artists among Russians."

This lie has firmly entered the minds of many of our compatriots, not to mention those who live in the West. This situation is maintained deliberately, forcing many to believe that the best technical innovations and achievements of science are entirely the merit of Western scientists and craftsmen.

As one of the serious and impartial Western researchers of that time, the historian Geinetsky, wrote back in 1711: “The Russian people for centuries had the misfortune that anyone could freely spread the most absurd absurdities about them all over the world without fear of meeting objections.”

But it is worth taking a closer look at what was created, discovered or investigated, as it turns out that Russian scientists and inventors were in many ways the first, opening the way for further research.

We should dwell on the creation of the most important of all known methods of lighting, to which Russian innovators of technology made their great contribution.

At the origins of the study of the possibility of electric lighting, the first place belongs to V.V. Petrov, who as early as 1802 established that with the help of an electric arc, “dark peace can be quite clearly illuminated”.

The contribution of our leaders in the history of electric lighting is so great that in the seventies XIX years in. special names appeared abroad.

“La lumiere russe” - “Russian Light”, “La lumiere du Nord” - “Northern Light”, - this is how the French called electric lighting when its first sources were created that received practical application. This name is justified: the French were the first abroad who began to use suitable devices for electric lighting. They received these devices from Russian hands. They became "electric candles" Pavel Nikolaevich Yablochkov (1847-1894).

"Russian Light" was created, taking into account all the previous searches of different peoples.

March 23, 1876 in Paris, P.N. Yablochkov received patent No. 112024 for the "electric candle" he invented. This "candle" can be considered the prototype of the modern arc lamp. The conductor of electricity in the "candle" was two carbon plates, which were separated by an insulating insert.

Unlike his predecessors, who used special mechanisms to adjust the distance between the ends of the coals at the point of formation of an electric arc, Yablochkov removed all these mechanisms and placed two carbon rods parallel to each other, separating them with a kaolin insulating insert. When burning, the "candle" became shorter, but the distance between the coals remained constant. The "candle" gave a bright light for quite a long time.

Such an "electric candle" was cheap, and its manufacture was not difficult. Demonstrated in Paris at the World Exhibition in 1878, Yablochkov's lighting system was an exceptional success. It began to be used in London, then in Berlin, then the light of the "candle" reached St. Petersburg.

"Russian Light" by Pavel Yablochkov

Until 1877, there were only 80 regularly operating electric lamps worldwide. In 1878, after the success at the World Exhibition, Yablochkov's "candle" increased their number to 500.

One of the first places in Russia illuminated by "Yablochkov's candles" were: the bulkhead workshop of the capsule department of the Okhtensky plant, Liteyny Bridge. By 1880, about 500 electric lamps were installed in Russia.

In such a short time, Yablochkov actually proved the possibility of mass use of electric lighting systems.

In addition, while working on the "candle", P.N. Yablochkov solved many problems of paramount importance for the subsequent development of electrical engineering.

Starting with use in your candles direct current, Yablochkov soon decided to use alternating current, which gives uniform combustion of both coals. To power candles with alternating current, the electrical engineer Gramm built an alternating current dynamo. It became the first practical AC dynamo.

A remarkable Russian electrical engineer was one of the first to use alternating current.

Having made a real revolution in the mass use of electrical systems lighting, the “Yablochkov candle” then quickly left the stage, giving way to a new electric incandescent lamp created by A.N. Lodygin.

And although "Yablochkov's candles" have given way to incandescent lamps, we still use the fruits of Yablochkov's creativity. Before him, the lot of electrical engineering was: the telegraph, galvanoplasty, individual attempts to use electric lighting. He created the mass application of electric lighting, was the first to use alternating current in practice, and worked on the creation of the first transformers. It should be remembered that the first electric light that illuminated Paris was P.N. Yablochkov.

On March 23, 1876, Russian engineer Pavel Yablochkov received a patent for his invention, which he himself called "electric candle". Essentially new lighting fixture was the world's first electric light bulb. Humanity has entered the era of electric light.

The so-called "electric candle" was discovered by Russian engineer Pavel Yablochkov back in 1875. The revolutionary lighting device consisted of two carbon plates separated by a porcelain insert. These plates served as a conductor of electricity that heated the arc. The invention was made back in Russia, in a Moscow laboratory, which the inventor created at his own expense. But as it often happened in the history of our fatherland, the ingenious invention did not find any support or application in the homeland.

Soon Yablochkov ended up in Paris, where he completed the design of an electric candle. "Electric candle" was the first electrical source Sveta. On March 23, 1876, a Russian electrical engineer received French patent No. 112 024 for her invention, containing short description candles in their original forms and the image of these forms.

