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Bernie -> (4/17/2003 11:50:08 PM)
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[QUOTE]Originally posted by Panzer Leo
[B]Thanks for all your input !
Tracks would help on a non-sloped armor to a certain degree, but on a well sloped plate, they can have the opposite effect, as far as I can tell. When the tracks are fastened well enough (and they usually are, as you would loose them in rough terrain if not), the soft steel would let the AP round go in and prevent the deflection usually happening on sloped plates...so a track can even worsen the performence of a tanks armor, if I'm not wrong here...but I think I recall that being the reason why a lot of official decrees were thrown out on both sides, not to place any stuff on the armor plates...
keep up your good comments, I still got a bit time left to make up my mind how to model the Sherman variants in htis aspect... [/B][/QUOTE]
I think that much would depend upon just how the tracks/plates/whatever were attached to the armor. If they were bolted on, the shear strength of the bolts used (and number) would determine if the piece held or was ripped off. If it were welded on, the size, type and location of the welds would be the major factors (and possible changes to the tempering of the regular armor as well, from the heat of welding or brazing). A typical arc weld has a strength of between 35,000 and 50,000 psi, a braze can go as high as 75,000 to 90,000 psi, and other, more modern welds and brazes can hit 120,000 psi or higher. All these factors, and more (angle of hit, force vectors, etc) would have to be considered to even come close to estimating what a hit on add-on armor would do. Picture this scenario if you will, just as a really wild example of what "could" happen:
You weld a track section to your tank. The section is about one foot square. Because you REALLY want it to be solid you have a continuous weld done, going around all four sides of the piece. Solid, right? Ain't no way that sucker is coming off, right? Okay, now you're in combat and some lucky gunner places an AT round of decent size dead center in that track piece. Later, when the vehicle is recovered, everyone is amazed at the SQUARE hole punched through the armor. Did the track fail? No, but the heat of the welding changed the temper of the armor it was welded to, creating a square outline of soft steel that failed when the round hit. Think "pop-top can", and how it breaks cleanly at the score line in the metal, and you get the idea. With that weld you created a "score line", and then made the center of it thicker so more of the force of the round was transferred to that "score" line. :)
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