N-L-M

3 hours ago, Sturgeon said:

 

 

Looks like some unholy combo of a Merkava and a Chieftain, I like it.

Also I should get cracking.

1 hour ago, Sturgeon said:

 

That turret is very Chieftain-esque, is it entirely cast or are the sides, back and roof rolled and welded?

Also, the driver's access looks a bit painful.

Mine is shaping up to be a product-improved, westernized, desertized, designed-for-upgradability T-55. 

I should have the roughest of drafts ready within 24 hours.

Edit: I would add that the archive access grants a unique opportunity- we know what the future will hold, and can therefore design around technologies which have yet to be manufactured. 

Alrighty, I was probably just a bit too pessimistic then. I withdraw that objection.

I suppose you could make the front hull support in 3 parts and remove them one at a time.

Is your internal hull width the same? If so, I withdraw my complaint as irrelevant.

While I can't prove it visually, I strongly suspect that the "chines" in the M48 were formed internally by separate mold pieces which were held in place by larger forming blocks for the major hull volume. If anyone has any good info on the actual casting equipment for the Pattons, I'd love to take a look.

The M103, like the M48 and M60, have oversized turret rings through which you could get the forming mandrel for the front hull out. Your design has a smaller turret ring, to the point where I can't tell how you'd be able to extract the internal molding equipment.

5 minutes ago, Sturgeon said:

Second pass at a cast hull, this time I managed to include some sort of elliptical shape on the glacis:

 

I see two major problems: 

1. The thin bottom and rear are poorly radiused in and will likely not form well in this casting, warping significantly. You'd probably have to either go with an M48 style elliptical belly or a separate plate welded on.

2. I really don't get how this is supposed to be molded. I suggest removing the back, and having it manufactured separately.

On topic- Autofrettage, yes or no?

That's some prime heresy right there. But that's what happens when you let marketing do their work unsupervised.

I find it more than mildly amusing that the depicted submarine has all its masts extended while submerged and maneuvering.

Very long-time lurker, this competition finally got me to register.

I have an idea which will be ironed out and hopefully posted within a week.

Two question though-

1. other than the M2 and M240, are there any other Cascade standard-issue items to consider? Fuels (80 octane gasoline? 40 cetane diesel? Personal equipment?)

2. What is the industrial base capable of steel-wise? (Thicknesses rolled, weights cast, guns forged)