ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Krupp armor

Krupp armor, also known as face-hardened armor, is a type of armor that is used to protect important things, like tanks and ships, from getting damaged during battles.

Imagine you have a toy tank and you want to protect it from being scratched or broken when playing with it. You could use a thick material, like metal, to cover the toy tank and make it strong. This is similar to what Krupp armor does for real tanks.

Krupp armor is made by taking a big piece of metal and making it even stronger. It is called face-hardened armor because the outer part, or face, of the armor is made extra hard and tough to stop the things that would want to damage it, like bullets or rocks.

To make Krupp armor, the metal is heated up until it becomes very hot and then it is quickly cooled down with water. This process is called quenching. It makes the metal much stronger and harder. It's like when you put ice cubes in a hot drink and they quickly cool down and become hard.

Once the metal is quenched, the outer surface becomes very hard and strong, while the inside stays a little bit softer. This is important because when something tries to hit the armor, the hard outer layer can stop it from getting through. The softer inside layer then absorbs the force and helps protect what is inside, like the people inside a tank.

The cool thing about Krupp armor is that it can be made to be different thicknesses, depending on how much protection is needed. Think of it like a sandwich - you can have one piece of bread or two, depending on how big and strong you want it to be. The thicker the armor, the harder it is to break through.

Of course, there are always new weapons being developed to try and defeat Krupp armor. So scientists and engineers are always working to make the armor even better, to protect our tanks and ships from harm.