GB2129315A - Fencing blade - Google Patents

Abstract

The blade is formed from a plurality of elongate layers (1, 2, 3) which are fixedly joined together, at least one layer (1, 2) comprising blade steel and one (3) comprising an elastic material such as an elastic, non- hardenable steel or a plastics material. The layer (3) prevents brittle fractures of the blade, and the resulting danger of injury. The blade is made by applying solder in powder or strip form on each side of the layer (3), laying on rods or bars of blade steel, and heating to effect connection followed by forging, milling or grinding. Alternatively, the layers may be secured together by adhesive, particularly when the layer (3) is of plastics. In an alternative embodiment, a blade steel layer (1) is provided with a longitudinal groove (4) into which is embedded a rod or wire of elastic material (3). <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Fencing blade The present invention relates to a fencing blade.

It is known, in relation to the fencing blades which in the past have been made from spring steel, that they can suffer from brittle fracture without deformation when subjected to an unusual impact or shock loading, and that can very easily lead to serious injury because the remainder of the blade no ionger has adequate elasticity.

Although it has been attempted to remedy that disadvantage by making the blade in the form of a glass fibre reinforced platics rod or bar, such a blade construction gives rise to the disadvantage that the low weight of the blade and the absence of a metallic noise produced upon blade contact mean that the blade has a very different 'feel' when used in fencing, and requires the fencer to handle it in a manner to which he is unaccumstomed. Another disadvantage is a severe rate of blade wear which can involve fibres becoming loosened from the blade structure and thus standing proud therefrom in which case the open fibres may penetrate through a fencing mask, between the grid members thereof, and may give rise to injury.In addition, glass fibre reinforced plastics blades cannot be used in conjunction with the normal equipment for electrically marking or signalling a hit, when fencing, due to the lack of electrical conductivity of the blade.

According to the present invention, there is provided a fencing blade formed from a plurality of layers or portions which are fixedly joined together, at least one comprising blade steel and one comprising an elastic material.

In a preferred embodiment, the layer or portion of elastic material comprises an elastic, nonhardenable steel, but it may alternatively comprise a plastics material. The elastic material may be embedded between two layers or portions of blade steel, or it may be in the form of a core portion which is surrounded by the blade steel component of the blade. With such a blade construction, the problem of possible blade distortion due to different coefficients of thermal expansion of the elastic material on the one hand and the blade steel on the other hand is easy to overcome.

It will be appreciated that in most cases it is necessary for the composite assembly of layers or portions which form the blade, after the operation of fixing them together as by cementing or soldering, also to be subjected to suitable shaping as by forging, milling or grinding in order to produce the desired blade configuration. It should also be noted that the blade construction according to the invention can provide the possibility that existing conventional fencing blades may be subsequently provided with the layer or portion of elastic material if the elastic material is in the form of a core portion which is only partially enclosed by the blade steel and is in the form of a wire rod or thread-like member embedded in a longitudinal groove in the blade steel component of the blade.In that case, the blade steel which essentially forms the blade body, can be made into the shaped configuration required for the fencing blade, before the wire or like member is embedded into the longitudinal groove, so that there is no longer any need for a final shaping operation after the operation of embedding the wire or like member in place has been effected. Moreover, the longitudinal groove may also be formed in existing conventional blades so that subsequent fitting thereof with the portion of elastic material in the form of a wire or rod-like member can be readily effected.In addition, the cross-section of the wire or like member, in comparison with the total fencing blade cross-section, is so small that differences in the coefficients of thermal expansion, as long as those differences are not excessive, cannot generally result in distortion in the blade, due to the hardening operation. In order virtually completely to exclude the above-mentioned danger of disortion of the blade in the hardening operation, it is desirable for the core portion to comprise a non-hardenable alloy having a coefficient of expansion which is similar to that of the blade steel.Thus, it has been found particularly desirable for the core portion to comprise a steel which is of substantially the following composition: C=0.015%, Cr=1 5-19%, Mo=1 .8-2.3%, with the balance Fe, or a nickel or nickel-base alloy of substantially the following composition: C=0.02%, 5=0.1%, Mn=1.0%, Cr=1.0%, Fe=2.0%, Mo=26.0-- 30.0%, P=0.04%, S=0.03%, Co=1.0%, and the balance Ni.

Moreover, if the profile of the blade is of a suitable form, it may also be particularly advantageous, with regard to the danger of distortion of the blade, for the longitudinal groove and the core portion to be disposed as closely as possible to or in the centre of the cross-section of the blade profile. In this respect, it may be particularly desirable that, for example in the case of an epee blade having a concave surface which forms the back of the blade, the longitudinal groove and the wire or like member extend at the apex of the curvature of the concave surface.

