12/4/2016

WARFARETECHNOLOGY:BandTracks

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TECHNOLOGY
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BandTracks

RubberBandTracks:

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Trackedvehiclesoffersuperiormobilityonroughterrain,thatisforsure.However,anyone
whohaseverriddeninsideatrackedvehicleneverforgetstheexperience...Thevibration
andnoisecomingfromthetracksissurelysomethingyourememberlateron.Especially
whenyourideonroad...
Thevibrationinsideatrackedarmoredvehiclehasadverseeffectsonthecrewhealthand
fatigue.Todaythetrackedvehiclecrewsusuallytakea20minuterestafterridinginside
thevehiclefor1.52hours.
TheWholeBodyVibration(WBV)witnessedbythecrew,referstovibrationstransmitted
bythebodyssupportingsurface,suchasthelegswhenstandingandtheback
whensitting.ShorttermWBVcancausechestdiscomfort,nausea,headachesand
fatigue,whilelongtermexposurecanleadtoserioushealthproblemsmainlyaffectingthe
lumbarspineandconnectednervessystems(OccupationalHealthClinicsforOntario
WorkersInc,2005).(1)
http://warfaretech.blogspot.com.au/2014/06/bandtracks.html

ATKBushmasterIII
AutomaticCannon
BushmasterIII
35mmCannon
today'sthreatsas
wellasfuture's??BushmasterIII
isthebiggestandbaddestmem..
57mmAutocannon
TurretfromRussia
Russian57mm
AutoCannonTurret:
TheFutureCaliber
orRelicfromthePast?The
FrancoRussiancooperationfor
anIFVwasrece...

M1TankTestBed
(TTB)with
UnmannedTurret
M1AbramsTank
TestBedALong
TimeAgo,InaGalaxyFar,Far
Away...LongBeforeArmataMBT
TherewasM1TTB...Inthe
mid...
UDESXX20TANKDESTROYER

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WARFARETECHNOLOGY:BandTracks

Inanenclosedcabinsuchasthecrewcompartmentinanarmoredvehicle,vibrations
fromtherunninggearsystemortheresponsetoterrainorroadconditions(e.g.slopes
androcks)canexcitetheairtoresonancelevel.Thisphenomenonistermedacoustic
orcabinbooming.Cabinboomingcancauseunacceptablesoundpressurelevelsin
thecrewcabin.(1)
Travellinginsidethearmoredvehicleonsteeltrackscanshakethesoldiersinsidetothe
pointofexhaustion,accordingtoDanGoure,amilitaryanalystattheLexingtonInstitute,
athinktankinArlington,Virginia.AndJ.G.Brunbech,anAPCexpertattheDanishArmy
MaterialCommandinOksboel,observesthatthecrew'slimbsarepronetobecoming
pricklyandnumb,andtheirhandsgettired,becausetheymustgripthevehicle'ssafety
handlestightly.(2)

BlastfromthePast:
UDESXX20
TankInthe
beginningof80's,
SwedishDefence
MaterielAdministrationFMV's
R...
V22Osprey
WeaponSystem
Howitshouldbe...
V22Osprey
WeaponSystem
BAESystemsstarteddeveloping
aremotecontrolledweapon
systemforV22Ospreyin2005.
Thesyste...

BandTracks
RubberBand
Tracks:TheFuture
ofTracks?..
vehiclesoffer
superiormobilityonroughterrain
thatisforsure.Howeve...

M230LFAlternative
for.50cal&40mm
AGL??
ATK30mmM230LF
ChainGunAn
AlternativeforWeaponSystems
toReplace.50caland40mm
AGL?ThestoryoftheM230
30mm...

Conventional Steel Tracks

Thehighvibrationlevelsinducedbysteeltracksalsoimpartstressesthatwearoutthe
equipmentinsidethevehicle,especiallytheelectronics.
Anotherimportantadverseeffectofvibrationisitsimpactonthestabilizationsystemof
theturrets.Thestabilizationsystembasicallytriestoovercomethedisturbancecoming
fromthevehicletothebarreltokeepitsteady.Onthetrackedvehicles,theelevationaxis
stabilizationperformanceisreducedandevenonsomevehiclespeedlevels,totallyruined
especiallyonhardandflatsurfaceslikeroads.
RubberBandTracks
Bandtrackssometimesreferredasrubberendlesstracksdifferfromtheconventional
steeltrackswithrubberpads.
Mostrubbertracksareformedaroundabasiccarcassorbelt.Thecarcassincludesan
endlessbeltshapedrubberlikeelasticmember,anumberofcorebars(usuallyofmetal)
embeddedthereinandalignedinthelongitudinaldirectionthereofandextendingin
traversedirectionsthereof,andsteelcords(tensionresistantmembers)embeddedinthe
endlesselasticmembertosurroundthecorebarscircumferentiallyoutwardly.(3)

30mmCannonvs
12.7mm
Machinegun
USArmy's
"comparative"trials
ofFirepowerforStrykers:
Autocannonvs12.7mm
MachinegunUSArmy'sStr...

