No doubt the answer is quite simple … Why are the main gun barrels on many WW2-era tanks tapered slightly, rather than being cylindrical (as with most modern tanks)?
Paul
Tank barrels are thicker where the pressure is greater. That is the same with rifles. Most hunting rifles are thickest near the breach and thinner at the muzzle.
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Thanks for that.
From what I understand, modern tank barrels are without the tapering.
Or is it just that they are less pronounced?
Paul
Likely less pronounced. As metallurgy improved barrels could be made stronger and thinner.
Most modern tanks also have a thermal sleeve on top of the barrel. Those could obscure the profile of the actual barrel.
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Many modern guns have a taper from the breech to the bore evacuator and are only cylindrical from there to the muzzle.
While metallurgy has gotten better, I the think the larger factor behind tube design has been better structural analysis and the understanding of metal fatigue.
KL
Just for clarity too, with some exceptions like the Pak 41, only the external diameter is larger near the breach. As others stated, this is because you have more pressure at the breach than the muzzle, so you need more metal to contain the pressure. As the pressure dissipates you need less metal so they don’t use as much to save weight. The internal diameter of the bore is the same from breach to muzzle
Interestingly the Pak 41 had a squeeze bore. In this case the internal diameter also changes from breach to muzzle increasing pressure and therefore muzzle velocity. It requires special metallurgy though and wears barrels fast so was not used on many guns
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Like @Tommi_Lukkarinen pointed out, they mostly look cylindrical because the have thermal sleeves on them.
Ken
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