Misplaced Pages

Chevrolet Kingswood

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.

The Chevrolet Kingswood was a 4-door station wagon produced by Chevrolet in 1959 and 1960, and again from 1969 to 1972 built on the GM B Body platform.

#870129

73-405: The Kingswood was deliberately made to be unique: the headlights were placed as low as the law would allow, and the cats eye tail lights were unique to this model. Its flat, wing shaped tailfins were identifiable from a distance. The car was built on a 119 in (3,000 mm) wheelbase and was 210 in (5,300 mm) long, which was 11 in (280 mm) longer than the 1957 model, making

146-415: A {\displaystyle a} is the acceleration (or deceleration if the value is negative). So, as is common experience, when the vehicle accelerates, the rear usually sinks and the front rises depending on the suspension. Likewise, when braking the front noses down and the rear rises. Because of the effect the wheelbase has on the weight distribution of the vehicle, wheelbase dimensions are crucial to

219-596: A south-pointing chariot , a vehicle with an early form of guidance system. The stagecoach , a four-wheeled vehicle drawn by horses, originated in 13th century England. Railways began reappearing in Europe after the Dark Ages . The earliest known record of a railway in Europe from this period is a stained-glass window in the Minster of Freiburg im Breisgau dating from around 1350. In 1515, Cardinal Matthäus Lang wrote

292-513: A wagonway , a predecessor of the railway, found so far was the 6 to 8.5 km (4 to 5 mi) long Diolkos wagonway, which transported boats across the Isthmus of Corinth in Greece since around 600 BC. Wheeled vehicles pulled by men and animals ran in grooves in limestone , which provided the track element, preventing the wagons from leaving the intended route. In 200 CE, Ma Jun built

365-433: A boost from high altitude winds. Compressed gas is currently an experimental method of storing energy. In this case, compressed gas is simply stored in a tank and released when necessary. Like elastics, they have hysteresis losses when gas heats up during compression. Gravitational potential energy is a form of energy used in gliders, skis, bobsleds and numerous other vehicles that go down hill. Regenerative braking

438-403: A deck with a long wheelbase, say 22 inches (55.9 cm), will respond slowly to turns, which is often desirable in high speeds. A deck with a short wheelbase, say 14 inches (35.6 cm), will respond quickly to turns, which is often desirable when skating backyard pools or other terrains requiring quick or intense turns. In rail vehicles, the wheelbase follows a similar concept. However, since

511-597: A description of the Reisszug , a funicular railway at the Hohensalzburg Fortress in Austria. The line originally used wooden rails and a hemp haulage rope and was operated by human or animal power, through a treadwheel . 1769: Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot is often credited with building the first self-propelled mechanical vehicle or automobile in 1769. In Russia, in the 1780s, Ivan Kulibin developed

584-853: A fact that the New York Times denied in error . Rocket engines can be particularly simple, sometimes consisting of nothing more than a catalyst, as in the case of a hydrogen peroxide rocket. This makes them an attractive option for vehicles such as jet packs. Despite their simplicity, rocket engines are often dangerous and susceptible to explosions. The fuel they run off may be flammable, poisonous, corrosive or cryogenic. They also suffer from poor efficiency. For these reasons, rocket engines are only used when absolutely necessary. Electric motors are used in electric vehicles such as electric bicycles , electric scooters, small boats, subways, trains , trolleybuses , trams and experimental aircraft . Electric motors can be very efficient: over 90% efficiency

657-671: A flight with an actual ornithopter on July 31, 2010. Paddle wheels are used on some older watercraft and their reconstructions. These ships were known as paddle steamers . Because paddle wheels simply push against the water, their design and construction is very simple. The oldest such ship in scheduled service is the Skibladner . Many pedalo boats also use paddle wheels for propulsion. Screw-propelled vehicles are propelled by auger -like cylinders fitted with helical flanges. Because they can produce thrust on both land and water, they are commonly used on all-terrain vehicles. The ZiL-2906

730-423: A gas station. Fuel cells are similar to batteries in that they convert from chemical to electrical energy, but have their own advantages and disadvantages. Electrified rails and overhead cables are a common source of electrical energy on subways, railways, trams, and trolleybuses. Solar energy is a more modern development, and several solar vehicles have been successfully built and tested, including Helios ,