Yablochkov presented his brainchild at the exhibition of physical instruments, held on April 15, 1876 in London. On low metal pedestals, Yablochkov placed four of his candles, wrapped in asbestos and located at a great distance from each other. The current from the dynamo, which was in the next room, was connected to the lamps by wires. By turning the handle, the current was switched on, and immediately a very bright, slightly bluish electric light flooded the vast room.

The success of the Yablochkov candle turned out to be absolutely stunning. The world press was full of headlines: "The invention of the Russian retired military engineer Yablochkov is a new era in technology"; "Northern light, Russian light - a miracle of our time"; "Russia is the birthplace of electricity", etc.

In many countries of the world, companies for the commercial exploitation of "Yablochkov candles" were founded. They appeared on sale and began to disperse in huge numbers. Each candle cost about 20 kopecks and burned for 1.5 hours. After this time, I had to insert a new one into the lantern. Subsequently, lanterns with automatic replacement of candles were invented.

In February 1877, the fashionable shops of the Louvre in Paris were illuminated with electric lights. Twenty-two arc coal lamps of alternating current - "Yablochkov's candles" - replaced two hundred gas jets. It was a real sensation. Then Yablochkov's candles flared up on the square in front of the opera house. And in May 1877, for the first time, they illuminated one of the most beautiful highways of the French capital - Avenue de l'Opera.

London followed suit. On June 17, 1877, Yablochkov's candles lit up the West India Docks in London, a little later - part of the Thames embankment, Waterloo Bridge, the Metropol Hotel, Gatfield Castle, Westgate sea beaches.

Almost simultaneously with England, Yablochkov's candles flared up in the trading office of Julius Michaelis in Berlin. The new electric lighting is conquering Belgium and Spain, Portugal and Sweden with exceptional speed. In Italy, they illuminated the ruins of the Colosseum, National Street and Colon Square in Rome, in Vienna - Folskgarten, in Greece - Falerno Bay, as well as squares and streets, seaports and shops, theaters and palaces in other countries.

Soon the "Russian light" lit up city streets, shops and theaters around the world. This invention marked the beginning of the practical use of electric charge for lighting purposes.

Pavel Yablochkov was born in 1847 in the family estate in the Serdobsky district of the Saratov province. The family was not very rich, but was able to give their children a good upbringing and education.

There is little information about childhood and adolescence in Yablochkov's biography, but it is known that he had an inquisitive mind, good abilities, loved to build and design.

After home education, Pavel entered the Saratov gymnasium in 1862, where he was considered an able student. His studies at the gymnasium did not last long, since he left for St. Petersburg. Here he entered the preparatory boarding school, which was led by a military engineer and composer Caesar Antonovich Cui. The preparatory boarding school helped Pavel Nikolaevich enter the Military Engineering School in 1863.

Unfortunately, the military school did not fully satisfy the future engineer, with his varied technical interests. In 1866, having received the rank of second lieutenant, he was sent to the 5th sapper battalion of the engineering team of the Kyiv fortress. The new position and work did not provide any opportunities for the development of creative forces, and at the end of 1867 Yablochkov resigned.

Of great interest to the engineer Yablochkov was the use of electricity in practice. But in Russia at that time there were no special opportunities to replenish knowledge in this direction. The only place in Russia where they studied electrical engineering was the Officers' Galvanic Classes. For a year, Pavel Yablochkov, again in an officer's uniform, mastered the course of the school. Here he studied military minecraft, subversive technology, the design and use of galvanic cells, and military telegraphy.

Yablochkov perfectly understood the prospects for the development of electricity in military affairs and in everyday life. Unfortunately, the conservatism of the military environment fettered his opportunities and interests. At the end of his mandatory year of service, he resigns and begins his civilian work as an electrical engineer.

The most active use of electricity was on the telegraph, and Pyotr Nikolaevich immediately got a job as the head of the telegraph service of the Moscow-Kursk railway. It was here that he had to face various issues of practical electrical engineering, which worried him very much.

Other engineers also showed interest in electrical engineering. The Moscow Polytechnic Museum became a place where enthusiasts of this business gathered. In the museum, Pavel Nikolayevich was able to do practical experiments. Here he met with the outstanding Russian electrical engineer V. N. Chikolev, from whom he learned about the experiments of A. N. Lodygin in the design of incandescent lamps. This line of work captured Pavel Nikolaevich so much that he abandoned his work on the railway.

Yablochkov created a workshop for physical instruments in Moscow. His first invention was an electromagnet of an original design. However, the workshop could not give material well-being. Things were going badly.

