96-461: An amphibious vehicle (or simply amphibian ) is a vehicle that works both on land and on or under water. Amphibious vehicles include amphibious bicycles , ATVs , cars , buses , trucks , railway vehicles , combat vehicles , and hovercraft . Classic landing craft are not amphibious vehicles as they do not work on land, although they are part of amphibious warfare . Ground effect vehicles , such as ekranoplans , will likely crash on any but
192-431: A sail -powered wagon in 1849. On testing, it reportedly tipped over 50 feet (15 m) from shore, from an apparent lack of ballast to counteract the force of the wind in the sail. In the 1870s, logging companies in eastern Canada and the northern United States developed a steam-powered amphibious tug called an "Alligator" which could cross between lakes and rivers. The most successful Alligator tugs were produced by
288-596: 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
384-513: 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
480-433: 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
576-597: 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
672-853: 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
768-689: A ferry or as a floating bridge for trucks and heavy combat vehicles. Gibbs has also developed other types of fast amphibians including the Phibian, a 30-foot (9.1 m) amphibian that is aimed at first responder market, and the Humdinga, a 21-foot (6.4 m) amphibian that is capable of traversing extreme terrain. Many modern military vehicles, ranging from light wheeled command and reconnaissance vehicles, through armoured personnel carriers (APCs), tanks and amphibious warfare ships , are manufactured with amphibious capabilities. The French Panhard VBL
864-671: 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
960-423: 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 ,
1056-468: 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
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#17327800764491152-515: 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
1248-543: 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
1344-636: A number of amphibious APCs, fighting vehicles and tanks, both wheeled and tracked. Most of the vehicles the Soviets designed were amphibious or could ford deep water. Wheeled examples are the BRDM-1 and BRDM-2 4x4 armoured scout cars, as well as the BTR-60 , BTR-70 , BTR-80 and BTR-94 8x8 APCs and the BTR-90 infantry fighting vehicle . The M29 Weasel (Studebaker Weasel), whilst originally designed as
1440-406: A similar way to a paddle wheel . The SBK Engineering Shuttle-Bike consists of two inflatable floats with straps that allow the carrying of a bicycle with a passenger. The ensemble, when deflated, fits in a backpack for carrying by the cyclist. Several amphibious cycles have been created by engineering students as university projects. Gibbs Sports Amphibians Inc. introduced a motorized version of
1536-838: A snow vehicle, operated successfully in an amphibious role by the addition of front and rear floats. The basic vehicle will float but its bow is square so the additional floats add stability and load carrying capacity. Tracked armored vehicles with amphibious capabilities include those that are intended for use in amphibious assault . The United States started developing a long line of LVT ( Landing Vehicle Tracked ) designs from around 1940. Many tracked armored vehicles that are primarily intended for land-use, such as armoured fighting vehicles and armoured personnel carriers nevertheless also have amphibious ability, tactically useful inland, reducing dependence on destroyable and easily targeted bridges. To provide motive power, they use their tracks , sometimes with an added propeller or water jets. As long as
1632-597: 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
1728-407: 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
1824-411: 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
1920-489: 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
2016-422: 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
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#17327800764492112-495: A vehicle through muddy terrain with a twisting motion. Most land vehicles – even lightly armoured ones – can be made amphibious simply by providing them with a waterproof hull and perhaps a propeller. This is possible as a vehicle's displacement is usually greater than its weight, and thus it will float. Heavily armoured vehicles however sometimes have a density greater than water (their weight in kilograms exceeds their volume in litres ) and will need additional buoyancy , in
2208-528: 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
2304-400: 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
2400-446: A watercraft or a land vehicle. The design that came together with all the features needed for a practical all-terrain amphibious vehicle was by Peter Prell of New Jersey. His design, unlike others, could operate not only on rivers and lakes but the sea and did not require firm ground to enter or exit the water. It combined a boat-like hull with tank-like tracks. In 1931, he tested a scaled down version of his invention. An amphibious cycle
2496-405: 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
