Re: GEV capabilities

On Mon, 16 Nov 1998, Tony Christney wrote:
> If the GEV vehicle firing is 60 tonnes, then the velocity of the 
> tank after firing (assuming it was initially stationary) would 
> only be 0.2m/s=0.7km/h. Now, most tanks will have recoil damping 
> through the use of hydraulics, so this could be reduced even more.

one minor quibble: the total change in velocity due to recoil (which you
find to be 0.2 m/s) will take effect regardless of damping. such is the
conservation of momentum. it may, however, be spread out over a longer
time, reducing the strain on the turret and the acceleration to be
countered by the drive. If spread out over 20 milliseconds, it becomes a
lesiurely 10 m/s2, or 1 gravity. over a second it is 1/50 of a gravity.

Tom