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Thesis_DamonAMullen_20210421.pdf (1.74 MB)

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COMPARISON OF MAXIMUM FORCES REQUIRED TO PENETRATE TEN AND TWENTY PERCENT BALLISTICS GELATIN, MEAT, AND CLAY TO ASSESS VARIATION BETWEEN TARGET MEDIA IN ARROW PENETRATION STUDIES

Mullen, Damon Anthony
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9952-3191
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1619013100008557

Abstract Details

2021, MA, Kent State University, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Anthropology.
For hundreds of thousands of years, Homo sapiens and our hominid ancestors have used projectile weapons made from various materials to hunt prey. Two key variables that determine hunting success are the level of penetration depth achieved by the weapon tip and the injury caused due to the shape, or cross-section, of the points as they tear through a target’s body. To better understand ancient weapon systems, experimental archaeologists have been putting various projectile point technologies to the test using several differing ballistics setups and target materials. However, the lack of consistency in target materials used for ballistics testing is highly problematic. At a minimum, the results are inconsistent across tests and can result in unequivocal datasets. Understanding how projectiles penetrate a given target material is key to determining projectile point efficiency and assessing wound damage. This study evaluates stone and steel points against four target materials: clay, ten and twenty percent ballistics gelatin, and meat, to assess the amount of force required to penetrate each material to a controlled depth using an Instron Materials Tester. The goal was to develop a baseline understanding of how the materials react during the penetration process for ongoing and future studies that will be conducted at the Kent State University Experimental Archaeology Laboratory and elsewhere. The results of this study show that for internally valid tests that wish to achieve consistent results within the mean maximum resistance force of meat during static testing, then calibrated twenty percent ballistics gelatin is the best material to use. However, given the cost of purchasing twenty percent ballistics gel and the difficulty of making it oneself, I conclude that if the experiment seeks to mimic the range of variation found in meat in static testing, while still yielding results within the lower bounds of the mean maximum resistance force, then commercial clay is the most similar material to the variation found within meat while also being the most logistically simple to work with and also offers cost-effectiveness.
Michelle Bebber, Dr. (Advisor)
Metin Eren, Dr. (Committee Member)
C. Owen Lovejoy, Dr. (Committee Member)
Richard Meindl, Dr. (Committee Member)
Brett Story, Dr. (Committee Member)
60 p.
Archaeology; Experiments
Experimental Archaeology, Ballistics Gelatin, Clay, Target Materials, Penetration Tests

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Mullen, D. A. (2021). COMPARISON OF MAXIMUM FORCES REQUIRED TO PENETRATE TEN AND TWENTY PERCENT BALLISTICS GELATIN, MEAT, AND CLAY TO ASSESS VARIATION BETWEEN TARGET MEDIA IN ARROW PENETRATION STUDIES [Master's thesis, Kent State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1619013100008557

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Mullen, Damon. COMPARISON OF MAXIMUM FORCES REQUIRED TO PENETRATE TEN AND TWENTY PERCENT BALLISTICS GELATIN, MEAT, AND CLAY TO ASSESS VARIATION BETWEEN TARGET MEDIA IN ARROW PENETRATION STUDIES. 2021. Kent State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1619013100008557.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Mullen, Damon. "COMPARISON OF MAXIMUM FORCES REQUIRED TO PENETRATE TEN AND TWENTY PERCENT BALLISTICS GELATIN, MEAT, AND CLAY TO ASSESS VARIATION BETWEEN TARGET MEDIA IN ARROW PENETRATION STUDIES." Master's thesis, Kent State University, 2021. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=kent1619013100008557

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

kent1619013100008557
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This open access ETD is published by Kent State University and OhioLINK.