How to Test A Scutum

[Nerva]

Hi Robert

Don't for get the flat shield is also called a Scutum :wink: Anyway, I too find it interesting that the flat shield is stronger but I can tell you why that is in this case. Our flat Clippeus/Scuta are constructed from a single sheet of 9mm marine plywood. They are hardened with a twin pack hardening compound and covered with heavy linen.

Our curved scuta are hardened and covered with the same linen but, they are constructed from two single sheets of 4mm WPB plywood with Cascamite wood glue in between. Structurally this seems to be weaker than a single layer of flat ply.

Also, I've noticed that bending the ply places greater stress on the individual longitudinally grained ply sheets, this may possibly contribute to the failure of the shield over time.

Now I must point out something else. The shields that failed by vertical splitting we're all Deepeeka and to be fair I do not think they we're ever designed for combat. Our third shield was made from 'bendy' ply which is structurally very weak. The combat shield we now make ourselves have yet to be properly exposed to 'kicking and bashing', but it will be interesting to see how they fair out.

You may well be very right about the reason for the change in scutum design, and construction of a flat shield is also much easier but I can tell you this, in combat, the curved scutum is far superior in terms of protection offered and ease of use.