2592-404: Is a human-powered vehicle capable of operation on both land and water. "Saidullah's Bicycle" uses four rectangular air filled floats for buoyancy, and is propelled using two fan blades which are attached to the spokes. Moraga's "Cyclo Amphibious" uses a simple tricycle frame to support three floaters which provide both the floatation and thrust. The wings on the powered wheels propel the vehicle in
2688-532: Is a compact, lightly armoured 4x4 all-terrain vehicle that is fully amphibious and can swim at 5.4 km/h (3.4 mph). The VAB is a French fully amphibious APC, powered in the water by two water jets, mounted one on either side of the rear hull ( see detail picture above ). It entered service in 1976 and around 5000 were produced in many configurations. During the Cold War the Soviet bloc states developed
2784-519: 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
2880-481: Is capable of traversing swamps, ponds, and streams as well as dry land. On land these units have high grip and great off-road ability, that can be further enhanced with an optional set of tracks that can be mounted directly onto the wheels. Although the spinning action of the tires is enough to propel the vehicle through the water – albeit slowly – outboard motors can be added for extended water use. In October 2013, Gibbs Amphibians introduced
2976-478: 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
Amphibious vehicle - Misplaced Pages Continue
3072-414: 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
3168-438: 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
3264-524: 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
3360-591: 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,
3456-505: 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
3552-1089: The Bronco All Terrain Tracked Carrier of Singapore. Vehicle A vehicle (from Latin vehiculum ) 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
3648-452: The D-Day invasion had this setup. When in water the waterproof float screen was raised and propellers deployed. The M2 and M3 Bradleys also need such a skirt. At the end of World War I a Mark IX tank had drums attached to the side and front and was tested as an amphibious vehicle launched into Hendon Reservoir . A modified Medium Mark D successfully swam in a river near Christchurch. By
3744-554: The PZInż 130 but dropped the idea of amphibious tanks as obsolete. A pontoon based tank, the L1E3 , was produced by Vickers in 1939. It was tested but further work was halted during WW2. It was tested again at the end of the war. In World War II the British further developed amphibious tanks. The Crusader was trialled with two pontoons that could be attached or removed, the tracks driving
3840-754: The Splashtours brand. The buses have a Volvo chassis and carry 43 passengers. The operation started in 2010 in Katendrecht , Rotterdam, was copied in Amsterdam in 2011 but suspended in 2012 after technical problems, and then relaunched in 2019. A tour of Lübeck was launched in 2014. In 2010 it was tested as a replacement for the ferry at Renfrew, Scotland, but not adopted. A similar service, using different vehicles, operates in Porto . Some amphibious vehicles, rather than being designed for land transport with
3936-628: The Willys MB jeep, the Ford GPA or 'Seep' (short for Sea jeep ) was developed during World War II as well. A specially modified GPA, called Half-Safe , was driven and sailed around the world by Australian Ben Carlin in the 1950s. One of the most capable post-war amphibious off-roaders was the German Amphi-Ranger , that featured a hull made of seawater-resistant AlMg2 aluminium alloy. Extensively engineered, this costly vehicle
Amphibious vehicle - Misplaced Pages Continue
4032-652: The 152 mm "gun-launcher" (which could fire the MGM-51 Shillelagh missile), and could swim across bodies of water. The M551 upon arrival in Vietnam began replacing the M48A3 Patton in all cavalry squadrons, leaving only the M48A3 in the U.S. Army's three armored battalions in Vietnam, the 1/77th, 1/69th, and the 2/34th Armor . The Sheridan needed no modifications for river crossings: crewmen simply raised
4128-561: The APC reached the other side, water would often fill the insides up to their armoured roofs, spilling through the hatches' cracks and emptying onto the earth once safely ashore. Often a fold-down trim vane is erected to stop water washing over the bow of the tank and thus reducing the risk of the vehicle being swamped via the driver's hatch. During the Cold War , the Swedish Stridsvagn 103 main battle tank carried flotation gear all
4224-767: The DUKW. An improved version of the Terrapin never got beyond prototype stage. During the war, Germany produced the Landwasserschlepper . In the 1950s, the Soviets developed the GAZ-46 , BAV 485 , and PTS . During the Vietnam War , the US Army used the amphibious articulated Gama Goat and the larger M520 Goer truck-series to move supplies through the canals and rice paddies of Southeast Asia . The latter
4320-528: The Sherman DD was used on D-Day to provide close fire support on the beaches during the initial landings. The Sherman DD could not fire when afloat as the buoyancy screen was higher than the gun. A number swamped and sank in the operation, due to rough weather in the English Channel (with some tanks having been launched too far out), and to turning in the current to converge on a specific point on
