Tanks don't damage roads any more than regular heavy vehicles

Earlier today, a tank on its way to National Day parade rehearsal broke down in the middle of an overhead pass near Jalan Duta in Kuala Lumpur. One common question posted by netizens was - wouldn’t driving a heavy army tank on public roads damage the tarmac?

The simple answer to the question is no it won’t, and this is assuming that all other factors are equal and that the road is a built to withstand the weight of heavy duty commercial trucks. The reason tanks won’t damage roads - despite its weight - has to do with the use of wide tracks instead of tyres.

You might find this hard to believe, but simple maths will tell you that a tank that’s heavy enough to flatten a car may actually exerts less pressure on the ground than an adult person.

If you have seen snow vehicles used to drive across frigid places like the North Pole or Antarctica, you would notice that those heavy vehicles run on tracks instead of tyres. The reason? Tracks spread the weight of a heavy vehicle over a much wider surface area than wheels, thus reducing risk of it sinking into soft snow or cracking the thin ice underneath.

It’s also the same reason why the Eskimos use snowshoes with wide net-like structures underneath, because the wider a surface, a lower the pressure per unit of surface area is exerted on the ground below.

Also, most modern tanks have rubber material on the tracks. So assuming that the tank's tracks are maintained regularly (we are going by faith here, seeing that the tank broke down in peace time), it won't tear up the tarmac as it rolls.

Also read: Throwback! Youtuber uses a tank as an Uber in London

This is also the same reason why farm tractors that are designed to plough soft ground have very big, very wide wheels, and also why experienced off-roaders say you must reduce the 4x4's tyre pressure before driving over soft terrain.

Also read: 4x4s too can get stuck on a beach, swallowed by the sea, here's how to avoid it