Pavel Nikolaevich rescued an order for the installation of electric lighting for the railway track from a steam locomotive - for the safety of the royal family's journey to the Crimea. The work was completed successfully and, in fact, became the world's first project for electric lighting on railways.

Nevertheless, the lack of funds forced Yablochkov to suspend work on the application arc lamps, and he decided to go to America to the Philadelphia Exhibition, where he was going to present his electromagnet to the public. We only had enough money to get to Paris. Here the inventor met with the famous mechanical designer Academician Breguet. Yablochkov began working in his workshop, which was engaged in the design of telegraphs and electrical machines. In parallel, he continued experiments related to the arc lamp project.

His arc lamp, published under the name "electric candle", or "Yablochkov's candle", completely changed approaches in the technique of electric lighting. It became possible to widely use electric current, in particular for practical needs.

On March 23, 1876, the engineer's invention was officially registered in France and later in other countries. The Yablochkov candle was easy to manufacture and was an arc lamp without a regulator. In the same year, at the exhibition of physical instruments in London, Yablochkov's candle became the "highlight of the program." The whole world believed that this invention of the Russian scientist opened a new era in the development of electrical engineering.

In 1877, Yablochkov came to Russia and offered the Russian military ministry to take into operation his invention. He did not meet any interest from military officials and was forced to sell the invention to the French.

Time has shown that electric lighting has won gas. At the same time, Yablochkov continued to work on improving electric lighting. New projects appeared, in particular, a “kaolin” light bulb, the glow of which came from refractory bodies.

In 1878, Yablochkov returned to his homeland again. This time, interest in his work was shown by different circles of society. Funding sources were also found. Pavel Nikolayevich had to re-create workshops and engage in commercial activities. The first installation illuminated the Liteiny Bridge, and in a short time similar installations appeared everywhere in St. Petersburg.

He put a lot of work on the creation of the first Russian electrical magazine "Electricity". The Russian Technical Society awarded him its medal. Nevertheless, external signs of attention were not enough. There was still not enough money for experiments and projects, Yablochkov again left for Paris. There he completed and sold his dynamo project and began to prepare for the first world electrical exhibition in Paris in 1881. At this exhibition, Yablochkov's inventions received the highest award, they were recognized out of competition.

In subsequent years, Pavel Nikolayevich received a number of patents for electrical machines: magneto-electric, magneto-dynamo-electric, for an electric motor, and others. His work in the field of galvanic cells and batteries reflected the depth and progressiveness of the engineer's ideas.

Everything that Yablochkov did is a revolutionary path for modern technology.

In 1893 he once again returned to Russia. Upon arrival, he became very ill. Arriving at home, in Saratov, he settled in a hotel, as his estate fell into decay. No material improvements were foreseen. March 31, 1894 Pavel Nikolayevich died.

Nowadays, it is hard to imagine that the word "electrical engineering" was not known only about 100 years ago. It is not so easy to find a pioneer in experimental science as in theoretical science. It is written in textbooks: the Pythagorean theorem, Newton's binomial, the Copernican system, Einstein's theory, the periodic table ... But not everyone knows the name of the one who invented the electric light.

Who created a glass cone with metal hairs inside - an electric light bulb? It is not easy to answer this question. After all, it is associated with dozens of scientists. In their ranks is Pavel Yablochkov, whose brief biography is presented in our article. This Russian inventor stands out not only for his height (198 cm), but also for his work. His work marked the beginning of lighting with electricity. It is not for nothing that the figure of such a researcher as Yablochkov Pavel Nikolaevich still enjoys authority in the scientific community. What did he invent? The answer to this question, as well as many other interesting information about Pavel Nikolaevich, you will find in our article.

Origin, years of study

When Pavel Yablochkov (his photo is presented above) was born, there was cholera in the Volga region. His parents were frightened by the great plague, so they did not carry the child to the church for baptism. In vain, historians tried to find the name of Yablochkov in church records. His parents were small landowners, and Pavel Yablochkov's childhood passed quietly, in a large landowner's house with half-empty rooms, a mezzanine and orchards.

When Pavel was 11 years old, he went to study at the Saratov gymnasium. It should be noted that 4 years before that, Nikolai Chernyshevsky, a freethinker teacher, left this educational institution in St. Petersburg cadet corps. Pavel Yablochkov did not study at the gymnasium for long. After some time, his family became very impoverished. There was only one way out of this situation - a military career, which has already become a real family tradition. And Pavel Yablochkov went to the Pavlovsk Royal Palace in St. Petersburg, which was called the Engineering Castle after its residents.