4416-730: The United Arab Emirates, with six additional vehicles being sold to the Crown Prince of Dubai. The WaterCar has also been sold to tech enthusiasts and residents of Silicon Valley. Other amphibious cars include the US Hydra Spyder and the Spira4u. Amfibus amphibious buses made by Dutch Amphibious Transport (DAT) in Nijmegen , Netherlands are used to operate tours of Amsterdam , Rotterdam and Lübeck , under
4512-617: The United States and Canada. The wagon was designed in such a way as to be able to cross rivers and streams. The first known self-propelled amphibious vehicle, a steam-powered wheeled dredging barge, named the Orukter Amphibolos , was conceived and built by United States inventor Oliver Evans in 1805, although it is disputed to have successfully travelled over land or water under its own steam. Inventor Gail Borden , better known for condensed milk , designed and tested
4608-646: The Vietnam War, the M520 Goer developed a reputation of being able to go where other trucks could not. For taking vehicles and supplies onto the beaches the US used the 1950s designed LARC-V and the huge LARC-LX which could carry 60 tons of cargo. The British Army used the 6x6 wheeled Alvis Stalwart as their amphibious cargo carrier. In the water vectored thrust water-jet propulsion units drove it along at about 6 knots. The M3 Amphibious Rig can be used as
4704-642: The ability to cross water, are designed as water-transport vehicles with the ability to travel on land. The distinction is that the vehicles are designed to be high performing on water, with the land transport ability added to give additional functionality, rather than being the main function. Sealegs Amphibious Craft are an example of this, which are a range of aluminium three-wheeled fabricated boats (mostly RIBs ) designed and manufactured in Auckland, New Zealand since 2005. These craft can travel up to 39 knots on water, but travel at only 7.5 km/h on land, showing
4800-863: 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
4896-458: 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
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#17327800764494992-417: 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
5088-667: The amphibious cycle that resembles a jet ski on water and motorcycle on land. The model can reach up to 80 mph by land and 45 mph by water. Amongst the smallest non-air-cushioned amphibious vehicles are amphibious ATVs (all-terrain vehicles). These saw significant popularity in North America during the 1960s and early 1970s. Typically an amphibious ATV (AATV) is a small, lightweight, off-highway vehicle, constructed from an integral hard plastic or fibreglass bodytub, fitted with six (sometimes eight) driven wheels, with low pressure, balloon tires. With no suspension (other than what
5184-581: The battlefield, which allowed waves to breach over the screens. Those making it ashore, however, provided essential fire support in the first critical hours. Before World War II, The Soviets produced light amphibious tanks called the T-37A and T-38 . A third serial model, the T-40 , started production after the beginning of the war. A 14-ton tank, the PT-1, was created but was not mass-produced. In addition, an attempt
5280-498: The cloth sides that were tucked inside rubber tubes along the hull's upper edges, raised the driver's front shield which had an acrylic glass window, the driver turned on his bilge pumps, shifted his transmission lever to water operations and the Sheridan entered the water. For newly arrived Sheridans, this might work as engineered. For "war-weary" M551s, the driver's window was often "yellowed" or cracked as to obscure his vision, and
5376-522: The company launched their first commercial vehicle, The Panther, which has been featured on ABC's The Bachelor as well as USA's Royal Pains . The WaterCar can do 80 mph (129 km/h) on land, and 44 mph (38 knots; 71 km/h) on sea, and can transition from land to sea in less than 15 seconds. Since its release, WaterCar has been popular in the Middle East, selling to the Embassy of
5472-479: The design is made amphibious, giving them all-terrain capability in the truest sense. Usually, the front unit houses at least the engine, gearboxes, fuel tank(s) and the driver's compartment, and perhaps there is some space left for cargo or passengers, whereas the rear unit is the primary load carrier. Examples of this concept are the Russian Vityaz , Swedish Volvo Bv202 and Hagglunds Bv206 designs, and
5568-634: The early 1930s, Vickers had developed an amphibious tank. By using very thin armour, flotation could be achieved without external buoyancy aids. The British Army trialled the Vickers-Carden-Loyd Light Amphibious Tank but did not adopt it for service use. An order was placed with Vickers by the USSR for a small number of tanks. After negotiations to purchase the Vickers tank by Poland failed, they developed their own design
