Articulated vehicle
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An articulated vehicle is a vehicle which has a permanent or semi-permanent pivot joint in its construction, allowing it to turn more sharply. There are many kinds, from heavy equipment to buses, trams and trains. Steam locomotives were sometimes articulated so the driving wheels could pivot around corners.
In a broader sense, any vehicle towing a trailer (including a semi-trailer) could be described as articulated (which comes from the Latin word articulus, "small joint"). In the UK, an articulated lorry is the combination of a tractor and a trailer, abbreviated to "artic". In the US, it is called a semi-trailer truck, tractor-trailer or semi-truck and is not necessarily considered articulated.
Types
Buses
Buses are articulated to allow for a much longer bus that can still navigate within the turning radius of a normal bus.
Trucks
In the UK, tractor unit and trailer combinations are referred to as articulated lorries, or "artics".[1]
A semi-trailer truck, also known as a semitruck, [1] (or semi, [2] eighteen-wheeler, [3] big rig, [4] tractor-trailer [5] or, by synecdoche, a semitrailer) [6] [a] is the combination of a tractor unit and one or more semi-trailers to carry freight.
Trains and rail
Many train cars are made with articulated connections, sharing a common
Trams and light rail vehicles have been made with articulated designs since the 1950s. Articulated trams, were invented and first used by the Boston Elevated Railway in 1912–13.[2] This was instead of using trailers or multiple units, which had been attempted in the early 1900s. The articulated design allows passengers (and fare inspectors) to move the entire length of the vehicle, whether stopped or in motion.
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Articulated well cars with containers
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London and North Eastern Railway articulated train from 1924
Heavy equipment
Front loaders, graders, dump trucks and other vehicles have been made with articulated joints to greatly reduce their turning radius and make a single track when making a turn in a soft surface like mud or sand. (the rear wheels follow the front wheel trajectory) The most common models of
Military vehicles
Some military vehicles, including the United States Armed Forces' M561 Gama Goat and the Swedish Bandvagn 206 were engineered with an articulated body for rough terrain capability.
Watercraft
The "integral unit", or
See also
References
- ^ "HGV Licence Cat C + E - HGV Driver Training Centre". Hgvtrainingcentre.co.uk. 2019-05-04. Retrieved 2019-12-30.
- ^ MBTA (2010). "About the MBTA-The "El"". MBTA. Archived from the original on 26 November 2010. Retrieved 8 December 2010.