Extreme heat in army tanks endangers troops; forces use tank blanket to keep troops from baking

[FredDaHead]

Fred, go back to hippystan.  The logistical demand your proposal would produce would be a nightmare.  That'd be hundreds of kilometres of extension cords per tank. 

Besides, what's wrong with running a tank on biodiesel?

But the peaceful Hippystanians told me to go back to the Evil Hawkish Empire!

Maybe we can make nuclear tanks then? We already have tiny nuclear reactors (we have one at RMC!), why not just stuff it in a tank's engine bay and run electrical engines off it? Just imagine how awesome that would be: unlimited range of motion, the ability to run all kinds of cool electronic stuff... Heck, we can just stick lasers on the tanks and remove any kind of logistical problem--except for water and food for the crew.

And doesn't biodiesel smell like donuts when it's burned? That would be pretty bad for morale... be stuck around a big piece of metal that smells like donuts, while in the middle of the sandbox.

 

[geo]

not sure, haven't had the pleasure of finding an AFV that was A/Cd more than driving fast with the hatches wide open..... and that isn't all that healthy while in Ops.

 

[Shamrock]

And doesn't biodiesel smell like donuts when it's burned? That would be pretty bad for morale... be stuck around a big piece of metal that smells like donuts, while in the middle of the sandbox.

*cough*

Yhea... it's the fuel that makes the tank smell like freshly baked doughnuts.

 

[FredDaHead]

*cough*

Yhea... it's the fuel that makes the tank smell like freshly baked doughnuts.

You mean the crews get freshly baked doughnuts?

...I ought to VOR to Armoured, then.

 

[aesop081]

canadian company providing cooling solutions:

http://www.med-eng.com/sub.asp?id=23

...I ought to VOR to Armoured, then.

You mean VOT right..........Voluntary Ocupational Transfer ?

 

[FredDaHead]

http://www.med-eng.com/sub.asp?id=23

You meann VOT right..........Voluntary Ocupational Transfer ?

Yes, or whatever it's called this week. Although, I prefer a nice, warm bed to fresh doughnuts, so I'll stick with the Navy.

 

[aesop081]

Here's the suit Med-Eng came to show us in Edmonton a few years ago......

http://www.med-eng.com/sub.asp?id=103

 

[geo]

Oooo.... yeah - the cooling system for the mine suit!!!

bulky - though on an AFV, guess the weight or size is less consequential.

 

[armyvern]

Tank....track....tank = track.

Back on track please!!

 

[aesop081]

Tank....track....tank = track.

Back on track please!!

correct me if i am wrong but i think we are on track......talking about cooling systems.....

 

[George Wallace]

A couple of problems I can see with the suits, and that would be the already cramped quarters inside the turret for the hoses and machinery which would also be a problem with fouling the turret while traversing.  These suits would also be problematic in the constant mounting and dismounting of the vehicle, and wear on the hose couplings.  Once disconnected from their 'coolers' these suits would also become rather hot; no longer being cooled and becoming basically what a dive suit would be on a hot summer day.  (Just my guess.)

Electric turrets exist, but there must be batteries to power them.  Batteries hold a charge for a short time while the turret is fully operational and the engine is not running.  If the Gunnery runs the batteries down too far, the engine will not be able to be restarted. 

Any dreams of a Hybred Engine for a 40 - 60 ton tracked vehicle are rather limited at this date.  Currently there is no electic engine that can move a vehicle of those weights across country for any reasonable length of time. 

These are all things that would have to be put into a Tank, while it is still on the 'Drafting Table', not after it has been put into production. 

 

[Nfld Sapper]

Tank....track....tank = track.

Back on track please!!

Ok here you go Vern

:tank:

 

[geo]

Vern............ cute saying (but I really thought we were on "track")

Discussing possible solutions for AFV crews - if we can't put in an A/C system for the vehicle - is there something that can be done for the crewmembers (except provide em with vent holes c/o the Taliban)

 

[armyvern]

All right Geo,

Back to talking about the donuts again I guess!!  ;D

 

[Rifleman62]

If anyone is interested in a Aide Memoire,  Leaders' Risk Management, which includes a section on Heat Injuries, fluid replacement guidelines, heat injury prevention IPE, work/rest heat stress guide etc, PM me and I will send it to you. It is 1.20 MB, too big to post.

 

[Command-Sense-Act 105]

x

 

[geo]

(too late to cry over spilt milk... though we should keep in mind for the next time we go shopping for an MBT.

Read in the papers yesterday that the MMEV & MGS are both officially dead... whew!

Hmm.... do the M1 and the Leo2 have the same hydraulic pump between the gunner's legs ?

 

[George Wallace]

Good points.  Hydraulics can be a Tankers worse nightmare in combat.  A crew may survive the penetration of their tank by an antitank round, but not survive the affects of the scalding hot hydraulic fluids that may be released by shattered housings and hoses.  Electric turrets would be a lot safer. 

In the 80's, we did some trials with a 'Hunter Killer' sight on the C1s in Gagetown.  It was a sort of hybrid system in the way it was linked to the Gun.  The electrical components greatly increased the speeds that the gun reacted with the sight. 

Geo

Our version of the Leo was built for Temperate conditions.  There are other versions (Not only Leo, but Leclerc and M1) that are specifically designed for Desert Warfare and do incorporate cooling systems in their design.  Our problem is to find a way to safely modify our 'Temperate version' to a 'Desert version'.  What kind of redesign may be involved in moving electronic and gunner boxes is a question.  Will equipment/electronics have to be completely redesigned with cooling elements?  Will each 'station' in the vehicle need an individual 'personal cooling unit' for the crew?  How big and where can that unit be placed?  Will it restrict or impede the movement of the crew or turret?  Even the simple placement of a fan, may be problematic. 

 

[GAP]

Some of those Leo's for sale in Germany must have been tropical versions. Why would we not buy some of those already changed ones and simply ship them over. It's close, it's cheaper than retrofitting, and it makes sense......ooops. sorry.

 

[chanman]

Some of those Leo's for sale in Germany must have been tropical versions. Why would we not buy some of those already changed ones and simply ship them over. It's close, it's cheaper than retrofitting, and it makes sense......ooops. sorry.

Are there tropical Leos? I can't recall any Leo users in the desert or tropics, unlike the Abrams, Chally 2, and LeClerc.