803-468: A go around is needed. Parachutes are used to slow down vehicles travelling very fast. Parachutes have been used in land, air and space vehicles such as the ThrustSSC , Eurofighter Typhoon and Apollo Command Module . Some older Soviet passenger jets had braking parachutes for emergency landings. Boats use similar devices called sea anchors to maintain stability in rough seas. To further increase

SECTION 10

#1732779695871

876-515: A hot exhaust. Trains using turbines are called gas turbine-electric locomotives . Examples of surface vehicles using turbines are M1 Abrams , MTT Turbine SUPERBIKE and the Millennium . Pulse jet engines are similar in many ways to turbojets but have almost no moving parts. For this reason, they were very appealing to vehicle designers in the past; however, their noise, heat, and inefficiency have led to their abandonment. A historical example of

949-543: A human-pedalled, three-wheeled carriage with modern features such as a flywheel , brake , gear box and bearings ; however, it was not developed further. In 1783, the Montgolfier brothers developed the first balloon vehicle. In 1801, Richard Trevithick built and demonstrated his Puffing Devil road locomotive, which many believe was the first demonstration of a steam-powered road vehicle, though it could not maintain sufficient steam pressure for long periods and

1022-457: A shorter wheelbase vehicle represents a more concentrated load to the track than a longer wheelbase vehicle. As railway lines are designed to take a predetermined maximum load per unit of length (tonnes per meter, or pounds per foot), the rail vehicles' wheelbase is designed according to their intended gross weight. The higher the gross weight, the longer the wheelbase must be. Vehicle A vehicle (from Latin vehiculum )

1095-597: A solar-powered aircraft. Nuclear power is a more exclusive form of energy storage, currently limited to large ships and submarines, mostly military. Nuclear energy can be released by a nuclear reactor , nuclear battery , or repeatedly detonating nuclear bombs . There have been two experiments with nuclear-powered aircraft, the Tupolev Tu-119 and the Convair X-6 . Mechanical strain is another method of storing energy, whereby an elastic band or metal spring

1168-407: A special arrangement in which all four main wheels can be angled. Skids can also be used to steer by angling them, as in the case of a snowmobile . Ships, boats, submarines, dirigibles and aeroplanes usually have a rudder for steering. On an airplane, ailerons are used to bank the airplane for directional control, sometimes assisted by the rudder. With no power applied, most vehicles come to

1241-411: A stop due to friction . But it is often required to stop a vehicle faster than by friction alone, so almost all vehicles are equipped with a braking system. Wheeled vehicles are typically equipped with friction brakes, which use the friction between brake pads (stators) and brake rotors to slow the vehicle. Many airplanes have high-performance versions of the same system in their landing gear for use on

1314-489: A vacuum, which limits their use to spaceborne vehicles. Ion thrusters run primarily off electricity, but they also need a propellant such as caesium , or, more recently xenon . Ion thrusters can achieve extremely high speeds and use little propellant; however, they are power-hungry. The mechanical energy that motors and engines produce must be converted to work by wheels, propellers, nozzles, or similar means. Aside from converting mechanical energy into motion, wheels allow

1387-422: A variety of conditions. One of the difficulties met when using gas motors is the cooling effect of expanding gas. These engines are limited by how quickly they absorb heat from their surroundings. The cooling effect can, however, double as air conditioning. Compressed gas motors also lose effectiveness with falling gas pressure. Ion thrusters are used on some satellites and spacecraft. They are only effective in

1460-528: A vehicle to roll along a surface and, with the exception of railed vehicles, to be steered. Wheels are ancient technology, with specimens being discovered from over 5000 years ago. Wheels are used in a plethora of vehicles, including motor vehicles, armoured personnel carriers , amphibious vehicles, airplanes, trains, skateboards and wheelbarrows. Nozzles are used in conjunction with almost all reaction engines. Vehicles using nozzles include jet aircraft, rockets, and personal watercraft . While most nozzles take

1533-400: A vehicle's steering through the gyroscopic effect . They have been used experimentally in gyrobuses . Wind energy is used by sailboats and land yachts as the primary source of energy. It is very cheap and fairly easy to use, the main issues being dependence on weather and upwind performance. Balloons also rely on the wind to move horizontally. Aircraft flying in the jet stream may get

