A Wisdom Archive on Torsion Beam Suspension

The tank was designed at the Atelier de Construction d'Issy-les-Moulineaux in 1946 to meet a requirement for an air-portable vehicle to support paratroopers, the first prototype ran from 1948. The compact chassis had torsion beam suspension with five running wheels and two return wheels; the engine runs the length of the tank on the right side with the driver on the left. The uncommon two-part 'oscillating' turret is set to the rear of the vehicle and holds the commander and gunner. The original 75 mm gun, modelled on German designs, was fed ...

Read more here: » AMX-13: Encyclopedia II - AMX-13 - History

The fourth generation Escort arrived in September 1990 with an all-new bodyshell and a simplified torsion beam rear suspension (instead of the Mk III's fully independent layout). Initially the 1.3 L, 1.4 L and 1.6 L CVH petrol and 1.8 L diesel units were carried over from the old model, and were starting to show their age in terms of refinement. However, this model was heavily criticised at its introduction for seemingly cut-price approach to its design (the biggest thing Ford could boast about was the design of its ...

Read more here: » Ford Escort European: Encyclopedia II - Ford Escort European - Ford Escort Mk V

The VW Type 1, which was called the Beetle or Bug or Käfer (in German), is a small family car, the best known car of Volkswagen, one of the best known cars from Germany, and one of the most recognisable and distinctive cars in the world. Thanks to its distinctive shape and sound, and its reliability, it now enjoys a "cult" status. The Beetle was in production from 1938 until 2003, interrupted only by the ... Including:

• Volkswagen Beetle - History
• Volkswagen Beetle - Pop culture
• Volkswagen Beetle - New Beetle
• Volkswagen Beetle - Phase-out of the original Beetle
• Volkswagen Beetle - External link

Read more here: » Volkswagen Beetle: Encyclopedia - Volkswagen Beetle

An automobile is a wheeled vehicle that carries its own motor. Different types of automobiles include cars, buses, trucks, vans, and motorcycles, with cars being the most popular. The term is derived from Greek 'autos' (self) and Latin 'movére' (move), referring to the fact that it 'moves by itself'. Earlier terms for automobile include 'horseless carriage' and 'motor car'. An automobile has seats for the driver and, almost without exception, one or more passengers. It is th ... Including:

• Automobile - History
• Automobile - The modern automobile
• Automobile - Steam powered vehicles
• Automobile - Combustion engine
• Automobile - Innovation
• Automobile - Model changeover and design change
• Automobile - Regulation
• Automobile - Environmental improvements
• Automobile - Alternative fuels and batteries
• Automobile - Safety
• Automobile - Future of the car
• Automobile - Major possible subsystems

Read more here: » Automobile: Encyclopedia - Automobile

1977–1981 (facelifted) 1985–1988 (facelifted) 2000–2005 (facelifted) The Volkswagen Passat is a midsized car built by Volkswagen AG, produced in various forms since 1973. It falls between the Volkswagen Golf/Jetta and Phaeton in the current VW production line-up, and is currently produced in VW's plant in Emden, Germany. Although normally known as the Passat in European markets, it has been badged as a variety of other names including Dasher, Santana and Qua ... Including:

• Volkswagen Passat - Mark 1 1973–1981 - B1 platform
• Volkswagen Passat - Mark 2 1981–1988 - B2 platform
• Volkswagen Passat - Mark 3 1988–1993 - B3 platform
• Volkswagen Passat - Mark 4 1993–1996 - B4 platform
• Volkswagen Passat - Mark 5 1996–2000 - B5 platform
• Volkswagen Passat - Mark 5 Phase II 2000–2005 - B5 platform
• Volkswagen Passat - Mark 6 2005— - B6 platform
• Volkswagen Passat - Technical specifications
• Volkswagen Passat - 2001 Passat GLS V6 sedan North America

Read more here: » Volkswagen Passat: Encyclopedia - Volkswagen Passat

A tank is a tracked armoured fighting vehicle, designed primarily to engage enemy forces by the use of direct fire. A modern main battle tank is distinguished by its high level of firepower, mobility and armour protection relative to other vehicles of its era. It can cross comparatively rough terrain at high speeds, but requires extensive fuel, maintenance, and ammunition and thus is logistically demanding. It has the heaviest armour of any vehicle on the battlefield, and carries powerful weaponry, often at least manifested in the pre ... Including:

• Tank - History
• Tank - World War One: the first tanks
• Tank - 1920s to the end of Second World War
• Tank - The Cold War and beyond
• Tank - Design
• Tank - Weapons
• Tank - Fire control
• Tank - Ammunition
• Tank - Protection
• Tank - Armour
• Tank - Grenade launchers smoke and passive defences
• Tank - Countermeasures
• Tank - Exposed crew
• Tank - Mobility
• Tank - Water operations
• Tank - Power plants
• Tank - Sonic seismic and thermal traces
• Tank - Command control and communications
• Tank - Vulnerability
• Tank - Infantry
• Tank - Artillery
• Tank - Helicopters
• Tank - Mines
• Tank - Aircraft
• Tank - The future of tanks through research and development

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The torsion balance was a device created by Charles Augustine de Coulomb in 1777, used to measure the electrostatic force within a given object. It was based on the principal that the magnitude of the electrostatic force between two point charges is directly proportional to the magnitudes of each charge and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between the charges. This principal is called Coulomb’s Law. The torsion balance consists of two metal balls that are attached onto an insulating rod suspended from the middle b ...

Read more here: » Torsion spring: Encyclopedia II - Torsion spring - The Torsion Balance

The bridge was redesigned and rebuilt with open trusses and stiffening struts and openings in the roadway to let wind through. The new bridge opened on October 14, 1950, and is 5,979 feet (1,822 m) long — 40 feet (12 m) longer than its predecessor. It is currently the 5th-longest suspension bridge in the United States. Modern suspension bridges built with steel plate now use sharp entry edges rather than the flat plate sides used in the original Tacoma Narrows Bridge (see the suspension bridge article for an example). The bridge was designed to handle 60,000 vehicles a day. As of 2005, it ...

Read more here: » Tacoma Narrows Bridge: Encyclopedia II - Tacoma Narrows Bridge - Replacement bridge

In 1894, Milne invented a basic, undamped horizontal-pendulum seismometer with a continuous photographic record. He succesfully advocated a system of seismic stations, and the British adopted his seismograph for them. In 1895, von Rebeur Paschwitz in Germany used a tiny, 42 g horizontal pendulum with optic recording to record the first-ever confirmed Japanese earthquake to be recorded in Germany. The expense and fuzziness of photographic seismographs reduced their utility. In 1904 Wiechert of Gottingen, Germany put a 1000 kg ma ...

Read more here: » Seismometer: Encyclopedia II - Seismometer - Improved designs