NationStates Jolt Archive

A question for the techie types:

I came accross an interesting idea earlier this year.

(The Mark XIX Main Battle Tank) moved itself around using a MagLev track-laying system, laying magnetic bars in front of itself, gliding over them, and picking them up as it left. When traveling over a ferro-magnetic surface, it could keep the bars inside itself, magnetize the surface and then move much faster over it. And when you put one on a real MagLev track, it could really move out, hitting three thousand kilometers an hour, in a vacuum.

The War With Earth by Leo Frankowski & Dave Grossman
http://www.baen.com/chapters/W200307/0743436156.htm?blurb


1) Is this at all feasable?
2) What sort of energy requirements would it require?
3) What other considerations are there?

(FWIW, this is related to an RP idea. I posted a related question at the draftroom, but have recieved no replies, and wondered if NSG might get a better result. Please no ignorant BS answers.)

A question for the techie types:

I came accross an interesting idea earlier this year.



The War With Earth by Leo Frankowski & Dave Grossman
http://www.baen.com/chapters/W200307/0743436156.htm?blurb


1) Is this at all feasable?
2) What sort of energy requirements would it require?
3) What other considerations are there?

(FWIW, this is related to an RP idea. I posted a related question at the draftroom, but have recieved no replies, and wondered if NSG might get a better result. Please no ignorant BS answers.)

Power consumption with something the weight of a tank would be excessive … that alone could cause major issues.

Take into effect the “Track laying” mechanism and track pickup would be complex.

Feasible in the future but I don’t see what ADVANTAGE it would have

The energy comsuption would be absurdly high, there's no benefit. The rails you laid down would sink into the ground and be nigh impossible to retreive.

There's a reason modern tanks have such a wide footprint.