Thursday 22 August 2019

Self-Centered

Typically, armoured vehicles have a tendency to sag forward, especially as they are modernized throughout their service life. Heavier cannons and frontal armour often strain the front suspension elements more than the rear. The T-34 was no exception, with the T-34-85's front springs having to be reinforced when the larger and heavier turret entered service.

The T-44 was a revolutionary shift for Soviet medium tanks. In order to rid the front of the hull of the vulnerable driver's hatch, the hatch had to be placed on the roof, which meant shifting the turret backwards. In order to keep the fighting compartment the same size, the engine had to be placed perpendicularly to the hull. This resulted in a lot of weight moving backwards, and the center of mass followed. Calculations may show some detailed insight, but one can even see with the naked eye that the tank is tilting backwards.



2 comments:

  1. In my opinion front mounted turret ring, that's very common situation in tank which use layout "longitudinal mounted engine + rear mounted transmission". In Abrams and Leopard 2 we also can see that distance between front edge of hull and turret ring, is smaller, than distance between turret ring and rear edge of hull. Maybe this is not visible on typical situation, due big turret bustle in both tanks, but we can see this situation when tank don't have turret (or when tank have gun on 3' o clock or 9' o clock). In T-34 and IS-2 this layout (front mounted turret ring) is more visible, due "short driver compartment". Generelly, my data show that T-44 don't be far shorten than T-34, but T-44 have shorter engine comparment (transverse engine mount) and longer driver compartment than T-34. https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IwnvrLbnMHI/VRvMF0bPNdI/AAAAAAAAfgg/w0enySlFdc4/s1600/Hk-T-sorozat-Htf-mix-1.jpg

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  2. Agree 100% Furthermore putting the drivers hatch on top and giving the driver a little more leg room makes the drivers job easier. Not to mention the safety benefits of not having a weak driver hatch in the front armor as well as the unpleasant process of being in the line of fire from the second the drivers hatch is open. Something a lot of drivers do to cool down or get fresh air.

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