Marquardt Corporation facts for kids
Marquardt Corporation was an aerospace engineering company. It started in 1944 as Marquardt Aircraft Company. The company first focused on developing the ramjet engine. Ramjets are a type of jet engine that works best at very high speeds.
Marquardt created many ramjet designs from the mid-1940s to the early 1960s. However, as ramjets became less common for military use, the company began working on other technologies. Over time, parts of Marquardt were sold or joined with other companies. By the 2000s, the name Marquardt was no longer used in the American aerospace industry.
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The Story of Marquardt
Roy Edward Marquardt was an engineering student. He graduated from Caltech in 1940. During World War II, he worked at Northrop Corporation on the Northrop YB-35 bomber. He noticed that engine heat could create useful thrust. This sparked his interest in ramjets.
In November 1944, Roy Marquardt started Marquardt Aircraft in Venice, California. His goal was to develop and sell ramjet engines. In the late 1940s, the company moved to Van Nuys, California. It was right next to the Van Nuys Airport.
Marquardt first built wind tunnels. But by the end of their first year, they delivered an experimental 20-inch (0.51 m) ramjet. The United States Navy used it for testing. The U.S. Army Air Forces bought two similar engines in 1946. They put them on the wingtips of a P-51 Mustang fighter for flight tests. The Navy also tested these engines on an F7F Tigercat and an XP-83.
Marquardt Aircraft also developed a helicopter. It used a special type of jet engine called a pulse-jet. This helicopter was built and flown, but it was never mass-produced.
Marquardt also helped start the James B. Lansing Company. This company made high-quality audio speakers known as "JBL". Marquardt took over JBL's operations for a short time. But JBL was sold off when Marquardt joined General Tire and Rubber Company in 1949. JBL speakers are still made today.
Growing and Joining Other Companies
In 1947, Martin built the Gorgon IV missile. It was a test missile powered by Marquardt's 20-inch engine. This missile flew at speeds of Mach 0.85 (almost the speed of sound). Later, a newer engine pushed speeds to Mach 0.9. Martin eventually won a contract to turn the Gorgon into a target drone. This led to Marquardt getting a contract for 600 more 20-inch engines.
In 1948, the United States Air Force received larger 30-inch (0.76 m) ramjet designs. They put them on the wingtips of a P-80 Shooting Star. This became the first aircraft to fly using only ramjets. Even larger 48-inch (1.22 m) ramjets were built.
That same year, Marquardt began making engines that could work at supersonic speeds. This means faster than the speed of sound. To do this, the air flowing into the engine must slow down for combustion. This is done using special shock waves inside the engine's inlet.
The company grew too big for its Venice plant. Roy Marquardt sold a large part of the company to General Tire and Rubber Company in 1949. He used the money to move to a new factory in Van Nuys. This factory used to belong to Timm Aircraft. General Tire later sold their share to Laurance Rockefeller in 1950.
In the early 1950s, many cruise missiles and target drones were being developed. These were often designed to be shot down or crash. So, they needed to be simple and low-cost, but also very fast. Ramjets were perfect for these roles. By 1952, Marquardt was working on projects like the Navy's Rigel missile and the Air Force's CIM-10 Bomarc anti-aircraft missile. The Lockheed X-7 test aircraft was built to test the Bomarc's new engine.
The X-7 missile broke many records. This led the Air Force to give Marquardt a contract for the BOMARC missile engines. Marquardt and the Air Force worked together to build a new factory. It was located near Great Salt Lake in Ogden, Utah. The factory opened in June 1957. By 1958, the engine was in full production. The X-7 continued to set records, reaching Mach 4.31. This was the fastest speed for an air-breathing vehicle at that time.
In 1958, Marquardt bought Associated Missile Products Company (AMPCO). This company designed and made radar simulators. These simulators were used to train pilots and radar operators. The Pomona Division, as it was called, created simulators for many weapon systems. By 1963, this electronics division made up one-third of Marquardt's total sales.
Also in 1958, Marquardt bought Cooper Development Corporation (CDC). CDC made high-altitude rockets. Cooper Development had helped with the missile that put the first U.S. satellite, Explorer 1, into orbit.
By 1959, the company's sales were very high. They had also bought several other smaller aerospace companies. One of these, Power Systems, led to designs for small rocket motors. These motors were used for positioning spacecraft. This became one of Marquardt's most important products in the 1960s. The main Van Nuys plant also researched new systems. This included a nuclear-powered ramjet for Project Pluto. They also worked on liquid air cycle engines (LACE).
Another new product was the ram-air turbine. These are small generators powered by air. They provide electricity to aircraft if the main engine fails. Marquardt also developed thrust reversers for jet engines. These help slow down an aircraft after landing. They also made afterburners, which give jets extra thrust. Because of all these different products, the company changed its name to Marquardt Corporation.
In 1962, Marquardt was allowed by the Southern Pacific Railroad to make a device. It was called the "Grade Crossing Predictor". This device was developed at Stanford University. Marquardt formed a new company, Marquardt Industrial Products Company (MIPCO). This company sold the computer to railroads around the world. It helped warning lights and gates at train crossings work better. They would lower based on the train's speed, not just a fixed distance. This helped reduce traffic jams.
