fox info needed

[Richard Farrant]

Originally posted by centurion
Proofing armoured vehicles by firing a 303 at them was certainly used during WW1 in the UK.

If and when this approach was replaced by more scientific methods it would be interesting to find out. I could imagine it being appled to some of the improvised AFCs of WW2 but would have thought something more calibratable would have been applied to factory built vehicles.

I would say the firing of a rifle at a hull in WW2 to test it is probably a myth. At present I am working on a 1941 Daimler Scout Car hull, and along with all the others that I have restored before, there is evidence on most of the panels that make up the hull, of hardness tests carried out. This would be the Brinell test. A small area, about half inch square, is ground flat and using a special jig, a small spherical indentation is made, the force of which is known. Measuring the depth of indent, this is why the surface is ground first, to get an accurate measurement, a calculation can be made and the armour plate can be checked for its hardness on the Brinell scale. As can be seen, firing a rifle at the hull, only tests that particular area and even then can not accurately measure the hardness. I am certain these tests are done before welding the hull panels together. It is a bit late after you have built the hull, to find a "soft" panel in it!

Richard