Yablochkov - military engineer

The Sevastopol campaign at that time was still in the recent past (not even ten years had passed). It showed sailor prowess, as well as the high art of domestic fortifiers. Military engineering in those years was at a premium. General E. I. Totleben, who became famous during the Crimean War, personally nurtured the engineering school, where Pavel Yablochkov was now studying.

His biography of these years is marked by living in the boarding house of Caesar Antonovich Cui, an engineer-general who taught at this school. He was a talented specialist and even more gifted composer and musical critic. His romances and operas live on today. Perhaps it was these years spent in the capital that were the happiest for Pavel Nikolaevich. Nobody pushed him, there were no patrons and creditors yet. Great insights had not yet come to him, however, there were no disappointments that later filled his whole life.

The first failure befell Yablochkov when, at the end of his studies, he was promoted to second lieutenant, sent to serve in the Fifth Sapper Regiment, which belonged to the Kyiv fortress garrison. Battalion reality, which Pavel Nikolayevich met, turned out to be a little like the creative, interesting life of an engineer that he dreamed of in St. Petersburg. The military from Yablochkov did not work out: a year later he quit "due to illness."

First introduction to electricity

After that, the most unsettled period began in the life of Pavel Nikolaevich. However, it opens with one event that turned out to be very important in his future fate. A year after the resignation, Pavel Nikolaevich Yablochkov suddenly finds himself in the army again. His biography after that went in a completely different way ...

The future inventor is studying at the Technical Electroplating Institute. Here his knowledge in the field of "galvanism and magnetism" (the word "electrical engineering" while we have already said did not yet exist) expands and deepens. Many famous engineers and young scientists in their youth, like our hero, circled through life, trying on, looking closely, looking for something, until they suddenly found what they were looking for. Then no temptation could lead them astray. In the same way, 22-year-old Pavel Nikolaevich found his calling - electricity. Yablochkov Pavel Nikolaevich devoted his whole life to him. The inventions made by him are all related to electricity.

Work in Moscow, new acquaintances

Pavel Nikolaevich finally leaves the army. He went to Moscow and soon headed the department of the telegraph service of the railway (Moscow-Kursk). Here he has a laboratory at his disposal, here you can already test some, albeit still timid, ideas. Pavel Nikolaevich also finds a strong scientific community that unites natural scientists. In Moscow, he learns about the Polytechnic Exhibition, which has just opened. It presents the latest achievements of domestic technology. Yablochkov has like-minded people, friends who, like him, are passionate about electric sparks - tiny man-made lightning! With one of them, Nikolai Gavrilovich Glukhov, Pavel Nikolayevich decides to open his own "business". This is a universal electrical workshop.

Moving to Paris, candle patent

However, their "case" has collapsed. This happened because the inventors Glukhov and Yablochkov were not businessmen. In order to avoid a debt prison, Pavel Nikolayevich urgently travels abroad. In the spring of 1876, in Paris, Pavel Nikolaevich Yablochkov received a patent for an "electric candle". This invention would not exist if it were not for previous advances in science. Therefore, we will briefly talk about them.

The history of lamps before Yablochkov

Let's make a small historical digression dedicated to lamps in order to explain the essence of the most important invention of Yablochkov, without getting into the technical jungle. The first lamp is a torch. It has been known to mankind since prehistoric times. Then (before Yablochkov), first a torch was invented, then further - a candle, after some time - a kerosene lamp and, finally, a gas lantern. All these lamps, with all their diversity, are united by one general principle: something inside them burns when combined with oxygen.

Invention of the electric arc

V.V. Petrov, a talented Russian scientist, in 1802 described the experience of using galvanic cells. This inventor received an electric arc, created the world's first electric artificial light. Lightning is natural light. Mankind has known about him for a long time, another thing is that people did not understand his nature.

Modest Petrov did not send his work written in Russian anywhere. It was not known about it in Europe, so for a long time the honor of discovering the arc was attributed to the chemist Davy, the famous English chemist. Naturally, he knew nothing about Petrov's achievement. He repeated his experience 12 years later and named the arc after Volta, the famous Italian physicist. It is interesting that she has absolutely nothing to do with A. Volta himself.

Arc lamps and the inconveniences associated with them

The discovery of a Russian and an English scientist gave impetus to the emergence of fundamentally new arc electrodes. Two electrodes approached them, an arc flashed, after which a bright light appeared. However, the inconvenience was that the carbon electrodes burned out after a while, and the distance between them increased. Eventually, the arc went out. It was necessary to constantly bring the electrodes closer together. Thus, a variety of differential, clock, manual and other adjustment mechanisms appeared, which, in turn, required vigilant observation. It is clear that each lamp of this kind was an extraordinary phenomenon.

