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How hard is it to throw a track?


Pillar

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Pillar said:
So when an RPG round misses and hits a track it is probably going to blow it?

It may happen, but I don't think that it is inevitable. It could just as well be that all it does is drill a 5mm hole through a trackpad and leave a scorch mark on the paint, plus a few dents from case fragments. I think it probably requires the combination of a few elements - a shockwave from the warhead detonation that coincides with a track oscillation, or center connectors being destroyed (they're bearing about 80% of the track load), maybe in combination with some momentary peak strain on the track tension or so.

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How far do you need to throw it? Unless you're someone who regularly does the shotput, then I'd say throwing a track would be very physically demanding.

I would try to disconect the track and throw just singe segments.

Event then it may be hard to get more the 8 or 9m.

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Greetings all,

Just a single link from the M113 series track weighs in at around 50lbs. (depending on the model style) And not including the two end connectors.

The Leopard single link weighs in around 100lbs. (sometimes a little less, sometimes more)

Different track designs from numerious manufacturers are substituting very tough plastics to try to lighten the overall weight.

SO... You will not be throwing these tank links more than a few feet!

[not counting obstructions or material buildup, the end connector bolts and the track tension are the "keys" to never rolling a track off]

Later ..... 9erRed

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I was introduced to fred the tank tread while i was in OSUT back in '90. Dont remember what i did but i had to run in place while pressing the dammed thing above my head in a modified military press kind of action. Didnt take long until i was draggin, at which point i had to do push ups with fred on my hands so as to not allow fred to scratch the freshly mirror polished floor. Lather, rinse and repeat ad nauseum. By the time i was done there was a serious puddle of sweat around 24 inches in diameter.

Those treads are fucking heavy.....

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  • 11 years later...
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Throwing track is easy, and hard. It very much depends on the situation, and, apparently, track link design.

 

When I was still active, tight turns in a forest with soft soil were often enough for tracks to come off the sprocket, and if there is nobody outside to warn you that you are about to throw track, well.

 

A few years ago I saw a promotional video from Diehl Defense where they demonstrated a 360° pivot rorarting Leopard 2 on soft sand ground which made me instinctively cringe, but there was no problem whatsoever apparently due to a change in track link shape.

 

So far so good.

 

Then there's the connectors to combine the individual track segments into a whole track. 80% of the load bearing is on the center connector, 10% each on the end connectors. So, if the center one gets damaged (and be is a measly cal .50 AP round) you're very likely to see the track snap under the slightest load. As far as overpressure effects are concerned, it's anyone's guess what can happen. Artillery live fire tests have shown that tank tracks are still vulnerable.

 

So, for Steel Beasts we have taken the approach that there's a certain chance that direct fire might destroy a center conntector (fire often enough and eventually you'll be lucky), and as far as overpressure is concerned, artillery round sized explosive masses (starting from about 2kg up) have an ever increasing chance of the target throwing track as well.

 

 

In summary,

 

Is this accurately modelled?

Probably not, but I haven't yet come across an open source that would mandate a different approach, and with high confidence.

 

Does it serve the purpose of confronting the player with bad luck throwing a wrench into his plans?

Absolutely.

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On 9/20/2019 at 10:17 PM, Ssnake said:

Throwing track is easy, and hard. It very much depends on the situation, and, apparently, track link design.

 

When I was still active, tight turns in a forest with soft soil were often enough for tracks to come off the sprocket, and if there is nobody outside to warn you that you are about to throw track, well.

 

A few years ago I saw a promotional video from Diehl Defense where they demonstrated a 360° pivot rorarting Leopard 2 on soft sand ground which made me instinctively cringe, but there was no problem whatsoever apparently due to a change in track link shape.

 

So far so good.

 

Then there's the connectors to combine the individual track segments into a whole track. 80% of the load bearing is on the center connector, 10% each on the end connectors. So, if the center one gets damaged (and be is a measly cal .50 AP round) you're very likely to see the track snap under the slightest load. As far as overpressure effects are concerned, it's anyone's guess what can happen. Artillery live fire tests have shown that tank tracks are still vulnerable.

 

So, for Steel Beasts we have taken the approach that there's a certain chance that direct fire might destroy a center conntector (fire often enough and eventually you'll be lucky), and as far as overpressure is concerned, artillery round sized explosive masses (starting from about 2kg up) have an ever increasing chance of the target throwing track as well.

 

 

In summary,

 

Is this accurately modelled?

Probably not, but I haven't yet come across an open source that would mandate a different approach, and with high confidence.

 

Does it serve the purpose of confronting the player with bad luck throwing a wrench into his plans?

Absolutely.

Plus if you have an explosion close to the tank/APC the side skirts/side armour have a tendency to get malformed and get tangled up with the tracks and either trow them or make a blockaged so they cant run (That's what i remember from the danish artillery test on the effects of arty close to armoured vehicles)

 

MD

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