WEAPON PLATFORMS

AR 4112

TANK DESIGN
PARAMETERS

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TANK DESIGN PARAMETERS

1.Power to Weight ratio.

2.Ground Pressure: NGP & MMP.

3.Steerability ratio.

4.Pitch ratio.

5.Running gear.

6.Other factors- W, H, B, L, L0, Turret ring diameter

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 1. POWER TO WEIGHT RATIO (P/W)

Gross Power, in kW
P Ratio  ; kW
W Combat Wei ght of the vehicle, in Tons Ton

# P/W ratio is an indication of :-

a.Speed up the gradient

b.Speed/acceleration on level ground
c. Speed in steer

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 POWER TO WEIGHT RATIO
Tank Power(HP) Combat Weight P/W
(ton) (HP/T)

AMX40(French) 1100 43 25.58

Challenger (UK) 1500 62.5 24
Leopard-II (Germany 1500 62 24.19
Merkava-IV (Israel) 1500 65 23
M1A2 (USA) 1500 63 23.8
Leclerc (French) 1500 56.5 26.55
T-72 (Russia) 780 41.5 19.02
T-80 1200 51 21.7
T-90 1000 46.5 21.5
S-Tank (Sweden) 523 39.7 13.2
Type-90 (Japan) 1500 50 30
Arjun (India) 1400 58.5 24
Al Khalid (Pakistan) 1200 48 25
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Tank Dimensions

θ Ø
L
C
L0
b’
B

t W=Weight of tank in kg
L=length of track on ground (in contact), cm
L0=Overall length of tank,
t=width of track
C=Centre distance between the tracks
b’=distance between track extremities
B=Maximum width
B-b’=fitting clearance
θ=angle of approach
Ø=angle of departure
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2. Ground Pressures.
(a)Nominal Ground Pressure (NGP)

NGP is overall average pressure under the track.

Vehicles are generally classified on the basis of NGP.
W
NGP  ; kg 2
2Lt cm

General values:-
0.92 kg/cm2 -negotiate mud and soft ground with difficulty.
0.70 kg/cm2 - negotiate mud and soft ground easily

A man with 65 kg weight exerts approximately 0.5 kg/cm2 pressure on

ground.
Scorpion of UK (light recce tank)- NGP=0.35 kg/cm2
M114 A1 (US APC) NGP=0.3kg/cm2

These vehicles can go anywhere where a man can walk.

NGP is not uniform due to un-uniform pressures because of sudden

acceleration and braking.
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2. Ground Pressures.
(b) Mean maximum Pressure (MMP).

Pressure under wheels is not uniform; it is maximum under the wheels; it

also varies from wheel to wheel. Therefore, NGP is not a reliable figure. MMP
is more reliable.

 Transducers are put under

ground to find maximum
pressure under the wheels;

 Mean of the peak pressure

values gives MMP.

W=Weight on each track, in N

1.26W m=Number of wheel stations on each track.
MMP  b=width of track, in m
mb pd p=pitch of track; distance between centre
lines of two track links, in m
 MMP varies from ≈0.15 m
200-260 kPa for MBTs. d=diameter of bogey wheels, m
90-200 kPa for light tanks and ICVs. 7
3. Steerability Ratio L/C.

L Length of track on ground


C Centre distance between two tracks

 L/C=1.1 to 1.8; L
 It governs:-
a. Steering capability and,
b. Directional stability.
 If L/C<1.1, vehicle will not have
directional stability.
 If L/C>1.8, vehicle tends to move straight
and would not steer.
C
 A tank design should endeavor to get
L/C=1.5 to 1.6.
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4. Pitch Ratio, PR.

Overall Length of the tank L 0

PR  
Length of track on ground L

 PR =1.5 ideally;

θ Ø
 Effects:-
a. Hull protrusion, fore & aft. L
L0
b. May foul with obstacles, if more.
c. Large θ and Ø required to overcome obstacles i.e. small PR.
d. Large PR also affects the pitch frequency and pitching
amplitude.

 PR will dictate:-
a. Ride characteristics (reduced if PR is more) and, 9
5. Width.

It is desirable to have maximum width. But it is

limited due to following factors:-

a.Availability of transportation e.g. railway, tank

transporters etc (ideally ≤3.54 m).
b.Transportation by air. C
B
c.Type of gun and its recoil length.
d.Turret ring diameter.
e.Type of hull-
i.Hull between the tracks or,
ii.Hull over the tracks.

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6. Height of the Tank.

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 Turret Roof
6. Height of the Tank, H. Trunnion

Approximate Calculation - Minimum height

1.Ground Clearance =450 mm Turret basket floor
2.Belly plate =25 mm
clearance Hull Floor
3.Basket & RBJ clearance =50 mm
4.Height of loader =1.67 m Ground clearance
5.Shoes, cap, head clearance =0.5 m
6.Top armour =25 mm
Total
H=2.27
 Height m can not be further reduced unless loader is replaced by an auto-
loader.

 Height is also governed by:-

a. Depression of the gun
b. Recoil length of the gun
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6. Height of the Tank.

 H ranges from 2.17 m (T-72) upto 2.64 m

(Merkava-II).

 Other Factor affecting height:-

a.Desired depression of the gun.
b.Height of the engine.
c.Driver sitting position (reduced upto 225 mm
for reclining position).
d.Suspension system (H increased by 100 mm if
torsion bars used).

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7. Weight of the Tank, W.

 Maximum possible weight is governed by strategic and tactical mobility.

Factors affecting minimum weight of the tank:-

a.Stability factor-Gun firing and its recoil.

b.G effect on the crew- on firing of the gun.
c.Rate of fire required by the gun.
d.Ability to survive a hit.

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Example-1
What is the ideal weight of a tank for the following ideal
performance data:-
a.NGP =0.70 kg/cm2.
b.L/C =1.6.
c.L0/L =1.5.
d.t =0.6m
e.B =3.54m

Solution.
W
NGP 
2 Lt
 
W  2  0.7 10 4  L  t
 2  0.7  10  1.6  C  0.6
4

But , C  B  t  3.54  0.6  2.94 m

 
W  2  0.7 10 4  1.6  2.94  0.6
 39.51 Ton
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