The first incandescent lamp and its disadvantages

The French scientist Jobar suggested using an electric incandescent conductor for lighting, rather than an arc. Shanzhi, his compatriot, tried to create such a lamp. A. N. Lodygin, a Russian inventor, brought it "to mind". He created the first practical incandescent light bulb. However, the coke rod inside her was very fragile and delicate. In addition, insufficient vacuum was observed in the glass flask, so he quickly burned this rod. Because of this, in the mid-1870s, it was decided to put an end to the incandescent lamp. The inventors returned to the arc again. And it was then that Pavel Yablochkov appeared.

electric candle

Unfortunately, we do not know how he invented the candle. Perhaps the thought of it appeared when Pavel Nikolayevich was tormented with the regulators of the arc lamp he had installed. For the first time in the history of railways, it was installed on a steam locomotive (a special train that went to the Crimea with Tsar Alexander II). Perhaps the sight of the arc that suddenly flared up in his workshop sunk into his soul. There is a legend that in one of the Parisian cafes, Yablochkov accidentally put two pencils side by side on the table. And then it dawned on him: there is no need to bring anything together! Let the electrodes be close, because the fusible insulation that burns in the arc will be installed between them. Thus, the electrodes will burn and shorten at the same time! As they say, everything ingenious is simple.

How Yablochkov's candle conquered the world

Yablochkov's candle was really simple in its design. And this was her great advantage. For businessmen who are not versed in technology, its meaning was available. That is why Yablochkov's candle conquered the world with unprecedented speed. Its first demonstration took place in the spring of 1876 in London. Pavel Nikolaevich, who had recently run away from creditors, returned to Paris already. The campaign for the exploitation of patents belonging to him arose instantly.

A special factory was founded, which produced 8,000 candles daily. They began to illuminate the famous shops and hotels of Paris, the indoor hippodrome and the opera, the port in Le Havre. A garland of lanterns appeared on Opera Street - an unprecedented sight, a real fairy tale. Everyone had "Russian light" on their lips. He was admired in one of the letters by P. I. Tchaikovsky. Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev also wrote to his brother from Paris that Pavel Yablochkov had invented something completely new in the field of lighting. Pavel Nikolaevich noted later, not without pride, that electricity spread throughout the world precisely from the French capital and reached the courts of the king of Cambodia and not vice versa - from America to Paris, as they say.

"Fading out" of the candle

Amazing things marked the history of science! The entire electric lighting engineering of the world, headed by P. N. Yablochkov, for about five years, triumphantly moved, in essence, along a hopeless, false path. The candle festival did not last long, as did the material independence of Yablochkov. The candle did not “extinguish” immediately, but it could not withstand the competition with incandescent lamps. Contributed to this significant inconvenience that she had. This is a decrease in the luminous point during the combustion process, as well as fragility.

Of course, the work of Svan, Lodygin, Maxim, Edison, Nernst and other inventors of the incandescent lamp, in turn, did not immediately convince mankind of its advantages. Auer in 1891 installed his cap on a gas burner. This cap increased the brightness of the latter. Even then, there were cases when the authorities decided to replace the installed electric lighting with gas. However, already during the life of Pavel Nikolayevich, it was clear that the candle invented by him had no prospects. What is the reason why the name of the creator of the "Russian world" is firmly inscribed in the history of science to this day and has been surrounded by respect and honor for more than a hundred years?

The value of Yablochkov's invention

Yablochkov Pavel Nikolaevich was the first to approve electric light in the minds of people. The lamp, which was very rare only yesterday, has already approached man today, has ceased to be some kind of overseas miracle, convinced people of its happy future. The turbulent and rather short history of this invention contributed to the solution of many urgent problems that faced the technology of that time.

Further biography of Pavel Nikolaevich Yablochkov

Pavel Nikolaevich lived a short life, which was not very happy. After Pavel Yablochkov invented his candle, he worked a lot both in our country and abroad. However, none of his subsequent achievements influenced the progress of technology as much as his candle. Pavel Nikolayevich put a lot of work into the creation of the first electrical engineering magazine in our country called "Electricity". He began to appear in 1880. In addition, on March 21, 1879, Pavel Nikolaevich read a report on electric lighting in the Russian Technical Society. He was awarded the Society's medal for his achievements. However, these signs of attention were not enough for Pavel Nikolaevich Yablochkov to be given good conditions work. The inventor understood that in the backward Russia of the 1880s there were few opportunities for the implementation of his technical ideas. One of them was the production of electrical machines, which were built by Pavel Nikolaevich Yablochkov. short biography his again marked by a move to Paris. Returning there in 1880, he sold a patent for a dynamo, after which he began preparations for participation in the World Electrical Exhibition, held for the first time. Its opening was scheduled for 1881. At the beginning of this year, Pavel Nikolaevich Yablochkov devoted himself entirely to design work.

