[SCA-AE] looking for some combat archers that shot at pennsic

[Donald Luby]

On Sep 1, 2006, at 5:48 PM, Taranach wrote:

> is there a specific reason why a sturdier 160 psi bolt would fail 
> inspection?

Because the Society rules say very clearly 100 psi.  FWIW, I suspect 80 
psi (if such a thing exists) would fail too, for the same reason.

> I know darn well that it has nothing to do with flexibility or 
> collapsibility as the normal siloflex is very rigid.

You do?  How do you know that?  160 psi is designed and rated for 
greater pressure than 100 psi, clearly it's 'stronger' in some 
measurable way, by about 60%, and that would have some direct effect on 
its flexibility and/or collapsability.  Perhaps it was decided that 160 
psi was too 'strong' to be used for missiles, and that's why only 100 
psi was allowed.

> Could it have been over some weight limit?

That's certainly possible; there are very specific methods allowed for 
making missiles.

> I would like to know how something that would appear to be more safe 
> (less likely to break) as well as more durable fails to meet an 
> inspection standard.

Similarly, rattan that has been treated to reduce is flexibility (there 
are a variety of methods) is less likely to break and more durable, but 
that's against the rules too.

I was not in the room at the time when the rule was made, but I would 
suspect that it was some combination of relative mass/length, 
especially when compared to golf tubes (the pre-existing material used 
in the same bows as sil-o-flex today), and other relative similarities 
between the two thickness of sil-o-flex and golf tubes, the thinner 
sil-o-flex being (obviously) more similar, and the thicker being 
determined to be too dissimilar (especially for use in the same bows as 
were allowed for golf tubes) and thus disallowed.


OTOH, if you would like to do appropriate comparative testing on 100 
psi vs. 160 psi bolts, in terms of, say, how much force they impact 
with over the same distances with the same bows, to convince the SEM to 
change the rules, I'm sure he (like I) would welcome the information.


> I guess it is just the engineering in me...
>
> Taranach


Sir Koredono
Æ KEM