I am kind of curious what would happen if a tank turret turned into a tank. The barrels would probably snap off.
I know a article about some barrel-to-barrel tank-jousting in the Korean War, unfortunately the site appears to be down so I'll get back to you on that.
And I assume the barrel-mounting would break before the barrel would bend and/or break. Seems like those bits would probably not be capable of really safely absorbing any torque that isn't just the barrel recoiling or returning.
I am kind of curious what would happen if a tank turret turned into a tank. The barrels would probably snap off.
The gun barrels are designed to withstand intense pressure and temperature from repeated firing, so I doubt the barrels would bend or break before other parts of the gun mount or turret. If you had a tank sitting next to a concrete wall, and rotated the turret until the barrel contacted the wall, I think the weakest part of the link would be the stuff that drives the turret in azimuth.
In a lot of tanks or other armored vehicles, there is a gear-like toothed ring around the opening where the turret rests in the hull, and a geared motor attached to the turret that engages with the ring. I think that would get messed up before the barrel.
The part that allows the barrel to move in elevation (called the "trunnion", like the joint on an 1800s era cannon) is somewhat more robust, but something in that area is probably what would break first if the barrel was rammed longitudinally into a sufficiently hard surface.
FWP said: I know a article about some barrel-to-barrel tank-jousting in the Korean War, unfortunately the site appears to be down so I'll get back to you on that.
That made me thinks, if I somehow successfully bent or dmg beyond repair enemy's tank turret does that mean I've cut down that tank? Or they can still use it for something other than firing shells?
That made me thinks, if I somehow successfully bent or dmg beyond repair enemy's tank turret does that mean I've cut down that tank? Or they can still use it for something other than firing shells?
As long as it has an engine, and something connected to that engine, it can still engage ramming speed.
That made me thinks, if I somehow successfully bent or dmg beyond repair enemy's tank turret does that mean I've cut down that tank? Or they can still use it for something other than firing shells?
I think, as others have pointed out, a damaged barrel would probably implicate more serious damage. In an isolated case though, i'd still say that a cracked barrel means the tank is out.
Just to add though, "out" doesn't mean "dead". A disabled tank is still very dangerous, assuming the crew is healthy. They can still have machine guns or rocket mortars that could kill supporting infantry, or suppress light vehicles that don't have armor.