A brief biography of this scientist continues with the fact that Yablochkov's inventions at the 1881 exhibition received the highest award. They deserve recognition outside of the competition. His authority was high, and Yablochkov Pavel Nikolaevich became a member of the international jury, whose tasks included reviewing the exhibits and deciding on the awarding of awards. It should be said that this exhibition itself was a triumph for the incandescent lamp. Since that time, the electric candle gradually began to decline.

In subsequent years, Yablochkov began to work on galvanic cells and dynamos - generators of electric current. The path that Pavel Nikolayevich followed in his works remains revolutionary in our time. Successes on it can usher in a new era in electrical engineering. Yablochkov no longer returned to the light sources. In the following years, he invented several electrical machines and received patents for them.

The last years of the inventor's life

In the period from 1881 to 1893, Yablochkov conducted his experiments in difficult material conditions, in continuous work. He lived in Paris, completely surrendering to the problems of science. The scientist skillfully experimented, applied many original ideas in his work, going in unexpected and very bold ways. Of course, he was ahead of the state of technology, science and industry of that time. The explosion that occurred during the experiments in his laboratory almost cost Pavel Nikolaevich his life. The constant deterioration of the financial situation, as well as heart disease, which progressed all the time - all this undermined the strength of the inventor. After a thirteen-year absence, he decided to return to his homeland.

Pavel Nikolayevich left for Russia in July 1893, but fell very ill immediately upon arrival. He found such a neglected economy on his estate that he could not even hope for an improvement in his financial situation. Together with his wife and son, Pavel Nikolaevich settled in a Saratov hotel. He continued his experiments even when he was sick and deprived of his livelihood.

Yablochkov Pavel Nikolayevich, whose discoveries are firmly inscribed in the history of science, died of heart disease at the age of 47 (in 1894), in the city of Saratov. Our homeland is proud of his ideas and works.

("Science and Life" No. 39, 1890)

Of course, all readers know the name of P. N. Yablochkov, the inventor of the electric candle. Every day the question of electric lighting of cities and large buildings is more and more put forward in the queue, and in this matter the name of Yablochkov occupies one of the prominent places among electrical engineers. Placing his portrait in this issue of the journal, let's say a few words about the life of the Russian inventor, the essence and significance of his invention.

Pavel Nikolaevich Yablochkov was born in 1847 and received his initial education at the Saratov Gymnasium. At the end of the course in it, he entered the Nikolaev Engineering School, where he graduated with the rank of second lieutenant, and then was enrolled in one of the battalions of the Kyiv engineer brigade. Soon he was made head of the telegraph office on the Moscow-Kursk railway and here he thoroughly studied all the subtleties of electrical engineering, which gave him the opportunity to make an invention that made so much noise - an electric candle.

To understand the meaning of this invention, let's say a few words about electric lighting systems.

All devices for electric lighting can be divided into two main groups: 1) devices based on the principle of a voltaic arc, and 2) incandescent lamps.

To produce light by incandescence, electricity passed through very bad conductors, which therefore become very incandescent and emit light. Incandescent lamps can be divided into two sections: a) incandescence is carried out with air access (Renier and Verdeman lamps); b) incandescence is carried out in a vacuum. In Renier and Verdemann lamps, current flows through a cylindrical coal; since coal quickly burns out when exposed to air, these lamps are very inconvenient and are not used anywhere. Now exclusively incandescent lamps are used, the device of which, in general, is very simple. The ends of the wires are connected by means of a carbon thread and inserted into a glass flask or vial, from which the air is pumped out with the help of a mercury pump almost to perfect emptiness. Here the advantage is achieved that the carbon thread (usually very thin), although it heats up very strongly, can serve up to 1200 hours or more, almost without burning out, due to the absence of air. All systems of vacuum incandescent lamps differ from each other only in the way the carbon filament is processed and in the shape that the filaments are given. In the Edison lamp, the threads are made from charred bamboo wood fibers, while the threads themselves are bent in the shape of the letter U. In the Swan lamp, the threads are made from cotton paper and bent in a loop of one and a half turns. In Maxim's lamp, the filaments are made from charred Bristol cardboard and bent into an M. Gérard prepares the filaments from pressed coke and bends them at an angle. Kruto deposits coal on a thin platinum filament, etc.

