Re: Arrows and such

From: Kevin Rose <vladt_at_interaccess.com>
Date: Mon, 10 Apr 1995 18:54:45 -0500 (CDT)


Sandy sayz:
> Not long ago there was an article in the journal _Materials
> Characterization_ on this subject, and it proved fairly conclusively
> that longbows were unable to pierce chest armors even at point-blank
> range. Coupled with the fact there is _no_ extant armor which
> contains a hole conclusively made by an arrowhead, this implies that
> no arrows fired from any bows was able to pierce plate. Even chain
> would have been tough. Despite mighty tales of woe from Agincourt and
> Crecy, it seems pretty clear that the arrows themselves didn't kill
> the French knights.

Could be. . . But I've seen it alleged that the arrows from one of the indian tribes in the everglades pierced Spanish breastplates. These were supposedly 60 pound bows with flint tips. I've been told that one of the big art museums once allowed some experimants on their unimportant, extra armor. Supposedly they found that the normal crossbows bounced but the monster steel arbalists would penetrate. Don't know if they tested arrows also.

I sat down once and did the math on bursting strength of steel plates vs the ammount of pressure delivered by an arrow at 300FPS. A flat tip (no point) doesn't come close to penetrating, but if you assume that the arrow's force is actually concentrated in 1mm^2 it will easily punch through a reasonable thickness of modern steel (like 5mm, I'd have to look at my stuff to be sure.) Of course it doesn't really work this way, as the point is a wedge, but I don't want to try to figure out the correct technique. (besides, most calcuations of these things are normally not very accurate when done for AFVs vs AP rounds.) I most certainly would not volunteer to be wearing the armor when it gets shot from 30 feet by a 160lb comp bow.  

> There are accounts of Crusaders walking around > "like pincushions" with
ten or more arrows sticking out of their > armor, unwounded. These were composite bows, too. > This was, as least according to the sources I've read, due to a combination of factors: First was the chainmail covered with 2+ inches of felt that Richard had all his men wear. The felt slowed the arrows down enough that the chain would stop them, Second is that the Saracen bows and arrows were, significantly lower powered and fired lighter arrows than the Mongol or Turkish composite bows.

Kevin Rose


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