Joseph-Armand Bombardier

See also: Bomber

Joseph-Armand Bombardier (Valcourt, April 16th, 1907 - February 18th, 1964) is an inventor Québécois. He in particular conceived the Motoneige.

Biography

Joseph-Armand Bombardier was born in an big family in the town of Valcourt, Quebec. His/her brothers helped it to direct its company, which left him time to be devoted to other mechanical innovations.

19 years old, it opens its own garage with Valcourt, where it repaired cars and sold gasoline during the three hot seasons of Quebec. The winter, he thinks of his project of building a vehicle able to circulate on snow. Before 1948, the Gouvernement of Quebec did not déneigeait the roads of the small towns. The inhabitants were to thus arrange their cars. Family practitioners, as all the people who were to move quickly, could not go easily to destination. During a snowstorm, it loses its young person wire, because it cannot go to the hospital before the conditions weather do not improve (the storm had lasted for a few days). This sad event more justifies it to develop its dream.

Bomber learned the majority from the things by itself, while reading, by taking notes, and by repairing what it could. It with the ambition to make winter one season when it is as easy to move as during the three other seasons. During the winter 1936 - 1937, it sells its first Autoneige S B7 (B for Bomber and 7 per seven passengers). B7 uses its patent of the Barbotin - caterpillar (1937), gears covered with rubber and caterpillars on the aft wheels. It is this system of traction partially out of rubber which makes instantaneously all the vehicles of Bomber highly more effective on snow than all the other metal tracked vehicles which can be invented at the time. B7 is a success, but it is not enough for the inventor.

While seeking to improve B7, he notices that there is snow which accumulates in the wheels. In 1940, it sells of B7 with disc wheels. In 1939, the factory of Valcourt is not enough any more to answer the request. A new factory is built in 1940, it has a capacity of 200 vehicles per year. In 1941, Bombardier develops the autoneige B12, which can transport to 12 people. The growing requests will be braked because of entry in war of Canada. On the other hand, later during the war, Bomber, having offered its services to the ministry for the Ammunition and the Provisioning, has to manufacture military vehicles for the Canadian army and its allied.

It settles then in a preexistent factory of Montreal to answer this request specifically, then leaves it at the end of the war. For this period, the factory of Valcourt produces the parts for the factory of Montreal, like some autoneiges civil , which helps the employees of its native area to survive. More: 1900 tracked vehicles intended for fine soldiers will be produced, according to concepts of Bomber, between 1942 and 1946.

The government of Quebec decides déneiger the roads in 1948 and Bombardier loses many local customers. It diversifies by manufacturing cross-country vehicles. The Muskeg , vehicle created for forest and mining industry, is an good example.

Dissatisfied of the rubber suppliers for the Muskeg , Bombardier starts to manufacture its own caterpillars. What makes possible the production of small Motoneige S for one or two people. When small engines reliable (but especially light) with two times appear in the Années 1950, Bombardier has finally all the hardware requirement for these small Motoneige S of which he dreamed for a long time. The first prototype appears in 1958, and the production begins in 1959. It sells little in the first times, approximately 200 units per year, but when it dies in 1964, the sales are of: 8200 units per year.

Honors

  • a boulevard of Montreal is called boulevard Armand-Bomber.
  • on September 11th, 1971, a museum is inaugurated in its honor in its native village of Valcourt.
  • With the beginning of the year 1990, Joseph-Armand Bombardier is elected in the Pantheon of the science of Canada.
  • on May 26th, 1995, two stamps representing of the vehicles of Joseph-Armand Bombardier are emitted by Postes Canada.
  • on March 17th, 2000, the government of Canada emitted a Timbre-poste in the honor of Joseph-Armand Bombardier.
  • on September 28th, 2004, the Autoroute 55 becomes the highway Joseph-Armand-Bomber.
viva the el tomo handled

Related articles

External bond

  • Museum J. Armand Bombardier or Museum J. Armand Bombardier

Random links:Rémuzat | Canton of Saint-Pardoux-the-River | Open of Tel Aviv | Davia Ardell | Tragedy of the community properties | Michael_O'Leary