5664-707: The early 2000s after it was developed by a team assembled by founder Alan Gibbs before the company's engine supplier, Rover, was unable to continue providing engines. Gibbs and new partner Neil Jenkins reconstituted the company and are now seeking U.S. regulatory approval for the Aquada. In 2010, a Southern California-based company named WaterCar set the Guinness World Record for Fastest Amphibious Vehicle, with their prototype, The Python, which reached top land speeds of 204 km/h (127 mph) and water speeds of 96 km/h (60 mph; 52 knots). Since then,
5760-410: 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
5856-477: The firm of West and Peachey in Simcoe, Ontario . Until the late 1920s, the efforts to unify a boat and an automobile mostly came down to simply putting wheels and axles on a boat hull, or getting a rolling chassis to float by blending a boat-like hull with the car's frame. One of the first reasonably well-documented cases was the 1905 amphibious petrol-powered carriage of T. Richmond (Jessup, Iowa, USA). Just like
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#17327800764495952-425: The first integral bodies ever used on a car. Since the 1920s, many diverse amphibious vehicles designs have been created for a broad range of applications, including recreation, expeditions, search & rescue, and military, leading to a myriad of concepts and variants. In some of them, the amphibious capabilities are central to their purpose, whereas in others they are only an expansion to what has remained primarily
6048-577: 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
6144-675: 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,
6240-596: The flattest of landmasses so are also not considered to be amphibious vehicles. Two main categories of amphibious vehicles are those that travel on an air cushion ( Hovercraft ) and those that do not. Among the latter, many extend the off-road capabilities of land vehicles to all kinds of terrain, including ice, snow, mud, marsh , swamp etc. This explains why many designs use tracks in addition to or instead of wheels, and in some cases have articulated body configurations or other unconventional designs such as screw-propelled vehicles which use auger-like barrels which propel
6336-442: The form of inflatable floatation devices, much like the sides of a rubber dinghy, or a waterproof fabric skirt raised from the top perimeter of the vehicle, to increase its displacement. For propulsion in or on the water some vehicles simply spin their wheels or tracks, while others use screw propeller (s) or water jet(s) . Most amphibians will work only as a displacement hull when in the water – few can hydroplane , skimming over
6432-418: 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
6528-527: The long-awaited Quadski, the first amphibious vehicle capable of traveling 45 mph on land or water. The Quadski was developed using Gibbs' High-Speed Amphibian technology, which Gibbs originally developed for the Aquada, an amphibious car, which the company has still not produced because of regulatory issues. Amphibious automobiles have been conceived from ca. 1900; however, the Second World War significantly stimulated their development. Two of
6624-619: 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
6720-726: The most significant amphibious cars to date were developed during World War II. The most proliferous was the German Schwimmwagen , a small jeep-like 4x4 vehicle designed by the Porsche engineering firm in 1942 and widely used in World War II . The amphibious bodywork was designed by Erwin Komenda , the firm's body construction designer, using the engine and drive train of the Kübelwagen . An amphibious version of
6816-483: 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
6912-707: 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
7008-619: The opposite bank has a shallow enough slope for the vehicle to climb out within a few miles, they can cross rivers and water obstacles. An American example is the M113 Armored Personnel Carrier . Soviet examples are the PT-76 amphibious tank, and the BTR-50 and MT-LB APCs based on its chassis. Some heavier tanks have an amphibious mode in which a fabric skirt is needed to add buoyancy . The Sherman DD tank used in
7104-503: The preference for water performance in design. Various versions of this type of amphibious boat design have been produced, including the French Iguana Yacht , an amphibious motorboat featuring all-terrain tracks (covered in the "Tracked" section below). Recently, Gibbs Amphibians has developed a new type of amphibian, one capable of high speeds on both land and water. The vehicles use a patented hydraulic system to raise
7200-474: 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
7296-463: 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
7392-453: The rubber tubes that contained the rolled up side sleeves were often cracked or frozen into place. The Sheridan could still cross a body of water, but like its swimming cousin, the M113 armoured personnel carrier , also built of aluminium) the river had to be narrow, less than 100 yards (100 m). In all cases, the bilge pumps had to be working properly, and even then by the time the Sheridan or
7488-565: 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