Francestarts
ScorpionVehicle
Programme
Francestarts
ScorpionVehicle
ProgrammeEnginBlindMulti
Rles(EBMR)Scorpion
programmeisaimedatproviding
MultiRo...
T92LightTank
BlastfromthePast:
T92LightTank
Secondhalfof
1950'ssawthe
developmenteffortforanAir
MobileLightTanktorepla...

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WARFARETECHNOLOGY:BandTracks
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Canadian M113A3 TLAV with Soucy Band Tracks

BandTrackExperience
RubberbandtrackswasstartedtobeusedinHagglunds(NowBAEHagglunds)in2003for
Bv206armoredvehicles.

Bv206AmbulancewithBandTracks
Afghanistanhasbeentheprovinggroundforthebandtracks.
NorwegianArmystarteddeployingM113vehicleswithSoucybandtrackstoAfghanistanin
2004.ThebandtracksthatreplacedtheT130tracksontheM113weighonly45%ofthe
steeltracks.
DanishArmyfollowedNorwegianswiththeiruparmoredM113Gvehicleswith
RafaelEnhancedAppliqueArmourKitandSoucybandtracksin2009anddeployedthose
vehiclestoAfghanistan.

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WARFARETECHNOLOGY:BandTracks

DanishM113GwithSoucyBandTracksinAfghanistan
Thesedeploymentswereactualoperationaltestingofintheaterandthebandtracks
proventhemselvesintheharshenvironmentofAfghanistan.
In2010,NorwegianArmyraisedthebaronemorestepanddeployedtwoCV9030NIFV
vehiclestoAfghanistanfittedwithrubberbandtracks.

Norwegian CV9030N with Band Tracks in Afghanistan

Thiscreatedafirstintermsofthevehicleweightlevelsthatthebandtracksapplied.For
CV90,thebandtrackssupportaweightof28tons.
SoucybandtrackswerealsointegratedontheUSArmy'sFutureCombatSystemsSelf
PropelledHowitzer,the18tonNLOSC.

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WARFARETECHNOLOGY:BandTracks

NLOSC with Band Tracks

BAE Systems Hagglunds awarded a contract from Norwegian Army to provide 100 new CV90 vehicles
and also upgrade the 44 vehicles of the existing fleet in June 2012. The contract covers the delivery
of 144 vehicles in 5 different configurations from IFV to command and engineering vehicles.
These vehicles are also being fitted with band tracks.
Another Hagglunds vehicle with band tracks is the CV90 Armadillo APC, which is a contender for the
Danish Army's M113 Replacement Programme.

CV90 Armadillo APC with Band Tracks

Lessons Learned
Thanks to the Nordic Countries of Denmark and Norway, the band tracks has proven themselves as
strong alternatives to the conventional linked steel tracks. And the best thing is they are proven not
in a controlled test environment, but in real life combat operations.
The operational testing has shown some very interesting results:
Vibration levels reduced by 5065%. British MOD study on CVR(T) with band tracks provided
50% reduction.(5)
Noise levels reduced by 610 decibels (dB). TACOM/TARDEC study on band tracks for M113's
showed the internal noise levels reducing to heavy truck cabin noise levels.
Band tracks being around 30% lighter than steel tracks.
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WARFARETECHNOLOGY:BandTracks

More durable then steel tracks. M113 study has shown the life time doubling of the T130 steel
tracks.
They can provide better traction by being wider than steel tracks thanks to their weight
advantage.
Ground pressure levels reduced by the wider tracks.
Band tracks are more friendly to the road surfaces causing no significant damage to road
surfaces.
Provide better fuel economy with their reduced rolling resistance. M113A3 with band tracks
had 67% less rolling resistance than the T130 tracks.
Lower rolling resistance equals better fuel economy.
No corrosion to speak of with the band tracks.
US DoD study on M113A3 with band tracks showed that,M113A3 band track durability (the point at
which track separation occurs) was approximately 4,700 kms when tested over 20% primary (paved)
roads, 40% secondary (gravel) roads and 40% crosscountry at a 12 tons GVW.9 (5)

CV90 with Band Tracks

However along with their significant advantages they are not without any drawbacks as well.
In terrain conditions with sharp stones they are more prone to damaging than the conventional
tracks.
Especially the endless band tracks are significantly more difficult to replacement. Under combat
conditions, replacing a band track would be a extremely difficult task for the crew.
SegmentedBandTracks
Thesolutiontotheassemblyandstorageproblemswiththeendlessbandtrackscame
fromtheGermanCompanyDiehlwiththesocalledSegmentedRubberBandTrack.

http://warfaretech.blogspot.com.au/2014/06/bandtracks.html

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WARFARETECHNOLOGY:BandTracks

Diehl Segmented BandTracks

Diehlrubberbandtracksareprovidedwithseparationpointssotheycanbedisassembled
intofourmanageablesegments.Thus,assemblyonthevehicleaswellastransportation
andstoragearefacilitatedconsiderably.(4)
Thenewrubberbandtrackscanevenbereplacedinthefieldunderoperationalconditions
inafractionofthetimepreviouslyrequired.Furthermore,individualreplacement
segmentscanbetransportedonthevehiclesothatvehiclemobilitycanrapidlybe
restoredincasetracksaredamaged.Anewdesignofthemainstructureaswellasthe
robust,hightractionrubberprofileguaranteehighservicelifeinallclimatezonesandin
variousterrains.

