Brian 'Condor' Wilson Posted January 28, 2002 Share Posted January 28, 2002 Hello all, All this discussion about armor quality has me wondering about tank armor. I used to think that it was made from mild steel plates, not high carbon steel. Now I have the impression that this is not true and that it was hardened steel. That being said I have a few questions. 1. How much of the armor on a tank was hardened. All? Some? None? 2. Were the plates hardend throught out or just face hardened? 3. Assuming the plates are hardened. Does anyone know what sort of rockwell number the steel was hardened to? My understanding is that the hardness & britleness go hand in hand. that is, the harder a peice of steel is the more brittle it is also. I would think a really hard (ie rockwell 60) steel plate would shatter the first time any large calaber shell hit. 4. How would you harden something like a cast turret? Were thay actually cast in a mold? This one really bothers me. It's my understanding that you can't harden cast iron (carbon content is too high) & that you couldn't/can't "cast" steel. Thanks, Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aka_tom_w Posted January 28, 2002 Share Posted January 28, 2002 oh BOY! Have you ever come to the right place Just hit SEARCH and use the term "face hardened" Welcome aboard! My quick search netted these results: Isigny Tests vs. Captured Panther 01-10-2001 Combat Mission Why germans didnt use tungsten? 01-13-2001 Combat Mission Tiger Tactics 01-13-2001 Combat Mission Face-Hardened Armor on German Tanks 01-27-2001 Combat Mission T34 Vulnerability 04-03-2001 Combat Mission Face-Hardened Penetration for Russian Ammo 04-21-2001 Combat Mission 45mm Penetration of Panther at Kursk 04-23-2001 Combat Mission Update on Armor Penetration Book 05-06-2001 Combat Mission So Who's Tougher? 05-10-2001 Combat Mission Armor Book Status 06-04-2001 Combat Mission Penetration Charts 06-27-2001 Combat Mission The Twelve Step Program to the PENG Challenge! 07-03-2001 Combat Mission Sherman 75mm Effectiveness 07-03-2001 Combat Mission U.S. 40mm M81 AP Shot 07-08-2001 Combat Mission Tungsten Core Shatter Gap 07-14-2001 Combat Mission German face-hardened armour,when did they stop using it? 07-18-2001 Combat Mission Soviet Flat Nosed AP Ordnance 07-20-2001 Combat Mission Tank vulnerability (oh no, not again) and another small wish 07-25-2001 Combat Mission Grog question: bocage & Germans 08-08-2001 Combat Mission WW2 Ballistics: Armor and Gunnery - the new book 08-14-2001 Combat Mission Sherman Armor and Penetration Topics 09-14-2001 Combat Mission Rexford, Soviet APBC against face-hardened armour? 09-15-2001 Combat Mission Panther use of Face-Hardened Armor 09-19-2001 Combat Mission Armor Penetration Snafu? 12-20-2001 Combat Mission Two Plates In Contact 01-08-2002 Combat Mission CMBB Matchup - PzKpfw III Ausf. J versus T-34-76 Model 1941 01-13-2002 Combat Mission SU 152 vs Panther Glacis at Kursk 01-25-2002 Combat Mission Metalurgy & tank armor 01-28-2002 Combat Mission -tom w [ 01-28-2002: Message edited by: aka_tom_w ]</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParaBellum Posted January 29, 2002 Share Posted January 29, 2002 LOL Tom! And Brian, if that's not enough for ya, I'd suggest to do a search with Rexford's member number. All you ever wanted to know about armour but were afraid to ask... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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