The term ''blade geometry'' refers to the physical properties of a sword blade: cross-section (or

grind A blade's grind is its cross-sectional shape in a plane normal to the edge. Grind differs from blade profile, which is the blade's cross-sectional shape in the plane containing the blade's edge and the centre contour of the blade's back ( ...

) and taper.

Cross-section

The cross-section of a

blade A blade is the portion of a tool, weapon, or machine with an edge that is designed to puncture, chop, slice or scrape surfaces or materials. Blades are typically made from materials that are harder than those they are to be used on. Historic ...

is the primary way of determining its function and place in history.

Early Middle Ages

Early

Viking Vikings ; non, víkingr is the modern name given to seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded and se ...

and medieval European blades tended to have a lenticular cross-section. This type of design lacks a strong central ridge in the middle of the blade. The flexibility these blades have illustrates the purpose that they served, as primarily cutting weapons, that could also be used with the thrust.

Late Middle Ages

With the improvement in the defensive capabilities of

armor Armour (British English) or armor (American English; see spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, especially direct contact weapons or projectiles during combat, or fr ...

in the

High High may refer to: Science and technology * Height * High (atmospheric), a high-pressure area * High (computability), a quality of a Turing degree, in computability theory * High (tectonics), in geology an area where relative tectonic uplift ...

and Late Middle Ages, the cross-section of the sword blade adapted to suit the needs of warriors. Swords began to favour rigidity over flexibility as more rigid blades allowed for the stronger thrusts that were used to pierce armour. These blades were made with a diamond cross-section, which could be more or less acute, depending on the purpose of the blade. Weapons such as the

Estoc The French estoc is a type of sword, also called a tuck in English, in use from the 14th to the 17th century. It is characterized by a cruciform hilt with a grip for two-handed use and a straight, edgeless, but sharply pointed blade of around to ...

, for example, would have little to no cutting edge, but they would be very rigid and strong on the thrust. This is opposed by the

Longsword A longsword (also spelled as long sword or long-sword) is a type of European sword characterized as having a cruciform hilt with a grip for primarily two-handed use (around ), a straight double-edged blade of around , and weighing approximatel ...

which was usually a multi-purpose weapon used for both thrusting and cutting. The diamond cross-section could also be hollow ground for greater edge sharpness and thrust efficiency, while retaining strong central ridges.

Taper

There are two types of physical blade taper: distal and profile. Distal tapering refers to a blade's cross-section thinning from its base to its tip. This is used to create the handling characteristics of individual blades and the amount of distal taper varies depending upon the intended purpose of the blade. Many modern replica blades are not made with any distal taper, resulting in a blade that, when wielded, will feel unresponsive and heavy. Profile taper refers to narrowing upon the edges of the flat of the blade. Blades with a more gradual taper are meant for cutting, whereas blades with an acute taper are usually meant for thrusting.

References

http://www.myarmoury.com/feature_properties.html {{DEFAULTSORT:Blade Geometry Swords Blade weapons