The Evolution of Fire Trucks
Posted by admin in Fire Trucks on June 30, 2011
Fire engines have become iconic in our times. The big red truck is immediately linked with bravery, emergencies and of course – fire, a destructive force that can cause havoc to residential areas, wildlife sanctuaries, crops and farms. Raging infernos can not only kill, but also cause extensive damage to businesses and land. Unfortunately, it was more difficult to battle the blaze in the past, and firefighters or farm occupants back then didn’t have the shiny, mean red machine to call upon. To show you where the beloved water tanker known as the fire truck came from, here is a brief history:
• Early models: OK, so the fire truck couldn’t actually come into existence before the truck was invented. The first fire fighting vehicles were actually portable water pumps. Created in the 1700′s, the “bucket brigade” would use man power to pull these hand or steam powered pumps to the location of the fire. Into the 1800′s, firefighters were eventually starting to get paid for their efforts and horses were brought on board to assist in transporting the pump.
• The first fire engine: As technology evolved and new creations were being introduced, the weight of the equipment was unable to be hauled by horses and in 1841, the first self-propelled, steam-powered fire engine in the US arrived. Built in New York, it was first seen as a dangerous and unreliable option by firefighters, but after decades passed by, it finally became popular. Read the rest of this entry »
How Many Types Of Car Engines Are There?
The main purpose of an engine is to convert energy into mechanical motion. However, the basic initial engine has evolved due to the evolution of automotive technology and nowadays we can speak about various types of engines, each sharing the same purpose but using different means. The main types of engines are the traditional gasoline driven internal combustion engines, the rotary engine, hybrid vehicle engines and various alternative fuel engines such as the ones found on solar cars, hydrogen fuel cell cars, so-called plug-in hybrids and fully electric vehicles
Internal combustion engines are the type of engines used by the vast majority of cars. Most of them use gasoline as fuel to produce the power stroke that drives the car. The principle behind the internal combustion engine is the series of small explosions it creates in order to use the power developed to the drive-shaft via a transmission. There are several types of internal combustion engines but the four-stroke engines are the ones which are mostly spread. As their name implies, four-stroke internal combustion engines function following four distinct procedures: intake, compression, ignition and exhaust.
Diesel engines are a particular class of internal combustion engines which use diesel fuel in the process. They are considered to be more efficient that the ones which use gasoline and they are more environmental friendly as the carbon emissions are fewer that in the case of the gasoline engines. Diesel fuel is usually obtained from distilled petroleum; however, there are certain bio-diesel fuels which have been produced using vegetable or animal fats. A diesel engine mixes the fuel with hot air in order to make the engine function, unlike gasoline engines which use a spark plug. Read the rest of this entry »