Embodiments of a blade according to the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 shows a view in cross-section through a first embodiment of the blade, in the form of a foil blade, Figure 2 shows a view in cross-section through a second embodiment, in the form of an epee blade, Figure 3 shows a view of the tip of a sabre blade in accordance with the invention, Figure 4 shows a view in cross-section through another embodiment of an epee blade, and Figure 5 shows a view, also in cross-section, of another embodiment of a foil blade.

Referring to Figure 1, shown therein is a blade comprising a plurality of elongate layers or portions which are fixedly joined together, the portions extending longitudinally of the blade thus formed. Layers of blade steel are denoted by references 1 and 2 while a layer of elastic or resilient material such as non-hardenable steel, alloy or plastics material is disposed therebetween, as indicated by reference numeral 3.

Figure 2 shows an epee blade comprising blade steel layers 1 and 2 and an interposed layer of elastic material, while Figure 3 shows a sabre blade tip that once again comprises layers 1 to 3.

In the case of each of the embodiments shown in Figures 1 to 3, the blade may be manufactured by a layer of a commercially available solder in powder or strip form being applied on each side to a layer 3, which is in the form of a rod or bar, comprising for example elastic, non-hardenable steel. Rods or bars of blade steel, as indicated at 1 and 2, are laid on the layers of solder, on respective sides of the layer 3. A firm and fixed connecton is formed between the layers 1 to 3, by hearing the above-produced assembly 1 to 3, for example in a protective gas atmosphere or in a vacuum furnace. During that operation, the assembly of layers is usually weighted or loaded or held under pressure in some other manner.The temperature to which the pack is raised depends on the operating temperature of the solder, a method for that purpose being described in German patent specification No 2 805 233.

Another possibility is for the individual layers to be secured together by adhesive. That method may be considered in particular when the layer 3 of elastic material is a plastics material.

The composite assembly is then put into the definitive form of a fencing blade for a foil, a sabre or an epee by processing operations such as forging, milling or grinding.

In the embodiments shown in Figures 4 and 5, in contrast, the layer or portion 3 of elastic material is a wire or rod or thread-like insert member which is only partially enclosed by the blade steel of the layer 1, being embedded in a longitudinal groove 4 in the blade steel layer 1. In the case of the epee blade shown in Figure 4, which has a concave surface 5 forming the back of the blade, the longitudinal groove 4 and the insert member 3 extend at the apex of the curvature of the concave surface, that is to say, practically at the centre of the cross-section of the epee blade. That blade construction results in the blade having a high degree of freedom from distortion.

The blade shown in Figure 5 is generally similar to the blade of Figure 4, corresponding components being denoted by the same references.

It has surprisingly been found, with the abovedescribed blade, that the blade is no different in its properties from a conventional blade, for example in regard to its elasticity, its handling and its sound, but brittle fracture with the known consequences thereof is at least substantially prevented by the layer of elastic material.

Claims (11)

Claims

1. A fencing blade formed from a plurality of layers or portions which are fixedly joined together, at least one comprising blade steel and one comprising an elastic material.

2. A fencing blade according to claim 1 wherein said elastic material comprises an elastic, nonhardenable steel.

3. A fencing blade according to claim 1 wherein said elastic material comprises a plastics material.

4. A fencing blade according to one of claims 1 to 3 wherein said portion of layer of elastic material represents a core portion which is surrounded by the blade steel.

5. A fencing blade according to one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the layer or portion of elastic material is embedded between two layers or portions of blade steel.

6. A fencing blade according to one of claims 1 to 3 wherein the layer of elastic material represents a core portion which is only partially surrounded by the blade steel and which is in the form of a thread-like or wire-like insert member embedded in a longitudinal groove in the layer or portion of blade steel.

7. A fencing blade according to one of claims 1 to 6 wherein said layer or portion of elastic material forms a core portion comprising a nonhardenable alloy having a coefficient of expansion similar to that of the blade steel.

8. A fencing blade according to claim 7 wherein said core portion comprises a steel of substantially the following composition: 0=0.015%, Cr=1 5-19%, Mo=1 .8-2.3%, and the balance iron.

9. A fencing blade according to claim 7 wherein said core portion comprises a nickel alloy or nickel-base alloy of substantially the following composition: C=0.02%, Si=0.1%, Mn=1.0%, Cr=1.0%, Fe=2.0%, Mo=26.0-30.0%, P=0.04%, S=0.03%, Co=1.0%, and the balance Ni.

10. A fencing blade according to claim 6 or any claim dependent thereon which is in the form of an epee blade having a concave surface forming the back of the blade, wherein the longitudinal groove and said insert member extend at the apex of the curvature of the concave surface.

11. A fencing blade substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to any Figure of the accompanying drawings.