SECTION 20

#1732779695871

1606-405: Is fuel . External combustion engines can use almost anything that burns as fuel, whilst internal combustion engines and rocket engines are designed to burn a specific fuel, typically gasoline, diesel or ethanol . Food is the fuel used to power non-motor vehicles such as cycles, rickshaws and other pedestrian-controlled vehicles. Another common medium for storing energy is batteries , which have

1679-869: Is a machine designed for self- propulsion , usually to transport people, cargo , or both. The term "vehicle" typically refers to land vehicles such as human-powered vehicles (e.g. bicycles , tricycles , velomobiles ), animal-powered transports (e.g. horse-drawn carriages / wagons , ox carts , dog sleds ), motor vehicles (e.g. motorcycles , cars , trucks , buses , mobility scooters ) and railed vehicles ( trains , trams and monorails ), but more broadly also includes cable transport ( cable cars and elevators ), watercraft ( ships , boats and underwater vehicles ), amphibious vehicles (e.g. screw-propelled vehicles , hovercraft , seaplanes ), aircraft ( airplanes , helicopters , gliders and aerostats ) and space vehicles ( spacecraft , spaceplanes and launch vehicles ). This article primarily concerns

1752-519: Is an example of capturing kinetic energy where the brakes of a vehicle are augmented with a generator or other means of extracting energy. When needed, the energy is taken from the source and consumed by one or more motors or engines. Sometimes there is an intermediate medium, such as the batteries of a diesel submarine. Most motor vehicles have internal combustion engines . They are fairly cheap, easy to maintain, reliable, safe and small. Since these engines burn fuel, they have long ranges but pollute

1825-478: Is common. Electric motors can also be built to be powerful, reliable, low-maintenance and of any size. Electric motors can deliver a range of speeds and torques without necessarily using a gearbox (although it may be more economical to use one). Electric motors are limited in their use chiefly by the difficulty of supplying electricity. Compressed gas motors have been used on some vehicles experimentally. They are simple, efficient, safe, cheap, reliable and operate in

1898-414: Is deformed and releases energy as it is allowed to return to its ground state. Systems employing elastic materials suffer from hysteresis , and metal springs are too dense to be useful in many cases. Flywheels store energy in a spinning mass. Because a light and fast rotor is energetically favorable, flywheels can pose a significant safety hazard. Moreover, flywheels leak energy fairly quickly and affect

1971-438: Is desirable and important in supplying traction to facilitate motion on land. Most land vehicles rely on friction for accelerating, decelerating and changing direction. Sudden reductions in traction can cause loss of control and accidents. Most vehicles, with the notable exception of railed vehicles, have at least one steering mechanism. Wheeled vehicles steer by angling their front or rear wheels. The B-52 Stratofortress has

2044-418: Is loaded, its center of gravity shifts rearward and the force on the rear tires increases. The vehicle will then ride lower. The amount the vehicle sinks will depend on counter acting forces, like the size of the tires, tire pressure, and the spring rate of the suspension . If the vehicle is accelerating or decelerating, extra torque is placed on the rear or front tire respectively. The equation relating

2117-524: Is never empty , a propeller could be made to work in space. Similarly to propeller vehicles, some vehicles use wings for propulsion. Sailboats and sailplanes are propelled by the forward component of lift generated by their sails/wings. Ornithopters also produce thrust aerodynamically. Ornithopters with large rounded leading edges produce lift by leading-edge suction forces. Research at the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies lead to

2190-591: Is restricted to tip jet helicopters and high speed aircraft such as the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird . Rocket engines are primarily used on rockets, rocket sleds and experimental aircraft. Rocket engines are extremely powerful. The heaviest vehicle ever to leave the ground, the Saturn V rocket, was powered by five F-1 rocket engines generating a combined 180 million horsepower (134.2 gigawatt). Rocket engines also have no need to "push off" anything,

2263-460: Is so short, relative to the height of their centers of mass , that they are able to perform stoppies and wheelies . In skateboarding the word 'wheelbase' is used for the distance between the two inner pairs of mounting holes on the deck. This is different from the distance between the rotational centers of the two wheel pairs. A reason for this alternative use is that decks are sold with prefabricated holes, but usually without trucks and wheels. It

