RE: [OT]Stupid question about sloped armour

Actually you do gain thickness from a horizontal shot:

	: :
======> : :
	: :

vs.
	/ /
=====> / /  
      / /

The more the slope, the the greater the apparent increase. Think of an
extreme case where the plate is 60 or 80 degrees from vertical, the
horizontal hit is then spread over a large, oval shaped area rather than
a nice small round area and since it had to have enough energy to
penetrate over the entire area, it takes a whole lot more energy. 
APFSDS tries to negate this by having a really pointy missile to
concentrate the force.	Sloping also has the additional benefit of
increasing the chance of deflection - if the incoming shot is a little
wobbly or off horizontal, it might just glance off.

The down-side is that shots from a higher elevation will partially or
totally negate the slope of your armor so it's not a totally free
advantage.

--Binhan

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Roger Books [mailto:books@jumpspace.net]
> Sent: Tuesday, April 30, 2002 10:23 PM
> To: gzg-l@csua.berkeley.edu
> Subject: [OT]Stupid question about sloped armour
> 
> 
> 
> This has been bothering me for awhile.  How does sloped armour gain
> me anything?
> 
> If I take the same mass of sloped armour and make armour perpendicular
> to the ground I gain the same thickness you would gain from the
> slope.  Space would remain the same (If I pivot the slope about
> the center everything I lose from the bottom reappears on the
> top.)
> 
> The only thing I can think is maybe you increase your chance
> of a "glancing" hit.
> 
> Where am I off? I'd think my reasoning would be obvious to
> any engineer.
> 
> Roger
>