20:
32:
319:
suspended on one wheel, which is rare in the
Horstmann case. Another advantage is that the spring may work both in compression and expansion, increasing the total travel of the suspension. From a maintenance standpoint, the fact that the spring connects at a single non-moving point and is otherwise self-contained makes it easy to remove and replace in the field. The location of the spring over the wheels also makes it quite compact, with little or no encroachment on internal hull space.
367:, which also uses a bell crank to press on a spring. The main difference is that in the Christie, each wheel is mounted separately, and the spring is usually mounted on or inside the tank hull. The longer spring allows for more controlled flexion and potentially longer throw. Christie suspensions are generally more difficult to maintain because the wheels and suspension are mounted separately, and a broken spring can be difficult to reach without removing the wheels.
328:
236:
to the lower side of the wheels. Although this was highly successful, running over 2,000 miles (3,200 km) in testing, the Ram was cancelled in favour of purchasing US-built M4s and turning
Canadian production to other designs. A single Sherman V, serial T-148350, was then converted in a similar
318:
An advantage to the
Horstmann design is that the suspended weight is not placed entirely on the rising wheel: its paired partner will also increase its downward force due to the shared spring, spreading the load. In systems with fully independent wheels, it is possible for the entire tank to become
253:
designer G.J. Rackham came up with a modification of the
Horstman able to support the larger frame. This was essentially identical to the original two-bell system, but had three coil springs, one inside the other, to give it the required weight performance. This design emerged at the end of the war
186:
between the crank arms, and double-acting shock absorbers to control recoil. This was fitted to the A6E3 between
February and April 1935 and immediately proved to dramatically improve stability. E3 had also been fitted with a more powerful 500 hp Thornycroft RY/12 marine engine in an effort to
314:
Versions for lighter vehicles typically replaced one of the two crank arms with a straight bar, with the spring running from the top of the remaining crank arm to the end of the bar. The resulting action is similar, in that an obstruction that causes upward movement of either wheel results in the
285:
When the
Centurion finally began to be made obsolete with the introduction of the newer Soviet types, little development of new systems had taken place. Thus, when the need for a new design was finally raised in the late 1950s, a number of improved versions of the Centurion were trialled. As they
174:
In fact, the earliest attestation of the term "Horstmann suspension" itself dates back to
January 1934, when Christopher Ainsworth Davis presented his joint paper with Horstmann on "Slow Motion" automotive suspensions and mentioned that "a special type of high-speed cross-country tracked tractor"
375:
The name "Horstmann suspension" was sometimes applied to any transmission system that has two opposed swing arms, no matter the type of springing between them. The name also refers to any suspension built by the
Horstman company (now Horstman Defence Systems) whether of the bogie type,
136:
It is worth noting that patent applications on suspension systems, which
Horstmann filed in 1927-1930, describe "Slow Motion"-type automobile ones very different from what is now called a Horstmann suspension because none of them features bogies (and in fact some are not dissimilar to
132:
company. This led to a new design using multiple coil springs in automotive suspension, and the creation of the Slow Motion
Suspension Company to sell the design to all makers. Horstman Cars went bankrupt in 1929, leaving Slow Motion a going concern.
331:
The horizontal volute spring suspension used on late-model Sherman tanks is similar to the Horstmann design. The two wheels per bogie, two crank arms, springs between the cranks and single mounting point are all evident. This model also includes a
273:
tanks became more widely known and led to a revolution in post-war tank design. Britain, however, did not take advantage of these changes as the Centurion was proving to be one of the best tanks in the world at the time. Its performance during the
306:
running horizontally between the tops of the crank arms. Thus if one wheel moves up over an obstacle, the spring is compressed against the swing arm of the other wheel. This variation was used on the early experiments, as well as the Soviet
27:(A4E8 prototype) became the first tank in the world to use the Horstmann design. In this case the spring is outside the track area, leaving room for track return rollers to lie directly over the suspension in a particularly compact layout.
