Screw propulsion
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- "Screw propulsion" may also refer to propeller propulsion.
Screws can be used for vehicle propulsion. This works best over water, snow, sand, and other soft surfaces, although it can work as effectively over solid surfaces. This is normally done with pairs of screws: If they are rotated in opposite directions the vehicle will move forward. A number of countries such as Germany, Japan, and the USA ventured into the concept, although ultimately they had a negative opinion of the technology. The Soviet Union on the other hand had a much more favorable experience, with many prototypes built and a number of vehicles entering limited mass production. The British exploration team Ice Challenger also used the drive in their Snowbird 6 vehicle (a modified Bombardier tracked craft) to traverse the ice floes in the Bering Strait. In fiction, it is also the propulsion system for Metal Gear Solid 3's Shagohod.