Chevrolet Kingswood - Misplaced Pages Continue

2336-447: Is the distance from the CM to the front wheels, L {\displaystyle L} is the wheelbase, m {\displaystyle m} is the mass of the vehicle, g {\displaystyle g} is the acceleration of gravity (approx. 9.8 m/s ), h c m {\displaystyle h_{cm}} is the height of the CM above the ground,

2409-405: Is the force on the front tires, F r {\displaystyle F_{r}} is the force on the rear tires, L {\displaystyle L} is the wheelbase, d r {\displaystyle d_{r}} is the distance from the center of mass (CM) to the rear wheels, d f {\displaystyle d_{f}} is the distance from

2482-505: Is the most-produced helicopter. The top commercial jet airliner is the Boeing 737 , at about 10,000 in 2018. At around 14,000 for both, the most produced trams are the KTM-5 and Tatra T3 . The most common trolleybus is ZiU-9 . Locomotion consists of a means that allows displacement with little opposition, a power source to provide the required kinetic energy and a means to control

2555-428: Is therefore easier to use the prefabricated holes for measuring and describing this characteristic of the deck. A common misconception is that the choice of wheelbase is influenced by the height of the skateboarder. However, the length of the deck would then be a better candidate, because the wheelbase affects characteristics useful in different speeds or terrains regardless of the height of the skateboarder. For example,

2628-435: Is too much force on the front tires and not enough on the rear tires. Also, when turning there is lateral torque placed upon the tires which imparts a turning force that depends upon the length of the tire distances from the CM. Thus, in a car with a short wheelbase ("SWB"), the short lever arm from the CM to the rear wheel will result in a greater lateral force on the rear tire which means greater acceleration and less time for

2701-795: The Rover 75 came with 'limousine' versions. Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Tony Blair was given a long-wheelbase version of the Rover 75 for official use. and even some SUVs like the VW Tiguan and Jeep Wrangler are available with long wheelbases. In contrast, coupé varieties of some vehicles such as the Honda Accord are usually built on shorter wheelbases than the sedans they are derived from. The wheelbase on many commercially available bicycles and motorcycles

2774-425: The 1959 model were replaced by double cone tail lights. Under the hood, things remained constant. Fuel injection was no longer available, but with the 348 cubic inch engine, a horsepower rating of 335 at 5800 rpm was now achieved. This involved the use of three double-barrel carburetors, a special cam and an 11.25:1 compression ratio, all sold as a package. Buyers could order any engine and transmission, including

2847-753: The 1969 model year to a station wagon based on the Impala , and was available only with a V8 . It slotted above the Bel Air-based Chevrolet Townsman ; a Caprice -based Kingswood Estate model was positioned above the standard Kingswood, serving as the flagship Chevrolet station wagon. Much like the Caprice on which it was based, the 1969 Kingswood Estate was available with concealed headlights. All full-size Chevrolet station wagons received new sheet metal for 1971, as did their sedan counterparts; each wagon nameplate retained its position in

2920-463: The 348 V8 and the fuel-injected 283 V8 engines. Chevrolet's 1959 and '60 Kingswoods (as well as the rest of Chevy's full size line up) still featured Chevrolet's "Safety-Girder" cruciform frame introduced in '58. Similar in layout to the frame adopted for the 1957 Cadillac, it featured box-section side rails and a boxed front cross member that bowed under the engine, these "X-frames" were used on other 1958 to 1964 Chevys, as well as Cadillac. The rear

2993-456: The Bel Air, Impala, and Caprice nameplates from their sedan counterparts. Wheelbase In both road and rail vehicles , the wheelbase is the horizontal distance between the centers of the front and rear wheels. For road vehicles with more than two axles (e.g. some trucks), the wheelbase is the distance between the steering (front) axle and the centerpoint of the driving axle group. In

Chevrolet Kingswood - Misplaced Pages Continue

3066-461: The Kingswood the longest car in the low-priced range. In addition, the car was 3 in (76 mm) wider outside and had 5 in (130 mm) more width inside than it did in 1958, through the reduction of door thickness. The frame GM X frame had no side rails. The new Kingswood was offered as a mid range full size 4-door only 9 passenger model, with rear-facing 3rd row jump-seat standard. It

