M1 Tank Ground Pressure

-
dart4forte

dart4forte

FABO Gold Member
FABO Gold Member
Joined
May 28, 2004
Messages
6,012
Reaction score
2,615
Location
Mesa, AZ
This is not a political so let’s keep it that way. Listening to all the hype of tank in DC for the July 4 th celebration. Listening to all the so called experts talking about damage to the roads. Well it’s all bunk. Here’s a scale showing the ground pressure of various vehicles.

All examples are approximate, and will vary based on conditions

Object Ground pressure (kPa) (psi)
Hovercraft 0.7 0.1
Human on Snowshoes 3.5 0.5
Rubber-tracked ATV 5.165 0.75
Wheeled ATV 13.8 2
Diedrich D-50 – T2 Drilling rig 26.2 3.8
Human male 55 8
M1 Abrams tank 103 15
1993 Toyota 4Runner / Hilux Surf 170 25
Adult horse (550 kg, 1250 lb) 170 25
Bagger 288 Excavation machine 170 25
Passenger car 205 30
Adult elephant 240 35
Mountain bicycle 245 40
Road racing bicycle 620 90
Stiletto heel 3,250 471

Note: The pressures for adult human male and horse are for standing still position. A walking human will exert more than double his standing pressure. A galloping horse will exert up to 3.5 MPa (500 psi). The ground pressure for a pneumatic tire is roughly equal to its inflation pressure.

Back in the day we ran tanks all over Germany. Very little damage to the actual asphalt and little to no damage to concrete. Now, if the driver gets a little close to curbs the end connectors on the end of the tracks will take them out

Also, I noticed they had those soldiers placing plywood along the travel of the track. Simple solution was to brink in a fire truck and hose down the asphalt. The track, having rubber pads would simply slide over the wet asphalt.

Sorry I couldn’t get the columns on the scale to line up.


Just something I found interesting.
 
If M1s had steel growzers on their tracks there would be substantial damage, with the rubber pads, not so much. A 10,000 lbs. D4 dozer would make a total mess of things so they better avoid an earth mover's parade :rofl:.
 
On surface roads, it isn’t the PSI that does damage to asphalt, it’s total weight...especially when rolling. Straight concrete (like in an airport runway) has the compressive strength to stand up to the 68 ton M1 tank, but asphalt covered roads do not. The sheer weight of the rolling tank can ripple and buckle the asphalt and peel it right off the road bed. Rubber pads won’t change that effect either.

Also, the Sherman tank weighed about half of what the M1 does.
 
So the "new" Shermans would be ok to parade around? Sorry...couldn't resist. ;)

Be well folks and have a great holiday.
Pat
 
The other thing to remember is that when the M1 turns, it creates an opposing sheer on the asphalt from the tracks on each side moving at different speeds. This sheer alone can tear asphalt like it was a sheet of paper.
 
A run of the mill loaded 18 wheeler should be about 200psi. The start/stop zones take the biggest beatings. Nice thing about concrete paving, it doesn't care if you're stationary or moving. Asphalt paving is only as good as the base it is placed on.
 
Ddaddy said:
The other thing to remember is that when the M1 turns, it creates an opposing sheer on the asphalt from the tracks on each side moving at different speeds. This sheer alone can tear asphalt like it was a sheet of paper.
Click to expand...

That’s why you move them early morning or real late evening when the asphalt is cool. The track pads will not lift the asphalt a
However there will be marks when turning. Ideal would be to move when the pavement is wet. Now, an M88, thats another story
 
You don't want one of these crossing your pavement.

59ef503d83256.image.jpg


We called them Fat Allis when they were built by Fiat/Allis.
 
we ran M1's across our parade ground, nothing but asphalt. No damage, just dont turn..good idea would be to lay down some sand on the turns or wet them down. We had military vehicle parades in DC since forever. JFK had them. Army Day in the 30's.....
 
dart4forte said:
This is not a political so let’s keep it that way. Listening to all the hype of tank in DC for the July 4 th celebration. Listening to all the so called experts talking about damage to the roads. Well it’s all bunk. Here’s a scale showing the ground pressure of various vehicles.

