Average Resistance of Tiger Armor

[rexford]

Going through 26 firing test results against Tiger front, side and rear armor rolled plates (nothing against cast mantlet), came to conclusion that Tiger armor averaged 5% more effective thickness than 60mm, 80mm and 100mm design specifications.

So, average effective resistance (before slope effect) of Tiger 60mm design spec plates is 63mm, 80mm design spec plates resist like 84mm on average and 100mm design spec armor resists like a 105mm plate.

The above averages take into account true average thickness of plates (which is about 2% above 60mm, 80mm and 100mm) and actual ballistic resistance from Allied firing tests. The Allied firing tests used 6 pdr, 17 pdr, 75mm, 76mm and 90mm guns and ammunition.

Tiger armor, which probably wasn't as mass produced as other panzers, appears to have averaged slightly better resistance characteristics than Panther, PzKpfw III and PzKpfw IVH armor.

The Tiger armor resistance averaged 5% more than the design spec thickness but varied according to a bell shaped statistical distribution curve (most results bunched near average but some well above and some well below average).

[Mr. Tittles]

Design specs are usually +/-%. So a 60mm plate specced at 60mm +3%/-0% would on average, be greater than the base spec of 60mm. On a higher production item, like a Panther bow plate, the spec might be looser. Say, 80mm +3%/-3%. The average panther bow plate would be 80mm or close to it.

[rexford]

German rolled armor specs did not allow plate thicknesses below the design spec, and the max allowable thickness was supposed to be +5%.

That's what it supposed to be.

The Americans measured a 60mm design spec front lower hull plate on Panther at 66.7mm, and the Russians and British routinely assumed an 85mm glacis thickness during their penetration range estimates vs Panther.

Russian 45mm design spec plates show a wider range than German armor, where we have seen actual measurements as low as 42mm and as high as 60mm. Jeff Duquette measured a T34 glacis within the 50mm-55mm range.

The Americans didn't care how thick their cast armor was as long as weight restrictions were met, and two of the 89mm design thickness mantlets for 76mm armed Shermans measured 98mm in both cases.