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This page was updated on 30 - 06
- 2007 |
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Amphiroll |
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This vehicle has 2 DAF 750 cc engines with 2 variomatic gearboxes.
This means that there is 1 engine and 1 gear box for each roll.
The vehicle screws it self forward or reverse by rotating the rolls in opposite direction
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The real joke of this vehicle is that a variomatic gearbox gives the same speed
forward and reverse.
So if you rotate both rolls in the same direction
this vehicle moves at a frightening speed sideways.
By changing the parallel angle of the rolls, steering side ways works fine.
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The only drawback on this vehicle is that it never will be street legal. :)
The B&W pictures came from the archives of the
DAF Museum
Tongelsestr 27
Eindhoven
Nederland
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Joris Bracke has written me:
The Amphirol was designed around 1960 by J.J. de Bakker
(my granddad) owner of the machine factory de Bakker in Hulst (Holland)
He was looking for a solution to go fishing when he wanted
He was a busy man and he did not want to wait for the right water level.
He like to fish at "verdronken land van saeftinge", a Dutch town that was taken back by the sea, located in the Schelde near the Belgium border.
It is tidal water/land and the bottom is clay, so with low tide
walking there is not so easy. If you take a boat at high tide then you
have to be back before the water is gone.
In his search for a solution he found the Amphirol. the idea of the 2
floats with a corkscrew was not new. But what made his Amphirol unique was
the ability to alter the angle of the floats. not only parallel but at
an angle.
So when moving side ways, on a hard surface, (sand, dry clay) the vehicle can take a (wide) corner
In water and clay the vehicle move length wise,
By varying the rotating speed the vehicle makes a corner
The reason this Amphirol is know to DAF is that on the first proto type
2 old DAF engines including the Variomatic gear boxes where used.
Those DAF engines where under powered so the later version used 2 NSU
rotary engines that had a much better out put in relation to there
weight.
A Sundstrand Hydraulic installation gave power to the rolls
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