All examples are approximate, and will vary based on conditions

Object Ground pressure (kPa) (psi)
Hovercraft 0.7 0.1
Human on Snowshoes 3.5 0.5
Rubber-tracked ATV 5.165 0.75
Wheeled ATV 13.8 2
Diedrich D-50 – T2 Drilling rig 26.2 3.8
Human male 55 8
M1 Abrams tank 103 15
1993 Toyota 4Runner / Hilux Surf 170 25
Adult horse (550 kg, 1250 lb) 170 25
Bagger 288 Excavation machine 170 25
Passenger car 205 30
Adult elephant 240 35
Mountain bicycle 245 40
Road racing bicycle 620 90
Stiletto heel 3,250 471

Note: The pressures for adult human male and horse are for standing still position. A walking human will exert more than double his standing pressure. A galloping horse will exert up to 3.5 MPa (500 psi). The ground pressure for a pneumatic tire is roughly equal to its inflation pressure.

Back in the day we ran tanks all over Germany. Very little damage to the actual asphalt and little to no damage to concrete. Now, if the driver gets a little close to curbs the end connectors on the end of the tracks will take them out

Also, I noticed they had those soldiers placing plywood along the travel of the track. Simple solution was to brink in a fire truck and hose down the asphalt. The track, having rubber pads would simply slide over the wet asphalt.

Sorry I couldn’t get the columns on the scale to line up.


Just something I found interesting.
Click to expand...

Where did that data come from? The numbers for the stiletto heel are a joke.
 
mopowers said:
Where did that data come from? The numbers for the stiletto heel are a joke.
Click to expand...
When I lived in the desert, those heels would sink into asphalt parking lots, no kidding. Many contractor's used the hardest asphalt oil available in their mix to minimize such in parking lots.
 
Keep in mind that surface contact area plays role in all of this. Think about a hammer and a nail. Turn the nail over & see how it drives in.
 
Ddaddy said:
The other thing to remember is that when the M1 turns, it creates an opposing sheer on the asphalt from the tracks on each side moving at different speeds. This sheer alone can tear asphalt like it was a sheet of paper.
Click to expand...

So, if I put in a spool, I'll be able tear up the streets? Sweet. :rolleyes:
 
The oil binds the fine aggregate and the larger aggregate. The compaction of bituminous (asphalt) and the base under it is what makes strong.
It all depends on how the engineer designed it.
Highways, city streets and rural roads can be designed different due to the traffic volume and the heaviness of what's driven on them. That's why interstate highways are mostly concrete.
I'm hoping they did their homework on how it was design before this was done or they could be doing some repair work.
 
dart4forte said:
Back in the day we ran tanks all over Germany. Very little damage to the actual asphalt and little to no damage to concrete. Now, if the driver gets a little close to curbs the end connectors on the end of the tracks will take them out.
Click to expand...


there is a big difference between the jokes we have for roads and the infrastructure the Nazis put in place for the sole purpose of moving entire armies from one end of the country to the next
 
We drove M1A2s all over the German roads thru tiny towns getting on rail cars going to do field training. Never noticing much damage if any. 2002-2007 Dustin
 
Last edited:
The BIG belted tractors are only loading the asphalt at something like five psi.
I'm in favor of driving tanks around on the fourth of July. Gotta keep the juices stirred up.
 
pishta said:
we ran M1's across our parade ground, nothing but asphalt. No damage, just dont turn..good idea would be to lay down some sand on the turns or wet them down. We had military vehicle parades in DC since forever. JFK had them. Army Day in the 30's.....
Click to expand...
Kinda think'n the same thing.
Drove combat loaded M109A6's with fully loaded Ammo Vehicles on asphalt.
They're heavier than M1's.
Did it on a daily basis. Never messed up the roads.
Same
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top