Comparison of four ballistic and thrusting target materials: An experimental and Bayesian approach using static testing of stone and steel arrow tips |
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| Authors: | Damon Mullen Jase Sitton Brett Story Briggs Buchanan Robert S. Walker Metin I. Eren Michelle R. Bebber |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Geography and Atmospheric Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, USA;2. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Lyle School of Engineering, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas, USA;3. Department of Anthropology, University of Tulsa, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA;4. Department of Anthropology, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri, USA;5. Department of Anthropology, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio, USA |
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| Abstract: | Researchers use a variety of target materials, and sometimes combinations of materials, in their archaeological experiments to examine thrust-spear or projectile penetration, impact angle, durability, and other issues involving prehistoric hunting weaponry. This variety of target materials is beneficial to archaeological science in several ways, but it may also hinder the comparison of results because many of these target materials do not necessarily share similar physical properties. Here, we assess the penetration properties of four different target materials—store-bought meat, clay, and two types of gelatin—via static penetration tests of a modern broadhead-tipped arrow and a stone-tipped projectile attached to an Instron Universal Materials Tester. Our analyses of load-deflection curves, peak load, and work energy demonstrate how the four target materials are similar in some ways but different in others, which suggests that researchers may strategically employ one or several depending on the question asked or hypothesis tested. |
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| Keywords: | ballistics experimental archaeology forensics projectile technology target materials |
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