DONÁT BÁNKI (1859 - 1922)

Donát Bánki was born in the village of Bánk, in the county of Veszprém. He took his degree in architecture at the Budapest Technical University, where he later lectured between 1899 and 1922.

Bánki and János Csonka were co-founders of engine manufacturing in Hungary. As proven by their joint patents, their cooperation met with considerable success, particularly in the training workshop of the University . They patented for the petrol engine in 1888 and the carburettor in 1893. The Bánki - Csonka motors were mass produced by the Ganz & Partner Iron Foundry and Engineering Works, where Donát Bánki had worked for 16 years between 1882 and 1899, first as a designer, then as chief engineer. During this period he started to develop his own inventions. In 1894 he patented his high-pressure combustion engine and upgraded it with injected water cooling. This was followed by the front wheel drive car in 1902, the steam turbine in 1903 and the water turbine in 1917 which allowed the mini hydropower station to be developed. Among the many hundreds of them completed at that time, a few remain operational even today!

In 1911 he was elected corresponding member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. His interest in technical matters was far-reaching and versatile. He published many articles, e. g. on the Bill of Patents.

Between 1891 and 1919 he was one of the assessors of the Patent Council. In 1887 and 1892 he received the Hollán Prize from the Association of Hungarian Engineers and Architects, which was awarded yearly to the author of the most significant essay on a technical subject.

The carburettor of Bánki - Csonka