3139-863: The advantages of being responsive, useful in a wide range of power levels, environmentally friendly, efficient, simple to install, and easy to maintain. Batteries also facilitate the use of electric motors, which have their own advantages. On the other hand, batteries have low energy densities, short service life, poor performance at extreme temperatures, long charging times, and difficulties with disposal (although they can usually be recycled). Like fuel, batteries store chemical energy and can cause burns and poisoning in event of an accident. Batteries also lose effectiveness with time. The issue of charge time can be resolved by swapping discharged batteries with charged ones; however, this incurs additional hardware costs and may be impractical for larger batteries. Moreover, there must be standard batteries for battery swapping to work at

3212-458: The air, causing harmful acid rain . While intermittent internal combustion engines were once the primary means of aircraft propulsion, they have been largely superseded by continuous internal combustion engines, such as gas turbines . Turbine engines are light and, particularly when used on aircraft, efficient. On the other hand, they cost more and require careful maintenance. They can also be damaged by ingesting foreign objects, and they produce

3285-417: The aircraft when retracted. Reverse thrust is also used in many aeroplane engines. Propeller aircraft achieve reverse thrust by reversing the pitch of the propellers, while jet aircraft do so by redirecting their engine exhausts forward. On aircraft carriers , arresting gears are used to stop an aircraft. Pilots may even apply full forward throttle on touchdown, in case the arresting gear does not catch and

3358-442: The balance and steering. For example, a car with a much greater weight load on the rear tends to understeer due to the lack of the load (force) on the front tires and therefore the grip ( friction ) from them. This is why it is crucial, when towing a single-axle caravan, to distribute the caravan's weight so that down-thrust on the tow-hook is about 100 pounds force (400 N). Likewise, a car may oversteer or even "spin out" if there

3431-470: The case of a tri-axle truck, the wheelbase would be the distance between the steering axle and a point midway between the two rear axles. The wheelbase of a vehicle equals the distance between its front and rear wheels. At equilibrium, the total torque of the forces acting on a vehicle is zero. Therefore, the wheelbase is related to the force on each pair of tires by the following formula: where F f {\displaystyle F_{f}}

3504-400: The center of mass to the front wheels ( d f {\displaystyle d_{f}} + d r {\displaystyle d_{r}} = L {\displaystyle L} ), m {\displaystyle m} is the mass of the vehicle, and g {\displaystyle g} is the gravity constant . So, for example, when a truck

3577-595: The driver to adjust and prevent a spin out or worse. Wheelbases provide the basis for one of the most common vehicle size class systems. Some vehicles are offered with long-wheelbase variants to increase the spaciousness and therefore the luxury of the vehicle. This practice can often be found on full-size cars like the Mercedes-Benz S-Class , but ultra-luxury vehicles such as the Rolls-Royce Phantom and even large family cars like

3650-410: The environment. A related engine is the external combustion engine . An example of this is the steam engine. Aside from fuel, steam engines also need water, making them impractical for some purposes. Steam engines also need time to warm up, whereas IC engines can usually run right after being started, although this may not be recommended in cold conditions. Steam engines burning coal release sulfur into

3723-629: The first large-scale rocket program. The Opel RAK.1 became the first rocket car ; the following year, it also became the first rocket-powered aircraft . In 1961, the Soviet space program 's Vostok 1 carried Yuri Gagarin into space. In 1969, NASA 's Apollo 11 achieved the first Moon landing . In 2010, the number of motor vehicles in operation worldwide surpassed 1 billion, roughly one for every seven people. There are over 1 billion bicycles in use worldwide. In 2002 there were an estimated 590 million cars and 205 million motorcycles in service in

SECTION 50

#1732779695871

3796-675: The first sustained, controlled, reproducible flights. In 1903, the Wright brothers flew the Wright Flyer , the first controlled, powered aircraft, in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina . In 1907, Gyroplane No.I became the first tethered rotorcraft to fly. The same year, the Cornu helicopter became the first rotorcraft to achieve free flight. In 1928, Opel initiated the Opel-RAK program,

3869-418: The ground. A Boeing 757 brake, for example, has 3 stators and 4 rotors. The Space Shuttle also uses frictional brakes on its wheels. As well as frictional brakes, hybrid and electric cars, trolleybuses and electric bicycles can also use regenerative brakes to recycle some of the vehicle's potential energy. High-speed trains sometimes use frictionless Eddy-current brakes ; however, widespread application of

