Naked Science Forum
Non Life Sciences => Physics, Astronomy & Cosmology => Topic started by: Voxx on 21/10/2012 07:52:35
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I know it is a very strange topic, but I'm curious to which kind of walls a human body can resiliently crash through and still be in operable states.
How fast would one need to go to break through a "normal" house wall?
What about a more re-enforced wall?
I guess a more important question would be how much "force" would it take to propel a human body through a wall?
I hope I am being clear enough for an answer.
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You could probably make it thru a paper, light plasterboard or thin glass wall without too much damage but don't try it in anything more solid.
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All the walls in my (traditionally built UK) house are made of brick.
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It depends, people falling from great heights (aircrafts) are reportedly said to have broken thick limbs of trees as they moved through, and survived. I'm guessing it must be a variable between your density, the speed you have, and sinews bones etc, and also what size of 'penetration point' you present as you first make a hole. Because as soon as you caused the rigidity of the offensive structure to weaken the rest should follow easier. A little like a strand of hay penetrating wood in hurricanes. The same power of penetration when applied to a smaller circumference will heighten the 'force' of it.
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Most "modern" houses in the USA have sheetrock walls.
It is easy enough to break holes in the wall by pounding on it with one's fist. One might be able to run and slam into it to break through (both sides). However, there are several problems. While your torso would be reasonably resilient, one may in fact also have the head hit the wall which could be painful if done face first. Studs are typically placed at 16" centers which is a tight squeeze in itself. One may be able to look at a wall and predict where some of the studs were (distance to corners and electrical boxes). But, if one hit a stud, things would not go well. One can also tap the wall to locate the studs. Electrical wires would also be a potential problem as they would be less forgiving.
Do many Japanese houses use thinner paper walls?
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BC
I guess you have a pretty high quality house if none are breeze block.
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It really come down to the structural limits of the human body. It's really a matter of engineering. Is the wall stronger than the human body in question? As you know the strength of individual bodies varies greatly. Very young children have bones that are extremely flexible while an elderly person's can be very weak.
The fact is, your bones are only as strong as they need to be. If you lay in bed all the time, or go into space where your bones don't need to be strong at all, they will become very weak indeed. If you exercise a lot with high impact sports like running or American football your bones will get VERY strong.
A few years ago a skydiver, trying to show off with a wing suit tried to fly very close over a bridge. Unfortunately he misjudged slightly and hit the bridge. The bridge was not damaged at all, despite a mass of about 160-180 pounds hitting it at high speed. The man's body, however was completely destroyed. Steel and concrete is much stronger than even the strongest bones.
Most houses now are built with walls formed bu a framework of wood or steal covered in sheet rock, which is a plaster board covered with paper. The sheet rock is very weak and easy to break. In most places the studs are far enough apart that you can fit between them, but hitting the rights spot can be tricky.
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Also, don't forget the difference between interior walls and exterior walls.
Interior walls have sheetrock on both sides.
Exterior walls have some kind of rigid siding on one side, and sheetrock on the other side.
So, assuming a "modern" house with sheetrock, you could break through, either by pounding on it with the fist till one gets a big enough hole... or... perhaps donning some American football gear. Fitting between the studs is often sideways.
Breaking through an exterior wall would be much harder.
And, if the house is 70+ years old, you might expect cement or plaster over lath... less fun for breaking through. You can break it, but I'd imagine with a bit of kicking.
And, as mentioned, some European houses have brick throughout. I saw an Italian house being built a couple of decades ago with hollow bricks for the internal walls. It still might be breakable, but would require significantly more effort. I'd suggest using a sledge hammer.
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BC
I guess you have a pretty high quality house if none are breeze block.
No, just old.
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Have this story from the beginning of the movies in Sweden. There was this stunt guy that was going to run through a wall (upper apartment) to then land on a wagon filled with hay, and ride of in the sunset :) The guy hurt a lot from other stunts and used beverages to hide it. The guys had taken away a part of the wall and then plastered some sheet or something, and then marked where he was supposed to run through, but he had had a little too much to drink while waiting. So when he took the run he missed, and they had to wait for him to wake up. The next time he got the hit right, but in the mean time the horse had got bored and moved, so the hay wagon was slightly displaced. It's hard missing.
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I am getting old and I notice that muscles get weak to protect deteriorated bones I find I can only cope with about half the weight of objects that I did seventy years ago