Have you ever paid attention to the fact that most Soviet tanks have an asterisk roller located in the rear parts of the caterpillar, while the vast majority of German tanks during the Second World War, it is located in the front parts. It is quite obvious that there is some fundamental difference between the two types of construction. What is the reason for the choice of the location of the sprocket?
The history of tracked propellers dates back to the end of the 19th century. However, in the form recognizable to modern man, "caterpillars" appeared only at the beginning of the 20th century. The development of tracked propellers was largely associated with the development of the first heavy armored vehicles, which people began to use on the fields of World War II. Britain, France and Germany were pioneers in this area.
The caterpillar drive can have several types of layout - the location and organization of the rollers. It may also differ in the shape of the track links. However, one way or another, this device in its classical form always consists of caterpillars, driving wheels, guide wheels, supporting and track rollers. The idler wheel is used to tension the track. Track rollers and carrier rollers distribute weight to the ground and maintain track tension accordingly. But the most important and interesting thing is the drive wheel, the roller, which converts its own rotational motion into the forward motion of the tracked vehicle.
In different configurations of caterpillar propellers, the driving and steering wheels are interchanged every now and then. It is important to remember that the drive wheel of a tank or tractor does not always look like an asterisk. There are at least three types of such rollers. First - in fact, the "sprocket" itself or "drive wheel with pinned gearing". In this case, the wheel has a toothed ring that penetrates the cutouts in the track tracks. Second - "ridge-toothed drive wheel". In this case, there are ridges on the tracks of the caterpillar, which take into the grooves on the drive wheel. Third - "ridge gear driving wheel". In this case, the track and roller interact only due to the frictional force. It is important to understand this, because on a number of Soviet tanks the "star" cannot be found. The simplest example is the T-34. It uses the second type of idler rollers.
However, no matter what form the drive and guide wheels take, the main thing remains unchanged: with different types of layout, the leading ones are either in the front of the track or in the rear. Why? In fact, everything is quite simple. The location of the leading roller is most often determined by the location of the transmission in car. The division of tanks on this basis began during the First World War. Conventionally, the French school of tank building put the engine of their vehicles in the aft part and located the gearbox there. Conventionally, the British school of tank building took a different path: the British put the engine of the tank in its stern, but the transmission was located in the front. Therefore, the French cars had drive wheels in the tracks at the back, and in the English ones - at the front.
By the time of World War II, this had not changed in any way. The location of the "leader" still depended on the place where the transmission was installed. Since the days of Panzer II, the Germans began to install the transmission in the bow of the tank, making them front-wheel drive. In the Soviet Union, they preferred to put the gearbox in the rear, making their tanks rear-wheel drive. But what did this choice depend on? It is important to understand here: any car is always the result of compromises. The design can be good or bad, but every layout has its pros and cons.
In the middle of the 20th century, the Germans and Americans made their tanks front-wheel drive, installing the transmission in the nose of the combat vehicle. This made it possible to reduce the engine compartment, install the tanks in the center, which reduced the fire hazard of the vehicle, and most importantly, move the turret towards the center of the hull. The latter was very important, since the central location of the turret made it possible to reduce the rolling of the gun and increase the accuracy of fire while moving. However, the layout of the tank with the front transmission was more complicated, resource-intensive and expensive, since it was necessary to pull the cardan from the engine to the box through the entire tank. In the future, this complicated the repair, and also added vulnerabilities to the tank in battle: an unsuccessful hit could interrupt the cardan and the tank simply stood up as a dead weight.
>>>>Ideas for life | NOVATE.RU<<<<
The Soviets took a different route and started putting the transmission in the back next to the engine. This made the engine compartment much larger, which forced the tanks to be moved to the front. The fire hazard of the car increased. It also had to move the fighting compartment and the turret forward, which negatively affected the accuracy of the combat vehicle's fire from motion. On the other hand, Soviet tanks were simpler and cheaper to manufacture and easier to repair due to the proximity of the engine and transmission. In addition, there was no long gimbal, the breakage of which could render the tank virtually useless.
If you want to know even more interesting things, then you should read about why most tractors have large rear wheels, and the front ones are much smaller.
A source: https://novate.ru/blogs/300821/60351/
IT IS INTERESTING:
1. 7 home furnishings to put in a garbage bag and take to a landfill
2. Makarov pistol: why modern models have a black handle, if in the USSR it was brown
3. Why did revolutionary sailors wrap themselves in cartridge belts