Lamps with a voltaic arc are based on the well-known physics phenomenon of the voltaic arc, which Humphry Davy first observed back in 1813. Passing through two coals a current from 2000 zinc-copper pairs, he received between the ends of the coals a fiery tongue of an arched shape, which he gave the name of a voltaic arc. To obtain it, you must first bring the ends of the coals together until they touch, since otherwise there will be no arc, no matter what the current strength; coals move away from each other only when their ends are heated. This is the first and very important inconvenience of the voltaic arc. An even more important inconvenience arises with further combustion. If the current is constant, then the coal connected to the positive pole is consumed twice as much as the other coal connected to the negative pole. In addition, a depression (called a crater) forms at the end of the positive angle, while the negative one retains a sharp shape. With a vertical arrangement of coals, a positive coal is always placed at the top in order to use the rays reflected from the concave surface of the crater (otherwise the rays would disappear when going up). With alternating current, both coals retain a sharp shape and burn in the same way, but there is no reflection from the upper coal, and therefore this method is less profitable.

From here, the shortcomings of systems with a voltaic arc are clearly visible. Before lighting such lamps, it is necessary to bring the ends of the coals together, and then rearrange the ends of the coals during the entire burning process as they burn. In a word, almost every lamp had to be assigned a person to monitor the combustion. It is clear that such a system is completely unsuitable for lighting, for example, entire cities and even large buildings. To eliminate these inconveniences, many inventors began to invent mechanical regulators, so that the coals would automatically approach each other as they burned, without requiring human supervision. Many very ingenious regulators have been devised (Serren, Jaspar, Siemens, Gramm, Bresch, Weston, Cans, etc.), but they have not helped the cause much. Firstly, they were extremely complex and ingenious, and secondly, they still did not achieve the goal very well and were very expensive.

While everyone was thinking up only various subtleties in regulators, Mr. Yablochkov came up with a brilliant idea, at the same time so simple that it is simply amazing how no one had attacked her before. How easy it was to open the chest can be seen from the following diagram:

a B C _______ d d _______ e f _______ h

a B C D- the old system of voltaic arc; electric current flowed through a and G, the arc was between b and in; the task of the inventors was to regulate the distance between b and in, which varied according to the current strength, quality and size of coals ab and vg, etc. It is obvious that the task was cunning and difficult, where one cannot do without a thousand screws, etc.

The right half of the diagram represents an ingenious solution to the problem made by Yablochkov. He arranged the coals in parallel; current enters through the ends d and and. coals de and zhz separated by a layer of non-conductor; therefore, a voltaic arc is obtained between the ends e from . Obviously, if the intermediate layer is made of combustible material (non-conductive electricity) and if the current is alternating, then the ends e and h will burn evenly until all carbon plates de and zhz won't burn to the end. You don't need any regulators, no fixtures - the chest was more than easy to open! But the main sign of any ingenious invention lies precisely in the fact that it is very simple ...

As was to be expected, Yablochkov's invention was treated with distrust in Russia, and he had to go abroad. The first experience in large sizes was made on June 15, 1877 in London, in the courtyard West India Docks. The experiments were a brilliant success, and soon Yablochkov's name spread throughout Europe. At present, many buildings in Paris, London, etc. are illuminated according to the Yablochkov system. At present, in St. Petersburg there is a large “Association of Electric Lighting and the Manufacturing of Electrical Machines and Apparatus in Russia” under the firm of P. N. Yablochkov the Inventor and Co. .-Petersburg, Bypass Canal, No. 80). At present, Mr. Yablochkov has made many improvements to his system, and his candles are now as follows.

The diameter of the coals is 4 mm; the insulating (intermediate) substance is called columbin. Initially, columbine was made from kaolin (china clay), but now it has been replaced with a mixture equal parts lime sulphate and barite sulphate, which is very easily cast into molds, and at the temperature of a voltaic arc turns into vapor.

It has already been said above that when igniting, the ends of the coals must be connected. At Yablochkov, the ends of the coals in the candle are separated by columbine, and, therefore, the problem of connecting them had to be solved. He solved it very simply: the ends of the candles are dipped in coal dough, which quickly burns out and lights the candle, which continues to burn even with the help of columbine.

It goes without saying that Yablochkov candles require alternating current so that both coals burn evenly.

One of the important drawbacks of the Yablochkov system was that the candles had to be changed frequently when they burned out. Now this drawback has also been eliminated - by the arrangement of candlesticks for several candles. As soon as the first candle burns out, the second lights up, then the third, and so on. To illuminate the Louvre (in Paris), Mr. Clario invented a special automatic switch for Yablochkov's system.

