i watch the History channel/Military channel quite a bit, especially if there are military aircraft involved, so i have a question. the other day, US fighters of WWII were being compared to Japanese WWII fighters. self sealing fuel tanks were mentioned, the american fighters had them, the Japanese didn’t, therefore, the US fighters had the advantage. what do they mean by “self sealing” fuel tanks?[%-)] thanks fellas. later.
Self sealing gas tanks basically consist of two layers of material which sandwich a soft rubber compound. If the tank is penetrated by a bullet the soft rubber compound fills the hole thereby sealing the tank and allowing it to retain its primary fuel load. Of course there is some fuel lost during the sealing process. Also the sealing process will not work if there is a large hole, such as caused by a cannon blast.
Hope that this is an adequate answer.
Richard
hey thanks for the prompt answer friend!![tup] very good idea too!![:)]
Self-sealng fuel tanks are lined in a heavy rubber inner cell. This rubber is still somewhat sticky. When a round goes through the tank, the rubber spreads apart and then seals behind the round, thus self-sealing.
Hey SD… didn’t have anymore info then what you already got… just wanted to give you a “hey there”.
Self sealing fuel tanks also didn’t have the nasty habit of blowing up as bad as the non sealing ones did.
Hmmm… that would be a plus in my book!
If it was that simple why did’nt the japanese have them? Did the Germans or other major combatants of WW2 had them?
As for the Japanese, it was probably economics. They were already short on materials so anything that wasn’t necessary didn’t go. Combine that with the high commands view that conscripts were barely worth the half-cent it took to mail a draft notice, it becomes obvious that survivability wasn’t something to spend a lot of money on.
The Japanese were far less concerned with the loss of life where their military personnel were concerned. Some Japanese officials pointed to the B-29 as proof that Americans were cowards, citing the presence of defensivse guns, life rafts, and so forth as proof of their assertion.
Wasn’t Self-Sealing fuel tanks an improvement that was developed during the war? Just a hunch, but at the late stages in the war when Japan had seen the attack on their homeland, they were using whatever materials they had left to spit out as many aircraft as possible. I think overkillphil hit it on the head with the economic factor.
Self sealing tanks added weight. More weight equals less range and maneuverability. It also cut down on available fuel an aircrasft could carry, resulting in less range. That was something the Japanese were not willing to give up for pilot protection. Later in the war, Japanese aircraft had self sealing tanks.
that particular show was pitting the F4F wildcat against the more nimble zero. the zero could out turn/manuever the wildcat, but if the wildcat could just score a few hits the plane would pretty much vaporize because of the fuel catching fire.
Adam, hey there friend!! long time no type!! good to “see” ya around the forum again.[tup] later.
The British and I believe the Germans had self sealing tanks. I have no idea about the Russian built planes. Lend-Lease planes from the States and England had them so maybe the Russians made the technological leap that way.
Are there any makers who have models of the Horsa or Waco gliders available? If so could you tell me how I can get hold of one or the other?
Thanks a bunch. ,
biglee