340:
A wide variety of bogie-based suspension designs were introduced during the early days of tank design, but few used the concept of a common spring under compression in the fashion of Carden's original concept. For instance, the American
302:, so the upward movement of the wheel is turned into sideways motion of the top of the crank. The two arms may be mounted on a common pivot shaft between them, or more commonly, two closely spaced shafts. The two wheels share a
194:. In this version, one large wheel was fitted on one bell crank, and two smaller wheels to a shared arm on the second crank. This went into production in 1937 as an interim type until the Army could develop a tank using the
241:
was testing a huge variety of new suspension concepts, eventually choosing one of these for the late-war M4E8 models. The single Horstman Sherman ran 340 miles (550 km) before the project was cancelled in 1945.
187:
improve performance, but in testing, this showed no benefit and ultimately only three examples of the Medium Mark III were produced. Several other medium tanks, including the A9 and A14, used the same design.
348:
In contrast, the late-war horizontal volute spring suspension, or HVSS, has more in common with the Horstman design, using a volute spring in compression between the two crank arms, as well as a
213:
of 1932 which saw use in Egypt. This version was essentially a two-wheel variation of the design for the A10. This variation was then found on a huge variety of following designs including the
249:
with the mobility of a medium. This was originally to use a Christie-type suspension, but as the design continued to grow in power and weight this had to be abandoned. In its place,
286:
were essentially improvements to the existing design, as opposed to all-new concepts, the Centurion's Horstmann suspension was further improved to handle yet larger weights.
190:
Carden was killed in an air crash in December 1935, but by this time he had designed a lighter tank platform that had been taken up as the A10, although later known as the
160:
prototypes. Among their many problems, the Vickers-supplied "box" suspension proved to be very springy and led to the tank rocking for some time after firing the main gun.
99:
designs but in the post-war era was increasingly limited to British tanks as newer systems emerged in other countries. The last tank to use this basic mechanism was the
39:
introduced a slightly modified version with only one bell crank per bogie, causing the spring to lie somewhat angled as a result. This system was used on the
541:
530:
519:
508:
497:
152:
had a "bright idea" for a new type of tank suspension and partnered with Horstmann's Slow Motion to turn it into a working design. At the time, the
912:
922:
357:
345:(VVSS) shares many design notes but uses two separate springs compressing vertically against the bogie framework rather than each other.
245:
As the war wound down, the British Army was deep in the development of their first "universal tank", which would combine the armour of a
36:
786:
113:
damping. They are also referred to as "Horstman suspensions" although they have no details in common with their earlier designs.
806:
163:
However, the suspension actually dates back to ca. 1930 when Vickers either produced the A4E8 prototype, which was designated
232:, was modified to trial Horstmann type suspension. This used two full bell cranks like the earliest designs, but moved the
124:
became interested in suspension designs in the 1920s as part of his efforts to improve the ride of the cars being built in
889:
826:
879:
860:
838:
431:
342:
109:
remains a tank suspension specialist to this day and makes a range of systems based mostly on torsion systems with
627:
209:
A further variation on the basic concept was introduced as part of various light tank projects, notably the
250:
145:
70:
917:
353:
167:
and became a forerunner of the Mk. II, or converted several prototype tanks to the new suspension. The
237:
fashion. This proved successful in terms of ride quality, but unreliable in testing. By this time the
19:
927:
537:
526:
515:
504:
493:
294:
The principal design feature is that two or more wheels are mounted to a common framework to form a
106:
298:. In the original two-wheel version, the wheels are mounted on an L-shaped swing arm that forms a
442:
278:
was particularly notable as it was able to climb onto hills that no other tank could (due to its
262:
725:
405:
770:
Colby, Joseph (1945). "Contributions of Industry to Ordnance Tank-Automotive Engineering".
584:
171:
Mk. I artillery tractor was another vehicle from that time which used the same suspension.
168:
66:
8:
364:
282:
engine, more than the suspension) and destroy opposing tanks at the limit of visibility.
