Re: Wright's Proposals

[Benjamin Austin <jedi@ecn.purdue.edu>]

On Thu, 17 Dec 1998, Wright Frazier wrote:

> 
> 2) Chainmail is not worn alone.  There is padding underneath, and still
> 	even when worn alone, the surface tension of the armor is enough
> 	to deflect a considerable portion of the impact.  Clothing would
> 	help you considerably LESS than mail would..with or without
> 	padding.

I understand that it is highly undesireable to have cold metal raked 
across ones body.  However, the heavy clothing that gives the appropriate 
DVs is not what is worn under chain mail (since when a person takes off 
their chain mail they have 0 DV bonus - not the 1/1/1 from clothing) and 
it is even called "padding" and not "heavy clothing".  

No, impact damage is not deflected - it is absorbed (momentum transfer) - 
unless we're talking ablative armor here (wouldn't that be cool).  Hence, 
the strength of the metal merely means that it pushes into your skin that 
much better.  In so far as chain mail, what surface tension (if it indeed 
moves as well as you claim)?  

B.J. Austin
jedi@ecn.purdue.edu


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