Engineering:B-train
In the road transport or trucking industry a B-train (or interlink in South Africa, B-double in Australia and tandem tractor-trailer, tandem rig or double in the United States) consists of two trailers linked together by a fifth wheel, and are up to 27.5 m (90 ft 3 in) long. The fifth wheel coupling is located at the rear of the lead, or first trailer and is mounted on a "tail" section commonly located immediately above the lead trailer axles.[1] In North America this area of the lead trailer is often referred to as the "bridge". The twin-trailer assembly is hooked up to a tractor unit via the tractor unit's fifth wheel in the customary manner.
An advantage of the B-train configuration is its inherent stability when compared to most other twin trailer combinations, the turntable mounted on the forward trailer results in the B-train not requiring a converter dolly as with all other road train configurations.[2] It is this feature above all else that has ensured its continued development and global acceptance.[3]
B-train trailers are used to transport many types of load and examples include tanks for liquid and dry-bulk, flat-beds and curtain-siders for deck-loads, bulkers for aggregates and wood residuals, refrigerated trailers for chilled and frozen goods, vans for dry goods, logging trailers for forestry work and cattle liners for livestock.
thumb|B-triple The B-train principle has been exploited in Australia, where configurations such as B triples, double-B doubles and 2AB quads are permitted on some routes. Standard semi-trailers are permitted on almost any road. B-doubles are more heavily regulated, but routes are made available by state governments for almost anywhere that significant road freight movement is required. In South Australia, B-triples up to 35.0 metres (114 ft 10 in) and two-trailer road trains to 36.5 metres (119 ft 9 in) are generally only permitted on specified routes in the north and west of the state, including access to industrial and export areas near Port Adelaide via Port Wakefield Road and Augusta Highway. Larger road trains up to 53.5 metres (175 ft 6 in) are only permitted on the Stuart Highway and Olympic Dam Highway in the Far North.[4]
See also
- Road train – longer road-legal vehicle combinations
- Long combination vehicle
References
- ↑ "Code of Practice for B-Doubles". Government of South Australia, Department for Transport, Energy and Infrastructure. June 2011. p. 3. https://www.nhvr.gov.au/files/t115-sa-code-of-practice-b-doubles.pdf. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
- ↑ "Into the Details: All About Road Trains". Equipment Hunt Group Pty Ltd. April 2019. https://equipmenthunt.com.au/news/into-the-details-all-about-road-trains/. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
- ↑ Sweatman, P.; Tso, Y. (29 July 1988). "Dynamic stability of B‐doubles". Transportation Planning and Technology 14 (2): 159–169. doi:10.1080/03081068908717423.
- ↑ RAVnet (Map). Government of South Australia. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
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