In 1965, Marquardt merged with General Applied Science Laboratories, Inc. (GASL). GASL was founded by Antonio Ferri and Theodore von Kármán. Von Karman was a scientist who founded the JPL at Caltech. Antonio Ferri was an Italian aerospace scientist. He studied supersonic flight before World War II. He made many breakthroughs in hypersonic flight. This included Supersonic Combustion Ramjet (SCRAMJET) engines.
Small Rocket Engines
In 1962, North American Aviation chose Marquardt. They wanted Marquardt to provide the reaction control system engines for the Apollo program spacecraft. These engines helped the spacecraft move and turn in space. By 1970, Marquardt was known as the top company for small rocket engines. Almost all U.S. space vehicles and satellites used their designs. This included a big contract for the Space Shuttle program. The company developed and provided the 25 and 870-pound thrusters for the Space Shuttle.
Research and Development
In the late 1950s and 1960s, Marquardt was a hub for scientific research. Marquardt made big advancements in many areas. This included space propulsion, optics, and panoramic photography. They also worked on transportation, hypersonic flight, and water desalination. Roy Marquardt believed the company's main mission was to keep the United States first in technology. He kept many scientists and engineers on staff.
However, these large research costs affected Marquardt's profits. By 1964, the company hired a new president. The goal was to focus more on making money. This meant less new research and development. In 1966, the new president said he increased profits by cutting research that wasn't directly related to current products.
Ramjet Market Changes
By the mid-1960s, the need for ramjet engines had mostly disappeared. This was because turbojet engines improved. Also, rockets were seen as better for national defense. Marquardt continued some development on advanced ramjet designs. One idea was to put a solid fuel booster inside the ramjet. This would combine the booster and ramjet into one unit.
Marquardt used its skills in metal-forming to make other products. They made air inlets for the F-4 Phantom jet. They also made cases for the Polaris missile. Other products included leading-edge slats for the Lockheed L-1011 aircraft. They also made launch rocket motor cases for TOW missiles.
However, the company's sales were still lower than their peak in the early 1960s. This was due to the end of the Bomarc program.
Mergers, Sales, and Break-up
In 1964, John B. Montgomery became the new president. Roy Marquardt remained as chairman. The company slowly reduced its focus on research. Over time, parts of Marquardt were sold off.
In 1966, Marquardt sold its Pomona Electronics Division. It went to Conductron, a part of McDonnell Aircraft. Conductron later became McDonnell-Douglas Electronics.
In 1967, both Dr. Antonio Ferri and Roy Marquardt left the company. This ended the founders' connection with their firms.
In 1968, Marquardt merged with CCI Inc. in Tulsa, Oklahoma. They formed a new company called CCI-Marquardt. This merger allowed CCI to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange. After a few years, the company's name changed back to "CCI Inc." They then worked to sell off the rest of Marquardt.
Over the next few years, more parts of Marquardt were sold. In 1971, Marquardt Industrial Products Company (MIPCO) became part of Safetran Systems. This company is now part of Siemens Rail Systems.
In 1973, CCI created a company called CCI Life Products. This company was to develop a kidney dialysis machine. Marquardt scientists had invented this device while studying water purification for space missions. This company was later sold to Akzo NV.
Finally, in 1983, the rest of the company was bought by the ISC Defense and Space Group. In 1987, ISC was bought by British-based Ferranti.
Ferranti's Financial Troubles
In 1989, Ferranti faced major financial problems. This led to a plan to sell off some of the assets they had acquired. Ferranti declared bankruptcy in 1991.
In August 1991, one of Marquardt's main businesses was sold. This was the manufacturing of parts for Rockeye cluster bombs and other weapons. It was sold to a group of investors who formed a new company called Marquardt Manufacturing Inc. In December 1991, the other main business, a rocket-propulsion division, was sold to Kaiser Aerospace & Electronics Corp..
The original Marquardt Co. became mainly a landlord. It owned land and buildings near Van Nuys Airport. Marquardt Manufacturing Inc. later faced its own financial difficulties and disappeared.
Kaiser Aerospace bought the Marquardt Jet Laboratory. Kaiser later sold the rocket engine product line to Primex Technologies in 2000. Primex is now part of Aerojet Rocketdyne. Kaiser closed the Van Nuys plant in 2001.
With these sales, the name Marquardt completely disappeared from the American aerospace industry by 2000.
Products
Pulsejets
- Marquardt PJ40
- Marquardt PJ46
Ramjets
- Marquardt RJ30
- Marquardt RJ31
- Marquardt RJ34
- Marquardt RJ39
- Marquardt RJ43
- Marquardt RJ57
- Marquardt RJ59
Other
- Marquardt Space Sled
- Marquardt R-4D 100 lbf thrust reaction control engines. These were used on the Apollo Lunar Module and the Command Service Module. They were part of all the manned moon flights.
- Bigeye bomb, a binary chemical weapon