Bv206S with Soucy Internal Drive Tracks(*)

Therubberbandtracks'torsionstability,lateralforcebearingcapacityandlateralgripare
outstandingfeaturesfaroutperformingconventionaltracksunderpeakloadconditions.
(4)

Conclusion
Thebandtracks,thankstocontinousdevelopmentandoperationaltestingbyNordic
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WARFARETECHNOLOGY:BandTracks

Armies,havebecomeanattractiveandavailablealternativetoconventionallinkedsteel
tracks.
Althoughtheyhavesomedrawbacksthatneedssomedevelopment,withthesegmented
bandtracks,Ibelievetheyaresstrongcompetitortothesteeltracks.
Forarmoredvehiclesinthe1530tonrangeandforsomeroleslikereconnaissance
wherevibrationandnoiselevelsareveryimportantforapparentreasons,bandtracks
wouldbeacapabilitymultiplier.

References:
(1)Hung,K.,S.,E,."ReducingVibrationinArmouredTrackedVehicles",DSTAHorizons.
(2)"QuietPlease",TheEconomist,Q4,2008.
(3)SoucyInternationalPatent,EP1291270B1,"Endlesstrackforhighspeedmultiterrainvehicles"
(4)DiehlDefence,www.diehl.com
(5)Hornback,P.,"ProblemsPersist,ButContinuousBandTrackShowsPromiseinLightArmorApplications",Armor,Jan
Feb,1999.
FirstImage:Defence Photographyhttp://www.defencephotography.com/

*ThecaptionBV206imagewaswrong.I'vecorrecteditnow.MythanksgoestoMr.JenningsfromSoucyGroup.

2014 Warfare Technology

PostedbyWarfareTechnologyat8:58PM

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7comments:
SOsaid...
Comparisonstoobsolescentsteeltracksaren'tagoodidea,forsteeltrackswithrubberpadshaveexperiencedahuge
improvementindurabilityandotherspecsduringthelastcoupledecades.
Bandtracksaren'tnewatalltheKegressetrackofpreWWIwasalreadyacontinuousrubberbandtrack,andtheUnitedStates
ArmyusedtenthousandsofM3halftrackswhichhadarubberbandtrack.
Theideakeepslingering,buthasbeenruledoutforvehiclesheavierthan30tonsandcompeteswiththeallwheeledapproachat
uptoabout20tons,leavingitasmallbandfrom2030tonsatwhichitmightbefirstchoice.
ThisAFVweightrangeislargelyvacant,though.
September28,2014at11:13PM
WarfareTechnologysaid...
Thankyouforyourcomment!
Infact,allthecomparisonsaremadeforSteelTracksw/rubberpadsvstherubberbandtracks.i.etheweightcomparisongiven
forT130trackvsthebandtrack.T130isthesinglepindesignwithrubbertrackpads.
September29,2014at5:53PM
SOsaid...
T130isanancienttrackdesignandonlysuitableasacomparisonforamodernbandtrackifthecomparisonshallbebiasedin
favourofbandtracks.
ModernDiehlsteeltrackswithrubberpadslast6,00018,000kmwhichismultipletimestheT130'sdurability.
October14,2014at1:52AM
Anonymoussaid...

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WARFARETECHNOLOGY:BandTracks
TheRussianstriedsomethingsimilarwithanexperimentalBTmodelinthe1930s.
Therubbertrackspaleincreativitywhencomparedwiththerestofthetrackdesign,however.
http://tankarchives.blogspot.com/2013/11/tsyganovsbt.html
March11,2016at11:33PM
Anonymoussaid...
ItisagrossoverstatementtosaythattheDanesandNorwegianstestedthesetracksinanoperationalenvironment.Anyonewho
spenttimeatKhandaharwiththeDanesneversawthemleavethebase.Thesetrackswerethoroughlytestedinthemotorpool.
July30,2016at3:46PM
Anonymoussaid...
AfaircomparisonwouldhavebeenwithT150orDiehl513track,boththesearecontemporarysteeltrackandhaveusefullivesof
10,000to14,000km.ie3xthelifeofbandtrack!
ComparingthesemodernrubberbandtrackswithT130whichis1960stracktechnologyisadeliberatefalsehood,itisa
comparisontoanearly60yearolddesign.
September23,2016at7:26AM
suchittridentsaid...
thanksforsharingexcellentinformation.trindentalsomanufrcturer&supplierofwiderangeoftracksfordifferentmodelsofmini
excavators,compacttrackloaders,skidloaders,HDDrigs,carriervehicles,combineharvesters,trackeddumpers,crawler
cranes.etc..
RubberTracksManufacturer
October3,2016at9:51AM

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