Yablochkov's candles are excellent for lighting workshops, shipyards, shops, railway stations, etc. In Paris, except for the Louvre, shops are illuminated according to the Yablochkov system. du Printemps”, the Continental Hotel, the Hippodrome, the workshops of Farko, Gouin, the factory in Ivry, etc. In Moscow, the area near the Cathedral of Christ the Savior and the Stone Bridge, many factories and factories, etc. are illuminated using the same system.

In conclusion, it is impossible not to recall the history of this invention once again without a feeling of extreme bitterness. Regrettably, but in Russia there is no place for Russian inventors until they receive a foreign stigma. The inventor of the most ingenious method of electrical soldering of metals, Mr. Benardos, long and unsuccessfully pushed through the doors of the Russian capitalists, until he achieved success in Paris. Yablochkov would still "vegetate in obscurity" if he had not been to London and Paris. Even Babaev received the stigma of fitness in America ...

There is no prophet in his own country. These words sum up the life of the inventor Pavel Yablochkov in the best possible way. By level scientific and technological progress Russia second half of XIX century in some areas noticeably lagged behind the leading European countries and the United States. Therefore, it was easier for compatriots to believe that everything ingenious and advanced comes from afar, rather than being born in the minds of scientists working next to them.

When Yablochkov invented the arc lamp, he first of all wanted to find a use for it in Russia. But none of the Russian industrialists took the invention seriously, and Yablochkov went to Paris. There he improved the design with the support of a local investor, and success came almost immediately.

After March 1876, when Yablochkov received a patent for his lamp, "Yablochkov's candles" began to appear on the main streets of European capitals. The press of the Old World praises our inventor. “Russia is the birthplace of electricity”, “You must see Yablochkov’s candle” - European newspapers of that time were full of such headlines. La lumiere russe("Russian light" - as the French called Yablochkov's lamps) was rapidly spreading through the cities of Europe and America.

Here it is - success in the modern sense. Pavel Yablochkov becomes a famous and rich man. But the people of that generation thought differently - and far from the concepts of worldly success. Foreign fame was not what the Russian inventor was striving for. Therefore, after the end of the Russian-Turkish war, he committed an act unexpected for our modern perception. He bought from the French company, which invested his work, for one million francs (!) the right to use his invention in his native country and went to Russia. By the way, a colossal amount of a million francs - this was the entire fortune accumulated by Yablochkov due to the popularity of his invention.

Yablochkov thought that after the European success he would have a warm welcome in his homeland. But he was wrong. Of course, Yablochkov's invention was now treated with more interest than before his departure abroad, but the industrialists this time were not ready to appreciate Yablochkov's candle.

By the time the material about Yablochkov was published in the pre-revolutionary "Science and Life" la lumiere russe started to fade. In Russia, arc lamps have not become widespread. In advanced countries, they have a serious competitor - an incandescent lamp.

The development of incandescent lamps was carried out with early XIX century. One of the founders of this direction was the Englishman Delarue, who as early as 1809 received light by passing current through a platinum spiral. Later, our compatriot, retired officer Alexander Lodygin, created an incandescent lamp with several carbon rods - when one burned out, the other automatically turned on. Through constant refinement, Lodygin managed to raise the life of his lamps from half an hour to several hundred hours. It was he who was one of the first to pump out air from the bulb of the lamp. The talented inventor Lodygin was an unimportant entrepreneur, so he played a rather modest role in the history of electric lighting, although he undoubtedly did a lot.

The most famous character in the history of electricity was Thomas Alva Edison. And it should be recognized that the glory of the American inventor came deservedly. After Edison began developing the incandescent lamp in 1879, he conducted thousands of experiments, spending on research work more than 100 thousand dollars - a fantastic amount for those times. The investment paid off: Edison created the world's first incandescent lamp with a long life (about 1000 hours), suitable for mass production. At the same time, Edison approached the matter systematically: in addition to the incandescent lamp itself, he developed in detail the systems of electric lighting and centralized power supply.

As for Yablochkov, in the last years of his life he led a rather modest life: the press forgot about him, and entrepreneurs did not turn to him either. The grandiose projects of arranging world capitals were replaced by more modest work on the creation of an electric lighting system in Saratov, the city where he spent his youth and where he now lives. Here Yablochkov died in 1894 - unknown and not rich.

For a long time it was believed that Yablochkov's arc lamps were a dead end branch in the evolution of artificial lighting. However, at some point, the brightness of arc lamps was appreciated by car companies. The Yablochkov candle was revived at a new technological level - in the form of gas-discharge lamps. Xenon lamps, which are installed in the headlights of modern cars, are in some way a highly improved Yablochkov candle.