Person Ricardo; Sir; Harry Ralph (1885 - 1974); mechanical engineer Ricardo Harry Ralph Sir mechanical engineer 1885 - 1974 British Male 13 Bedford Square, London, England, United Kingdom 26 January 1885 18850126 King Edward VII Hospital, Midhurst, Sussex, England, United Kingdom 18 May 1974 19740518

Woodside, Graffham, in Sussex, England, United Kingdom (1945)

Mechanical engineer Mechanical engineering Engineering Education: Rugby School (1898–1903); Trinity College, Cambridge BA (Cantab ) (1903–7) Career: Gained his first patent, for a 2-stroke engine, "Improvements in or relating to Internal Combustion Engines" (1906); joined Rendel and Robertson (later Rendel, Palmer, and Tritton), his grandfather's firm as an inspector of machinery (1907); then head of a department for designing the specialised mechanical equipment needed for large civil engineering projects; classified in a reserved occupation (1914); designed aero-engines made by Brotherhood and Beardmore (1915); consulting engineer to the mechanical warfare department (1916); on the death of his grandfather, he launched his own company with the help of a three-year contract from the Asiatic Petroleum Company for research on fuels and detonation (1917); consulting engineer in aero-engines to the Air Ministry (1918); the company was named Ricardo Company (1920); pioneered four-valve high-performance combustion systems in a Triumph motorcycle (1921); formed Ricardo Consulting Engineers in Shoreham-by-Sea (1927); designed the prototype Rolls-Royce Crecy engine, seen as the peak of aircraft piston engine development (1940); hired by the US Department of Energy to research the Stirling engine as a car engine (1978). Honours: Kt 1948 Memberships: AMICE MIAE Institution of Mechanical Engineers (President 1944–5) Parents: Halsey Ralph Ricardo (1854–1928), architect, descendant of the brother of David Ricardo, economist, and Catherine Jane, daughter of Sir Alexander Meadows Rendel, civil engineer. Spouse: (m. 1911) Beatrice Bertha (d. 1975), daughter of Charles Bowdich Hale, their family doctor. Children: Three daughters. Investigated fuels, liquid and gaseous as affecting performance of high speed Internal Combustion Engines, for which he invented variable compression engines. Applied discoveries to motor, aero and tank engines. Medals and prizes: Rumford Medal 1944 Lectures: Bakerian 1947 Fellow 02/05/1929 44 William Henry Eccles Arthur Smithells Richard Threlfall Thomas Henry Holland Frederick Edwin Smith Richard Tetley Glazebrook William Ernest Dalby Robert Robertson Thomas Henry Tizard Ernest George Coker Albert George Hadcock Alan Archibald Campbell Swinton Charles Algernon Parsons Dugald Clerk Sources: Bulloch's Roll; DNB Obituaries: Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society 1976 vol 22 pp 359-380, plate, by Sir William Hawthorne ©Godfrey Argent Studio International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families - ISAAR(CPF) - Ottawa 1996 ISBN 0-9696035-3-3 National Council on Archives, Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsbm.1976.0016 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/action/doSearch?ContribAuthorRaw=Ricardo%2C+Harry+Ralph RCN 20285 RCN 20286 https://pictures.royalsociety.org/results?mi_search_type=adv&mi_adv_search=yes&adv_person_id=AUTH7144 26 Jan 1885 - 18 May 1974 The past Fellows entries are under continuous revision. If you have queries or additional information to contribute, please contact Library@royalsociety.org. Content in external sources is not controlled by the Royal Society and historical sources may include content that is now unacceptable. Reviewed on 30/07/2025 as part of the Name Authority Project update. NA704 21/11/2001 Andyg Pmab 08/09/2025 RS_NET\VirginiaM Yes 90e3a81f-2726-4e25-8936-5fb6ee790c5c