strength of armor vs crushing

[bob1thousand]

I have a question about armor strength.
As I've previously stated in other posts, I'm writing a story with naga (human's with snake legs that can apply 90 pounds of pressure per square inch. full post describing them here: Opinion on my naga race and question about biology)
How would various types of armor (steel, iron, gambeson, chainmail, etc) do against a anaconda like naga wrapping around and trying to crush it? Would it break? Would the person wearing it feel it or struggle to breath?

 

[Yora]

Armor protects against impacts by spreading the force of an impact over a larger area, greatly reducing the force that hits any single point on the body. When you have a giant snake wrapped around your whole body anyway, it should do absolutely nothing to help.
Even when you have a solid cuirass to protect the torso, to my knowledge these are always made of a front and back piece. Even in the best made pieces, once you apply pressure, the connecting edges would slide past each other. It would not require much bending to seriously reduce the space between them. It might help a bit, but overall my assumption would be that armor won't be of any help in this situation.

 

[bob1thousand]

Armor protects against impacts by spreading the force of an impact over a larger area, greatly reducing the force that hits any single point on the body. When you have a giant snake wrapped around your whole body anyway, it should do absolutely nothing to help.
Even when you have a solid cuirass to protect the torso, to my knowledge these are always made of a front and back piece. Even in the best made pieces, once you apply pressure, the connecting edges would slide past each other. It would not require much bending to seriously reduce the space between them. It might help a bit, but overall my assumption would be that armor won't be of any help in this situation.

thanks

 

[Aldarion]

I have a question about armor strength.
As I've previously stated in other posts, I'm writing a story with naga (human's with snake legs that can apply 90 pounds of pressure per square inch. full post describing them here: Opinion on my naga race and question about biology)
How would various types of armor (steel, iron, gambeson, chainmail, etc) do against a anaconda like naga wrapping around and trying to crush it? Would it break? Would the person wearing it feel it or struggle to breath?

Most armours would do absolutely nothing. Only plate curiass or other solid armours (e.g. lorica segmentata) would help a bit, as they are a) solid and b) have some space between the torso and the armour, so even when pieces do start sliding against each other (as Yora points out) it would take time before they started forcing serious pressure onto wearer.

 

[pmmg]

Same as the others. I don't think armor would prove very useful in this type of attack. But if the armor has sharp edges or spikes, as happens in a lot of Fantasy RPG's, maybe the snake would want to think twice about this.

 

[bob1thousand]

Same as the others. I don't think armor would prove very useful in this type of attack. But if the armor has sharp edges or spikes, as happens in a lot of Fantasy RPG's, maybe the snake would want to think twice about this.

interesting idea. i'm gonna steal it.

 

[pmmg]

If Malik were on, he would point out the self defeating nature of spikes on armor, but in a world where snake coiling is likely, it would have more of a place.

Generally, armor is to distribute impact, and redirect the force of attacks. An axe coming down on the shoulder, would lose striking power if the armor was curved and caused it to glance off. A spiked shoulder piece would serve to prevent glancing blows and direct the force back into the shoulder, lessening its effectiveness. But...one always has to make choices. Sometimes villains need to be stylishly evil looking, and have spikes.