7584-552: The size of the boat. When the tide is out the boats can run on the tidal flats using their wheels. When the tide is in, they use a propeller to move through the water. Oyster farmers in Jersey make use of similar boats. Currently, Constructions Maritimes du Vivier Amphibie has a range of models. With more than 20,000 units produced, the DUKW was the most successful amphibious truck of World War II . This 31-foot (9.4 m) 6x6 truck
7680-462: 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
7776-465: The tank in the water. The "Medium Tank A/T 1" was a tank with inbuilt buoyancy some 24 ft (7.3 m) long and 11 ft (3.4 m) tall. The Valentine, then the M4 Sherman medium tank were made amphibious with the addition of a rubberized canvas screen to provide additional buoyancy and propellers driven by the main engine to give propulsion. These were DD tanks (from "Duplex Drive") and
7872-440: 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
7968-528: The time and was, therefore, theoretically, always amphibious. According to a 1999 article in Military Parade magazine, multi-unit, all-terrain transport vehicles were first proposed by the British in 1913, and by the 1950s, over 40 types of articulated tracked vehicles (ATV) were in production. The articulated tracked concept is chosen primarily for its combination of high maneuverability, cross-country abilities, and load-carrying capacity. In some cases
8064-503: The tires offer) and no steering wheels, directional control is accomplished through skid-steering – just as on a tracked vehicle – either by braking the wheels on the side in the direction of the desired turn or by applying more throttle to the wheels on the opposite side. Most contemporary designs use garden tractor type engines, that will provide roughly 25 mph (40 km/h) top speed on land. Constructed this way, an AATV will float with ample freeboard and
8160-544: 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
8256-566: The water like speedboats . Some of the earliest known amphibious vehicles were amphibious carriages, the invention of which is credited to the Neapolitan polymath Prince Raimondo di Sangro of Sansevero in July 1770 or earlier, or Samuel Bentham whose design of 1781 was built in June 1987. The conestoga wagon , a type of a heavy covered wagon, was popular during the 18th and 19th century in
8352-754: The wheels into the wheel wells, allowing the vehicles to plane on water. These vehicles can transition between land and water modes in about five seconds. The first Gibbs fast amphibian is the Quadski , introduced in October 2012. It went on sale in January 2013. Since 1977, several boat builders in Brittany have built specialized amphibious vehicles for use in the area's mussel and oyster farming occupations. The boats are made of aluminium, are relatively flat-bottomed, and have three, four, or six wheels, depending on
8448-403: The world's first petrol-powered automobile (1885, Carl Benz), it was a three-wheeler. The single front wheel provided direction, both on land and in the water. A three-cylinder petrol combustion-engine powered the oversized rear wheels. In order to get the wheels to provide propulsion in the water, fins or buckets would be attached to the rear wheel spokes. Remarkably the boat-like hull was one of
8544-468: 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,
8640-660: 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,
8736-635: 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
8832-573: Was based on a 1950s civil construction vehicle and became the US Army's standard heavy tactical truck before its replacement by the HEMTT . Although the vehicles' wheels were mounted without suspension or steering action, and land speeds over 20 mph (32 km/h) were ill-advised, its articulated design provided it with good maneuverability and helped it to keep all four wheels firmly in touch with uneven ground. Coupled with its amphibious capability, in
8928-473: Was made to attach pontoons to the T-26 . While successful, the project was closed due to the high vulnerability and unwieldiness of the construction. Some light tanks such as the PT-76 are amphibious, typically being propelled in the water by hydrojets or by their tracks. In 1969, the U.S. Army rushed the new M551 Sheridan to Vietnam. This 17-ton light tank was built with an aluminium hull, steel turret, and
9024-662: 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
9120-731: Was proven seaworthy at a Gale force 10 storm off the North Sea coast (Pohl, 1998). Only about 100 were built – those who own one have found it capable of crossing the English Channel almost effortlessly. Purely recreational amphibian cars include the 1960s Amphicar and the contemporary Gibbs Aquada . With almost 4,000 pieces built, the Amphicar is still the most successfully produced civilian amphibious car to date. The Gibbs Aquada stands out due to its capability of high-speed planing on water. Gibbs built fifty Aquadas in
9216-511: Was used to establish and supply beachheads. It was designed as a wartime project by Sparkman & Stephens , a yacht design firm who also designed the hull for the Ford GPA 'Seep' . Britain developed the Terrapin 8x8 amphibious cargo carrier which was used by 79th Armoured Division during the Walcheren campaign. While offering greater capacity than the DUKW, ease of operation favoured
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