JENDRASSIK, György
* 13. 5. 1888, Budapest, Hungary
† 9. 2. 1954, London, United Kingdom
Mechanical engineer
J. studied at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the Technical University of Budapest and at the Technical University in Berlin Charlottenburg. He obtained his diploma in mechanical engineering in Budapest in 1922.
His professional journey began in the →Ganz factory in Budapest. His main task was to develop diesel engine with lower fuel consumption, which would be more stable than petrol engines. In 1927 he patented such an engine.
Even his four-cylinder engine which powered rail cars and was developed by him in 1928, gained a lot of success and was soon sold worldwide. Various patents of Ganz’s and J’s engines were purchased by various companies abroad which also began producing such engines. Later on he was active in improving gas turbines. Although he already in 1929 declared his first patent in this field, the first gas turbine operating with 73 kW of power and 21.2 % efficient functioning was made only in 1938. His promising attempts to produce large gas turbines for aircrafts had to be discontinued because of World War II.
In 1942 J. was promoted to managing director of the →Ganz factory and was the same year elected a correspondent member by the Hungarian Academy of Arts and Sciences. After the war he continued to manage the factory, but left the country and moved to England in fear of the communist takeover, which took place in 1947. He established and managed the company J. Developments Ltd. where he further developed his inventions.
