New book chapter on Chinese crossbows
I want to alert ATARN readers to a recent addition to the literature on Chinese crossbows. A new book by Hsiao & Yan (Springer 2014, full reference below) has a 24-page chapter called "Crossbows", with the following abstract:
"Ancient Chinese crossbows combine cam and flexible connecting mechanisms to shoot bolts for attacking long-distance targets. They are typical military weapons developed from the application of elasticity. After the Spring-Autumn and Warring Periods (770-221 BC), the manufacturing technology for crossbows matured and evolved into many different types, such as the original crossbow, Chu State repeating crossbow, and Zhuge repeating crossbow. Since the types of crossbows were diversified and widely used in ancient China, the structures of crossbows should have many designs in different eras and regions. This chapter systematically reconstructs all feasible designs of the crossbows that met the ancient technological standards. The development of ancient Chinese crossbows is introduced. The mechanism structures of crossbows are analyzed. The design constraints for the reconstruction designs are concluded and the different types of crossbows are illustrated as examples."
This chapter is one part of a broader book addressing a wide range of mechanical technologies, including such things as bellows mechanisms, devices for lifting water, spinning and weaving machines, etc. Among other things, the crossbow chapter presents a structural analysis of crossbows that I think is intended to facilitate comparisons among these various, highly-different kinds of machines. This part of the chapter seems highly abstract to me, and not terribly enlightening--but those of you with more specialized knowledge of Chinese crossbows may get more out of it than I.
The book is available on SpringerLink:
link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-319-02009-9
Book reference:
Hsiao, Kuo-Hung and Hong-Sen Yan (2014) Mechanisms in Ancient Chinese Books with Illustrations. Springer, Cham, Switzerland.
Selected references from Chapter 10 "Crossbows":
Hsiao KH (2013) Structural synthesis of ancient Chinese original crossbow. Trans Canadian Soc Mech Eng 37(2):65-77
Hsiao KH, Yan HS (2012a) Structural synthesis of ancient Chinese Chu State repeating crossbow. Advances in Reconfigurable Mechanisms and Robots I. Springer, London, pp 749-758
Hsiao KH, Yan HS (2012b) Structural synthesis of ancient Chinese Zhuge repeating crossbow. Explorations in the History of Machines and Mechanisms. Springer, Netherlands, pp 213-228
Hsiao KH, Yan HS (2012c) Structural analyses of ancient Chinese crossbows. J Sci Innov 2(1):1-8
++++++++++++++
All best,
Ian
"Ancient Chinese crossbows combine cam and flexible connecting mechanisms to shoot bolts for attacking long-distance targets. They are typical military weapons developed from the application of elasticity. After the Spring-Autumn and Warring Periods (770-221 BC), the manufacturing technology for crossbows matured and evolved into many different types, such as the original crossbow, Chu State repeating crossbow, and Zhuge repeating crossbow. Since the types of crossbows were diversified and widely used in ancient China, the structures of crossbows should have many designs in different eras and regions. This chapter systematically reconstructs all feasible designs of the crossbows that met the ancient technological standards. The development of ancient Chinese crossbows is introduced. The mechanism structures of crossbows are analyzed. The design constraints for the reconstruction designs are concluded and the different types of crossbows are illustrated as examples."
This chapter is one part of a broader book addressing a wide range of mechanical technologies, including such things as bellows mechanisms, devices for lifting water, spinning and weaving machines, etc. Among other things, the crossbow chapter presents a structural analysis of crossbows that I think is intended to facilitate comparisons among these various, highly-different kinds of machines. This part of the chapter seems highly abstract to me, and not terribly enlightening--but those of you with more specialized knowledge of Chinese crossbows may get more out of it than I.
The book is available on SpringerLink:
link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-319-02009-9
Book reference:
Hsiao, Kuo-Hung and Hong-Sen Yan (2014) Mechanisms in Ancient Chinese Books with Illustrations. Springer, Cham, Switzerland.
Selected references from Chapter 10 "Crossbows":
Hsiao KH (2013) Structural synthesis of ancient Chinese original crossbow. Trans Canadian Soc Mech Eng 37(2):65-77
Hsiao KH, Yan HS (2012a) Structural synthesis of ancient Chinese Chu State repeating crossbow. Advances in Reconfigurable Mechanisms and Robots I. Springer, London, pp 749-758
Hsiao KH, Yan HS (2012b) Structural synthesis of ancient Chinese Zhuge repeating crossbow. Explorations in the History of Machines and Mechanisms. Springer, Netherlands, pp 213-228
Hsiao KH, Yan HS (2012c) Structural analyses of ancient Chinese crossbows. J Sci Innov 2(1):1-8
++++++++++++++
All best,
Ian
thank you !