195:
138:
279:
149:
613:
875:
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214:
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63:
40:
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84:
24:
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129:
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31:
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266:
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The new design used two road wheels on a single bogie, each connected to a
153:
110:
92:
391:
The Horstmann system was used on, amongst others, the following vehicles:
303:
183:
327:
315:
spring being compressed and providing a restoring force to both wheels.
447:
299:
275:
270:
246:
229:
179:
87:
prototype in 1935, it proved far superior to previous suspensions from
308:
381:
225:
74:
238:
88:
261:
In the immediate post-war era of WWII, information about German
741:
739:
895:
The Automotive Assembly: Research and Development of Materiel
598:"The Development of a Constant-Periodicity Suspension System"
436:
363:
Mechanically, the design also shares much in common with the
295:
751:
736:
96:
694:
787:"The Modern Battle Tank Part 3: Mobility, 3: Suspensions"
706:
568:
566:
553:
551:
682:
585:
https://matadormodels.co.uk/tank_museum/light_mk_one.htm
670:
658:
646:
634:
602:
Proceedings of the Institution of Automobile Engineers
563:
548:
175:(presumably the Dragon) performed very well in tests.
217:
of 1934, and the variations on that design like the
352:above the spring. HVSS was a major feature of the
198:. The same suspension was then used on the larger
904:
322:
898:. Vol. 3. U.S. Government Printing Office.
464:
853:Sherman: A History of the American Medium Tank
596:Horstmann, S. A.; Davis, C. Ainsworth (1933).
595:
892:(1963). "Chapter 11: The Suspension System".
156:was testing, largely to their dislike, the
847:
831:British Battle Tanks: World War I to 1939
688:
336:for further improvements in ride quality.
869:
825:
784:
712:
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676:
664:
652:
640:
572:
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326:
30:
18:
356:"Easy Eight" ('easy' being the US Army
202:which came to its ultimate form as the
73:and worked into a production design by
905:
421:Horstman-built suspension is used on:
769:
888:
757:
745:
913:Armoured fighting vehicle equipment
890:United States Army Materiel Command
13:
923:Automotive suspension technologies
228:, a Canadian-built version of the
16:Type of tracked vehicle suspension
14:
939:
614:10.1243/PIAE_PROC_1933_028_024_02
432:Warrior Armoured Fighting Vehicle
343:vertical volute spring suspension
69:devised by British tank designer
870:Ware, Pat; Delf, Brian (2013).
819:
797:
778:
763:
718:
620:
589:
578:
486:
289:
144:Fletcher claims that in 1934,
103:, designed in the late 1950s.
1:
726:"Chieftain MBT Mk 2/3 FV4201"
453:
323:Comparable suspension designs
791:International Defense Review
628:"Proceedings of the Session"
458:
396:Universal (Bren gun) carrier
251:Associated Equipment Company
7:
443:Terrier Engineering Vehicle
10:
944:
785:Schreier, F. (June 1972).
116:
107:Horstman Defence Systems
91:. It was widely used on
874:. Casemate Publishers.
370:
748:, p. Figure 11.7.
360:for 'E' at the time).
337:
263:torsion bar suspension
44:
28:
330:
158:A6 series medium tank
34:
22:
855:. Echo Point Books.
713:Ware & Delf 2013
701:Ware & Delf 2013
265:systems used in the
169:Vickers Light Dragon
48:Horstmann suspension
730:Norfolk Tank Museum
406:Vickers light tanks
365:Christie suspension
196:Christie suspension
139:Christie suspension
918:English inventions
872:The Centurion Tank
849:Hunnicutt, Richard
809:2018-06-11 at the
732:. 21 October 2014.
439:self-propelled gun
338:
280:Rolls-Royce Meteor
224:In 1943, a single
182:with a horizontal
150:Vickers-Armstrongs
83:First used on the
45:
29:
813:at horstman.co.uk
703:, p. 11, 73.
