Thursday 22 January 2015

MS-1 Improvements

"On June 20th, 1927, conclusions #1832 of the technical commission on the Technical Subcommission on the Trials of the Support Tank arrived at the Bolshevik factory.

Based on the results, the Technical Subcommission considers it possible to accept the proposed system as the basis for production of Support Tanks, under the conditions that the following improvements are made by the Armament Arsenal Trust:
  1. Engine:
    1. Install the carburettor defined in the technical project.
    2. Install a reverse valve on the gas tank caps, restore the ability to self-supply the fuel as defined in the technical project, make the fuel pump more convenient to use.
  2. Transmission:
    1. Establish the gear ratios that enable the tank to handle a 35 degree grade forward and 40 degree grade backward, with a maximum speed of 16 kph in third gear and 20 kph in fourth gear when using second grade Baku gasoline and regular oil.
    2. Reduce the heating up of the brakes over long periods of use. Allow the tank to drive in a curve of any radius without jerking on turns, and make the brakes more convenient to regulate.
  3. Controls:
    1. It is desirable that the driver's pedals be moved forward, allowing him to sit in a more natural position.
    2. Instead of stoppers on the brake levers, experiment with a stopper on the brake pedal, similar to the stopper on the accelerator pedal.
    3. Install a safety that prevents accidental setting of the reverse gear when shifting from first gear.
  4. Electric equipment:
    1. Install an additional battery or dynamo generator for starting the tank, preserving the ability to start it from the inside or outside.
    2. Prevent the wiring from being destroyed by oil and hot walls of the engine housing, preventing the possibility that the sparkplugs arc and add an engine off switch.
    3. Add a lamp next to the manometer and thermometer, and add an outlet for a portable lamp and removable front headlight.
  5. Suspension:
    1. Increase the width of a crossable trench to 1.8 meters.
    2. Equip the idler disk and rim with openings to clean out dirt that is stuck between the tracks and idler.
    3. Prevent the sticking of the springs in the carrier housing.
    4. Prevent the destruction of the pin that holds the gear in the balancer.
    5. Test trapezoidally segmented tracks instead of the current rectangular ones to reduce the wear of the rims.
    6. Protect vulnerable portions of the idler and drive wheel with armour.
  6. Armour:
    For subsequent tanks:
    1. Provide individual armour plates of the specified thickness and robustness for ballistic testing.
    2. Agree on the final position of the observation slits with the Artillery Committee.
    3. The next tank needs to have a waterproof hull up to 800 mm, and measures should be taken to make it gas-proof.
  7. Armament:
    1. Replace the existing 37 mm Hotchkiss gun with a normal one whose bore axis passes through the center of the turret, and has an independent horizontal traverse of at least 10 degrees.
    2. Equip the turret with a stopper for firing. 
Additionally, the Armament Arsenal Trust needs to implement all changes that are deemed necessary after engine trials, and after the inspection of a tank after field trials. At the end of field trials, the Trust must supply a tank for trials with tracks that have two more track links."

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