3942-599: The lineup through 1972. Midway through the 1971 model year, the Turbo-Hydramatic transmission became standard, and the three-speed manual transmission was eliminated. A Turbo-Hydramatic had been ordered on nearly all Kingswoods built during the late 1960s and early 1970s. For 1973, Chevrolet eliminated the Kingswood Estate/Kingswood, along with their Townsman and Brookwood sister nameplates, for its full-sized station wagons; they now utilized

4015-414: The middle range wagons. A variety of speed options, such as fuel injection, special cams and bettered compression, gave horsepower ratings up to 315. The Nomad was still the top Chevy wagon. A parking brake warning light was optional. Under the hood, little change took place for '59 Chevys. Few alterations were made for 1960. The new models possessed much more restrained front end, and the cats eye lights of

4088-619: The more ubiquitous land vehicles, which can be broadly classified by the type of contact interface with the ground : wheels , tracks , rails or skis , as well as the non-contact technologies such as maglev . ISO 3833-1977 is the international standard for road vehicle types, terms and definitions. It is estimated by historians that boats have been used since prehistory ; rock paintings depicting boats, dated from around 50,000 to 15,000 BC, were found in Australia . The oldest boats found by archaeological excavation are logboats , with

4161-483: The motion, such as a brake and steering system. By far, most vehicles use wheels which employ the principle of rolling to enable displacement with very little rolling friction . It is essential that a vehicle have a source of energy to drive it. Energy can be extracted from external sources, as in the cases of a sailboat , a solar-powered car , or an electric streetcar that uses overhead lines. Energy can also be stored, provided it can be converted on demand and

4234-707: The oldest logboat found, the Pesse canoe found in a bog in the Netherlands, being carbon dated to 8040–7510 BC, making it 9,500–10,000 years old, A 7,000 year-old seagoing boat made from reeds and tar has been found in Kuwait. Boats were used between 4000 -3000 BC in Sumer , ancient Egypt and in the Indian Ocean. There is evidence of camel pulled wheeled vehicles about 4000–3000 BC. The earliest evidence of

4307-474: The propeller has been tested on many terrestrial vehicles, including the Schienenzeppelin train and numerous cars. In modern times, propellers are most prevalent on watercraft and aircraft, as well as some amphibious vehicles such as hovercraft and ground-effect vehicles . Intuitively, propellers cannot work in space as there is no working fluid; however, some sources have suggested that since space

4380-463: The rate of deceleration or where the brakes have failed, several mechanisms can be used to stop a vehicle. Cars and rolling stock usually have hand brakes that, while designed to secure an already parked vehicle, can provide limited braking should the primary brakes fail. A secondary procedure called forward-slip is sometimes used to slow airplanes by flying at an angle, causing more drag. Motor vehicle and trailer categories are defined according to

4453-565: The shape of a cone or bell , some unorthodox designs have been created such as the aerospike . Some nozzles are intangible, such as the electromagnetic field nozzle of a vectored ion thruster. Continuous track is sometimes used instead of wheels to power land vehicles. Continuous track has the advantages of a larger contact area, easy repairs on small damage, and high maneuverability. Examples of vehicles using continuous tracks are tanks, snowmobiles and excavators. Two continuous tracks used together allow for steering. The largest land vehicle in

SECTION 60

#1732779695871

4526-462: The storing medium's energy density and power density are sufficient to meet the vehicle's needs. Human power is a simple source of energy that requires nothing more than humans. Despite the fact that humans cannot exceed 500 W (0.67 hp) for meaningful amounts of time, the land speed record for human-powered vehicles (unpaced) is 133 km/h (83 mph), as of 2009 on a recumbent bicycle . The energy source used to power vehicles

4599-440: The technology has been limited by overheating and interference issues. Aside from landing gear brakes, most large aircraft have other ways of decelerating. In aircraft, air brakes are aerodynamic surfaces that provide braking force by increasing the frontal cross section, thus increasing the increasing the aerodynamic drag of the aircraft. These are usually implemented as flaps that oppose air flow when extended and are flush with

