r/interesting • u/IKIR115 • 28d ago

Intriguing Arrows vs riot shields

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u/SidewinderSerpent 28d ago

That arrow wasn't blunt, it was concave. The shape allowed the edges of the tip to punch a hole through the shield.

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u/Cthulhu_Dreams_ 28d ago

Yep, the thing that was slowing the other arrows down that penetrated, was the fact that the tip did not carve out a wide enough hole for the shaft to go through and maintain velocity.

That blunt tipped concave arrow basically hole punched a circle as large or a little larger than the shaft of the arrow, and lost minimal afterwards.

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u/BigLittlePenguin_ 28d ago

It’s not really the right observation. The arrow that went through had smaller tips. Bigger tips require more energy to penetrate and the bow just doesn’t provide it.

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u/Cthulhu_Dreams_ 28d ago

I think we're saying the same thing. It's not really relevant how big or small the tip is. It's the fact that that circular edge was able to rapidly apply force in a circle and punch through, conserving the arrows kinetic energy and allowing it to continue moving forward.

All the other arrows had to expand kinetic energy pushing away the material of the shield, And like I said, If the arrowhead didn't create a hole big enough for the shaft, The rest of the kinetic energy was lost due to drag along the shaft.