Why is it so hard to find the armor thickness on modern MBTs?

Discussion in 'Weapons, Technology & Equipment' started by vashstampede, Sep 6, 2012.

  1. Diptangshu

    Diptangshu Active Member

    Me too....least bothered 'bout the count of Rounds. If its be 6 trillions of rounds....no matter,assuming as per requirement.

    What I mean is all bout the health-hazards of the related personnel and Obviously of next gen[by the exposure]. Since Both Are Precious as well as Beloved to us,not a much worried Matter...?//?
     
  2. aghart

    aghart Former Tank Commander Moderator

    APFSDS.jpg

    photo is of a DU armour piercing round. On hitting the target at most 20% of the projectile will turn to dust during armour penetration. As for the Phalanx AA DU rounds? on hitting an aircraft target with zero armour, there is likely to be zero DU dust created. If there is it willl land on the sea and disperse. As for shell cases on the warships deck? the shell cases are made of brass not DU.
     
    Diptangshu likes this.
  3. Alexander

    Alexander Member

  4. Alexander

    Alexander Member

  5. ami4041

    ami4041 New Member

    I might sound like an ignoramus, but won't depleted uranium still display some amount of radioactivity?
     
  6. Interrogator#6

    Interrogator#6 Active Member

    One thing about being the son of a proessional metalurgist is being able to ask questions. Some twenty years ago I asked about DU armour. I was able to learn that it was tried and found to be impractical. Sure it is dense, but it was "too soft". Softness is fine for ammo, like lead, but poor for armour.

    No, modern vehicle armour is a secret wizard's composite of "laminated plates" composed a a variety of materials. And UD is a myth. It is more likely to contain layers of ceramics, of steel-alloy, of some sort of rubber, then aluminum, then more ceramics. These modern wizards can conjure ceramics tougher (in some ways) than steel.

    BTW, Tungsten added to steel is for heat-resistance, not hardness.
     
  7. Interrogator#6

    Interrogator#6 Active Member

    Common rookie mistake. Yes, DU still decays, just more slowly. But here is a secret: hit DU hard enough and watch it catch fire. And incoming shells tend to hit armour rather hard.

    You do not want your own tanks to ignite, so DU is out.
     
  8. Rockhem

    Rockhem Member

    They want to keep their armor thickness a secret, so the people fighting them won't know how powerful of a weapon they need to design to destroy the tank. I am betting in world war II or other wars, they didn't make it public knowledge what thickness the armor of their tanks were either.
     

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