4672-544: The use of a pulse jet was the V-1 flying bomb . Pulse jets are still occasionally used in amateur experiments. With the advent of modern technology, the pulse detonation engine has become practical and was successfully tested on a Rutan VariEze . While the pulse detonation engine is much more efficient than the pulse jet and even turbine engines, it still suffers from extreme noise and vibration levels. Ramjets also have few moving parts, but they only work at high speed, so their use

4745-459: The wheelbase, height above the ground of the CM, and the force on each pair of tires becomes: where F f {\displaystyle F_{f}} is the force on the front tires, F r {\displaystyle F_{r}} is the force on the rear tires, d r {\displaystyle d_{r}} is the distance from the CM to the rear wheels, d f {\displaystyle d_{f}}

4818-408: The wheels may be of different sizes (for example, on a steam locomotive ), the measurement is taken between the points where the wheels contact the rail, and not between the centers of the wheels. On vehicles where the wheelsets (axles) are mounted inside the vehicle frame (mostly in steam locomotives), the wheelbase is the distance between the front-most and rear-most wheelsets. On vehicles where

4891-472: The wheelsets are mounted on bogies (American: trucks) , three wheelbase measurements can be distinguished: The wheelbase affects the rail vehicle's capability to negotiate curves. Short-wheelbased vehicles can negotiate sharper curves. On some larger wheelbase locomotives, inner wheels may lack flanges in order to pass curves. The wheelbase also affects the load the vehicle poses to the track, track infrastructure and bridges. All other conditions being equal,

4964-468: The world, the Bagger 293 , is propelled by continuous tracks. Propellers (as well as screws, fans and rotors) are used to move through a fluid. Propellers have been used as toys since ancient times; however, it was Leonardo da Vinci who devised what was one of the earliest propeller driven vehicles, the "aerial-screw". In 1661, Toogood & Hays adopted the screw for use as a ship propeller. Since then,

5037-660: The world. At least 500 million Chinese Flying Pigeon bicycles have been made, more than any other single model of vehicle. The most-produced model of motor vehicle is the Honda Super Cub motorcycle, having sold 60 million units in 2008. The most-produced car model is the Toyota Corolla , with at least 35 million made by 2010. The most common fixed-wing airplane is the Cessna 172 , with about 44,000 having been made as of 2017. The Soviet Mil Mi-8 , at 17,000,

5110-635: Was a Soviet-designed screw-propelled vehicle designed to retrieve cosmonauts from the Siberian wilderness. All or almost all of the useful energy produced by the engine is usually dissipated as friction; so minimizing frictional losses is very important in many vehicles. The main sources of friction are rolling friction and fluid drag (air drag or water drag). Wheels have low bearing friction, and pneumatic tires give low rolling friction. Steel wheels on steel tracks are lower still. Aerodynamic drag can be reduced by streamlined design features. Friction

5183-662: Was of little practical use. In 1817, The Laufmaschine ("running machine"), invented by the German Baron Karl von Drais , became the first human means of transport to make use of the two-wheeler principle . It is regarded as the forerunner of the modern bicycle (and motorcycle). In 1885, Karl Benz built (and subsequently patented) the Benz Patent-Motorwagen , the first automobile, powered by his own four-stroke cycle gasoline engine . In 1885, Otto Lilienthal began experimental gliding and achieved

5256-765: Was positioned between the Parkwood 6-passenger and the Nomad (now Impala based), still at the top was a six-passenger car. Wagons were still classed by themselves, but had model numbers matching the car series. Chevrolet eliminated its entry-level Delray based Yeoman models and the Biscayne-based Brookwood became Chevrolet's least expensive wagon models. Brookwoods were now available in two-door or four-door body styles, both in six-passenger configuration only. The new Parkwood 6-passenger and new Kingswood 9-passenger wagons had Bel Air's model number, and as such were

5329-775: Was tied together by a channel-section cross member. This design was later criticized as providing less protection in the event of a side impact collision, but would persevere until 1965. General Motors discontinued the Chevrolet Kingswood wagon nameplate after only two years. For 1961 they offered a third row nine-passenger option on Brookwood to fill the void. The wagon only nameplates Brookwood, Parkwood, and Nomad were gone for 1962, instead naming their station wagons after their series names: Biscayne (replacing Brookwood directly), Bel Air and Impala . The 1962-'64 Biscayne, Bel Air, and Impala wagons were very similar to Chevy's 1961 wagon models. The Kingswood name returned for

#870129