Im just gonna highlight some observations from the game and what implications it has. I will also argue something likely has to be altered for a more consistant gameplay experience.
So just we are on the same page, “structural steel” is relatively soft steel, one would not expect it to spall like hardened plates.
To demonstrate the difference between the effect of the thickness:
Spoiler
As one can see the 5mm structural steel component doesnt spall while the thicker 30mm one does.
Now the effect of this is that lighter vehicles are harder to kill as long as they do not have hardened armor plates anywhere. 4mm of rolled homogenous armor will spall a lot.
The limit for spalling to occur with structural steel is roughly 17mm. Where a 17mm plate will spall, and a 15mm plate will not.
Now this limit has notable implications for some vehicles, like the Centurion tanks with their 17mm Internal segmentation. To demonstrate here is the Strv-104:
Spoiler
As one can clearly tell the 17mm structural steel plate spalls a lot. Together with the fuel tank and the extra plate, basically all spall from the initial penetration is stopped as expected, and the penetration of the next plate creates spall like expected.
Now structural steel stops some shrapnel depending on the circumstance and it has some interesting effects for some vehicles. Among these vehicles one set of them are perticularly affected. That being vehicles with carousel autoloaders. Most if not all of these carousel autoloaders are surrounded by a 6mm structural steel box. This steel box will not shrapnel as its below the 17mm treshold for spalling, but the 6mm structural steel plating is capable of stopping some shrapnel.
To demonstrate i use the T-72A which does not have the frontal arc 20mm hardened steel plate protecting the carousel that later T-72, and T-90 tanks have.
Spoiler
The 6mm structural steel box stops some shrapnel while it generates none on its own. In practise this notably helps the survivability of the vehicle as one would expect. However on newer carousel vehicles like the T-72B3 and so on there is a 20mm hardened steel plate that actually decreases survivability as this plate does shrapnel.
Now this as far as im concerned is kinda backwards as far as armor protection goes as vehicles that do put weight into protecting components like the newer T-72, and T-90 vehicles are “punished” by lowering the survivability. Not to speak of other vehicles that use slightly thicker structural steel like the Strv 104 is rewarded with massive spalling.
My suggestion would involve making lower thickness strucutral steel generate some spall (like 6mm structural steel). Even if its very little spall as it removes the arbitrary cutoff point and provides a more consistant experience.
Unless this is changed i think there are a couple take-aways:
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If you are in a carousel tank, use the internal fueltanks and carousel structural steel plate to absorb shots. In practise this means using the right side of the vehicle when angling.
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If you are attacking any vehicle benefitting from the lack of 6mm structural steel spalling. Dont shoot the side where the fuel tank and 6mm structural steel plate eats shrapnel. Go for dissabling shots against the breach.