Tank design

SuedodeuS · 05-28-2010, 12:57 AM

I recently finished up a post in the newest mecha thread that involved reverse-engineering the TL8 MBT from High Tech (the T-72A). It actually worked, shockingly enough. I thought it might be interesting to discuss some of the assumptions I made, both to determine what I screwed up and to help others in future endeavors. Here were my assumptions:

Turret: This was a half-sphere with a radius equal to 1/2 the tank's total height, due to it looking like it made for half the height of the tank.
Armor: I calculated surface area of each section as follows. Front and back were height/2 x width. Sides were height/2 x length. Top was length x width with a hole for the turret, bottom was length x width. For the turret, total surface area was 2*pi*r^2 (half the surface area of a sphere with radius r). Top was 1/2 this value, front was 1/6, sides and back together were 1/3. I assumed DR of the back was (for both the body and turret) equal to that of the sides. I then determined the average DR by multiplying the surface area of each section by its DR and dividing by overall surface area. As the tank had dimensions of SM+4 but weight of SM+5, I gave it dDR 5 per module of TL8 Laminate Armor (this is the SM+6 value, due to it having the weight of SM+5 but less surface area). Average dDR worked out to around 20, meaning an average of 4 armor modules on each section.
Treads: 1 module each.
Engine: 1 module (in core), although I suspect the V12 engine doesn't weigh the 2.3 tons this implies.
Fuel: 1/2 module, based on the actual weight of diesel the T-72A actually carries.
Control Room: 1 module. The insides of tanks are notoriously cramped, so I thought a single SM+5 Control Room would work.
Main gun: 1.2 modules for the gun and its mounting, 0.8 modules (0.4 of which is ammo, 0.4 is autoloader) for ammo and autoloader.

I ended up with 12 armor modules spread over the tank, 2 modules spent on treads, 2 on the main gun and ammo, 1/2 on the fuel, and the Core taken up by the Control Room and Engine. I'm thinking it might be more appropriate to shove the Engine to the back and have the second module of the main gun be Core, as this would allow 5 armor modules on the Middle section, with most of the DR focused on the turret. It might be appropriate to consider the engine as producing 1 power point, and the treads together using up one power point.

05-28-2010, 12:57 AM	#1
SuedodeuS Join Date: Sep 2008	Tank design I recently finished up a post in the newest mecha thread that involved reverse-engineering the TL8 MBT from High Tech (the T-72A). It actually worked, shockingly enough. I thought it might be interesting to discuss some of the assumptions I made, both to determine what I screwed up and to help others in future endeavors. Here were my assumptions: Turret: This was a half-sphere with a radius equal to 1/2 the tank's total height, due to it looking like it made for half the height of the tank. Armor: I calculated surface area of each section as follows. Front and back were height/2 x width. Sides were height/2 x length. Top was length x width with a hole for the turret, bottom was length x width. For the turret, total surface area was 2pir^2 (half the surface area of a sphere with radius r). Top was 1/2 this value, front was 1/6, sides and back together were 1/3. I assumed DR of the back was (for both the body and turret) equal to that of the sides. I then determined the average DR by multiplying the surface area of each section by its DR and dividing by overall surface area. As the tank had dimensions of SM+4 but weight of SM+5, I gave it dDR 5 per module of TL8 Laminate Armor (this is the SM+6 value, due to it having the weight of SM+5 but less surface area). Average dDR worked out to around 20, meaning an average of 4 armor modules on each section. Treads: 1 module each. Engine: 1 module (in core), although I suspect the V12 engine doesn't weigh the 2.3 tons this implies. Fuel: 1/2 module, based on the actual weight of diesel the T-72A actually carries. Control Room: 1 module. The insides of tanks are notoriously cramped, so I thought a single SM+5 Control Room would work. Main gun: 1.2 modules for the gun and its mounting, 0.8 modules (0.4 of which is ammo, 0.4 is autoloader) for ammo and autoloader. I ended up with 12 armor modules spread over the tank, 2 modules spent on treads, 2 on the main gun and ammo, 1/2 on the fuel, and the Core taken up by the Control Room and Engine. I'm thinking it might be more appropriate to shove the Engine to the back and have the second module of the main gun be Core, as this would allow 5 armor modules on the Middle section, with most of the DR focused on the turret. It might be appropriate to consider the engine as producing 1 power point, and the treads together using up one power point. __________________ Quos deus vult perdere, prius dementat. Latin: Those whom a god wishes to destroy, he first drives mad. Last edited by SuedodeuS; 05-28-2010 at 01:18 AM.