Quote:
Originally Posted by colin jones
I am going to make the race in layer and weld them together as the profile is not something I can do in one piece but as I am able to cut all layers very accurate it will not be a problem as long as I manage the heat during the welding process.  |
Colin, I wonder if you could rely on the bolts that hold the ring to the hull and not actually weld the layers together at all. The turret is not very heavy and the balls are hardly going to prise the layers apart. I am thinking that building the ring in layers should work pretty well. The running surface will need to be relatively smooth and the ends of the segments be aligned but there are enough balls that the surface loading will not require hardening of the running surface (though it would be nice). Actually WW2 proper tank turret rings were soft enough that there were instructions to move the turrets from time to time to prevent indentations forming.
Great work as always.
David