215:Universal Carrier
211:Light Tank Mk III
41:Universal Carrier
37:Light Tank Mk III
935:
928:Tank suspensions
899:
885:
866:
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814:
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782:
776:
775:
772:SAE Transactions
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761:
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734:
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722:
716:
715:, p. xxxix.
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468:
165:Light Tank Mk Ia
122:Sidney Horstmann
85:A6E3 Medium Tank
78:Sidney Horstmann
56:Vickers-Horstman
50:, also known as
25:Light Tank Mk Ia
943:
942:
938:
937:
936:
934:
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903:
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882:
863:
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827:Fletcher, David
822:
817:
811:Wayback Machine
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477:
475:
474:. Grace's Guide
472:"Horstman Cars"
470:
469:
465:
461:
456:
373:
325:
292:
234:shock absorbers
119:
62:, is a type of
17:
12:
11:
5:
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867:
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845:
839:
821:
818:
816:
815:
796:
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762:
760:, Figure 11-7.
750:
735:
717:
705:
693:
691:, p. 302.
689:Hunnicutt 2015
681:
679:, p. 198.
669:
667:, p. 202.
657:
655:, p. 191.
645:
643:, p. 189.
633:
619:
588:
577:
575:, p. 175.
562:
560:, p. 190.
547:
485:
462:
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452:
451:
450:
445:
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429:
419:
418:
416:Chieftain tank
413:
411:Centurion tank
408:
403:
398:
386:hydropneumatic
372:
369:
350:shock absorber
334:shock absorber
324:
321:
291:
288:
204:Valentine tank
130:Horstmann Cars
118:
115:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
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929:
926:
924:
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896:
891:
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883:
881:9781781590119
877:
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862:9781626540910
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842:
840:9781472817570
836:
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677:Fletcher 2016
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665:Fletcher 2016
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653:Fletcher 2016
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641:Fletcher 2016
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573:Fletcher 2016
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558:Fletcher 2016
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358:phonetic code
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200:Cruiser Mk II
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820:Bibliography
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708:
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684:
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601:
591:
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488:
476:. Retrieved
466:
426:Challenger 2
420:
401:Loyd Carrier
390:
378:torsion beam
374:
362:
354:M4A3E8 model
347:
339:
317:
313:
293:
284:
260:
244:
223:
219:Loyd Carrier
208:
192:Cruiser Mk I
189:
177:
173:
162:
154:British Army
143:
135:
120:
111:hydrodynamic
105:
93:World War II
82:
59:
55:
51:
47:
46:
608:: 256–282.
502:, see also
478:12 February
304:coil spring
290:Description
184:coil spring
146:John Carden
71:John Carden
60:Slow Motion
58:and rarely
907:Categories
833:. Osprey.
774:: 534–541.
454:References
388:or other.
300:bell crank
276:Korean War
247:heavy tank
230:M4 Sherman
180:bell crank
67:suspension
758:Army 1963
746:Army 1963
538:GB 369986
527:GB 340996
516:GB 329477
505:GB 328033
494:GB 303912
459:Citations
309:T-37 tank
256:Centurion
101:Chieftain
851:(2015).
829:(2016).
807:Archived
448:PUMA IFV
382:hydrogas
380:design,
226:Ram tank
75:engineer
52:Horstman
804:History
630:. 1933.
267:Panther
254:as the
239:US Army
128:by his
117:History
89:Vickers
64:tracked
878:
859:
837:
543:
532:
521:
510:
499:
793:: 41.
437:AS-90
296:bogie
271:Tiger
95:-era
876:ISBN
857:ISBN
835:ISBN
535:and
480:2017
428:tank
371:Uses
269:and
126:Bath
97:tank
35:The
23:The
610:doi
148:of
141:).
909::
789:.
738:^
728:.
606:28
604:.
600:.
565:^
550:^
524:,
513:,
384:,
311:.
258:.
221:.
206:.
80:.
54:,
884:.
865:.
843:.
616:.
612::
482:.
43:.
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