Re: Wright's Proposals

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

On Thu, 17 Dec 1998, Jevan Furmanski wrote:

> I tend to agree with Wright.  Being that I have been whacked in chainmail,
> I agree that the force is more deflected than absorbed through momentum
> transfer.  There is also a considerable amount of redistribution of force
> over area from the "surface tension" of the armor.  

Please, Jevan, impress upon us the sophomore engineering PHYS 152 and ME 
200 knowledge:  exactly how is a blow deflected across something that is 
as moveable as chain mail?


> If you truly believe
> the "cushiness" on armor is what prevents impact damage, you wear pillow
> mail and I'll wear chain mail and we'll go around with baseball bats.
> 

You're on!  There is a reason that why the people trainning police officers 
to use their battons use what is known as the "red man suit" (which is 
eccentially big foam pads secured around the body) instead of big old 
plates of metal.

> As far as layering goes, just about everyone agrees that armor is stepped
> up in layers, plate has chain in the joints etc.  It would be stupid not
> to have armor like that, and not even the "jearnian"  scheme could account
> for the loss of padded layers.

Yeah, it is layered based on the reasonable things that I have heard but 
there's nothing to indicate that when I remove plate mail, I get the DVs 
from chain mail and when I remove that, I get the DVs from heavy clothing.


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


"This country has come to feel the same when Congress is in session
 as when the baby gets hold of a hammer."
						- Will Rogers