A Better Panzer?

Aluminum is a severe fire hazard, especially if it spalls. A cast-iron block engine takes longer to burn if hit.
 

Cook

Banned
An aluminum block diesel is going to be a major, major fire hazard on a tank in any event.
The ignition point temperature of Aluminium is well over a thousand degrees, in the confined space of a tank it isn’t going to matter what the engine is made of if temperatures have reached that point.
 
Aluminum is a severe fire hazard, especially if it spalls. A cast-iron block engine takes longer to burn if hit.

A quick Google search doesn't indicate anything that shows aluminium engine blocks are particularly flammable, or that in general terms aluminium is considered a fire hazard unless it's in particulate form. I'm not disputing that aluminium can burn - that's the basis of the thermite reaction, and I've heard that the British lost several ships in the Falkland War when burning solid rocket propellant ignited their superstructure. But the circumstances under which it happens seem to be those that will render a tank unserviceable anyway, so it seems like a fairly minor problem in comparison. You might recall that the M113 APC has aluminium armour, and got shot at rather a lot during the Vietnam War. Some did burn, but in general the aluminium armour didn't ignite even when struck directly by RPGs and the like, or when the fuel supply caught fire.
Are you sure you're not thinking of magnesium engine blocks?
 
The ignition point temperature of Aluminium is well over a thousand degrees, in the confined space of a tank it isn’t going to matter what the engine is made of if temperatures have reached that point.

Point. Aluminum's still not that great for armor though.
 
Depends on what you're facing, against explosives it's not good, but against bullets it's as good as steel, although thicker.
 
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