[chuckfourth]

Hi Halstein
Currently SPCAMO doesnt model armour quality, so that makes things a bit simpler, the formula Y/cos(Z)=X gives us some workable numbers.
working on a "test" 40mm thick turret and firing shells from straight ahead, we have these considerations. If the shell hits in the "middle" ie on the flat surface then no curve and armour protection is 4. If it hits on an upper or lower edge we have the maximum mantlet thickness.
using the pz 3's 0-45 degrees mantlet, an edge hit gives an"angle" thickness of 57, a 30% increase
using the m8's 0-60 degrees mantlet, an edge hit gives an "angle" thickness of 80, a 50% increase
using the panthers 0-90 degrees mantlet, well the formula doesnt really work here but its about a 160mm "angle" thickness (using a diagram), a 300% increase.
If you wanted to use these percentages then for say pz 3 g with a 37mm mantlet then an increase of 30% gives a maximum thickness of 49mm so maybe plus one in this case.
but for pz 3 m with a 70mm mantlet then an increase of 30% gives a maximum thickness of 93 so maybe plus two in this case.
Also to be considered is the fact that as you move away from the centre line of the mantlet the chance of the shell ricocheting increases which is probably the main advantage of the curve. How the chance of a ricochet increases with the increasing curve I dont know obviously it would be 100% at 90 % but at the halfway mark 45 degrees it is probably higher than 50 percent. And of course there is always the problem of the ricochet going through the hull roof but it has of course lost a lot of energy by bouncing.
Note I am not asking for panther front turret to be given a factor of 48. Personally Im happy with plus 2 or something similar for all curved mantlets. I just submit these numbers for interests sake.
Best Regards Chuck.