05-30-2007, 09:59 PM
The op said he read all the threads. 
And I like the tests, they were a bit different than those in the other threads.
I concur with Dan that pictural evidence says nothing about glueing or not. The only point for glueing could be the behavior of the shoulder flaps when open. It could be better explained with the use of some hard and flexible materials as backing for the linen, like leather or thin bronze sheets.
Wether a partly glued linen cuirass could help against slow impact and pressure traumata should be tested. The stiffer the material the better the dispersion of the energy. So why should a soft linen armour perform the same as a stiff linen armour?
Of course it depends on the stiffness. If it's totally stiff, on the other hand, why not just use bronze?
The breathing qualities of multi-layered cloth garments are overestimated in my believe. Is it not less comfortable to wear a breathable linen armour than a metall armour in hot temperatures? (Never wore a Greek linen armour, just a gambeson.) If glueing could bring the different layers together and so eliminate the ability to catch hot air between the layers a glued armour could perhaps be more "cool" than a quilted one?
But in the end the reasons to use glue are not very convincing. Why making an armour stiff if the armour's material protection qualities are the better the softer it is? Cloth armour needs the ability to absorb energy through the bending and moving of the fibres. So softness is the leading principle.
And I like the tests, they were a bit different than those in the other threads.I concur with Dan that pictural evidence says nothing about glueing or not. The only point for glueing could be the behavior of the shoulder flaps when open. It could be better explained with the use of some hard and flexible materials as backing for the linen, like leather or thin bronze sheets.
Wether a partly glued linen cuirass could help against slow impact and pressure traumata should be tested. The stiffer the material the better the dispersion of the energy. So why should a soft linen armour perform the same as a stiff linen armour?
Of course it depends on the stiffness. If it's totally stiff, on the other hand, why not just use bronze?
The breathing qualities of multi-layered cloth garments are overestimated in my believe. Is it not less comfortable to wear a breathable linen armour than a metall armour in hot temperatures? (Never wore a Greek linen armour, just a gambeson.) If glueing could bring the different layers together and so eliminate the ability to catch hot air between the layers a glued armour could perhaps be more "cool" than a quilted one?
But in the end the reasons to use glue are not very convincing. Why making an armour stiff if the armour's material protection qualities are the better the softer it is? Cloth armour needs the ability to absorb energy through the bending and moving of the fibres. So softness is the leading principle.
Wolfgang Zeiler
