DIE FORGING OF TANK HULL FRONTS AND TURRET COMPONENTS
Abstract
The objective of this study is to explore the feasibility of some other manufacturing method which would offer shorter lead times, maybe lower cost and, possibly, the opportunity for the utilization of the contemplated facility in peace time, thus making good use of the capital (over) investment and eliminating the substantial cost of stand-by maintenance. It was determined that while forging of the turret in one piece is feasible, the size of equipment required would exceed the limitations imposed by the present state of art. It was realized that the manufacture of turrets out of several forged and welded sections would be of questionable value from the ballistic point of view, considering the exposed welded seams in the turret. The exploration and development, beyond the present state of the art, which would be necessary to make the single piece turret forging feasible would require R + D funds not available at present. Therefore, the decision was made to recommend deferring further work on the turret until such time as more progress had been made on the hull. The manufacturing process for the hull was analyzed in detail. Plate bending, plate crimping, and welding being conventional procedures, all attention was concentrated on the closed die forging procedure for the nose.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1960
- Accession Number
- AD0250002