How is it that an ax is immediately blunt once it has been in the ground?

We used to learn it from our leadership at scout camp and a chainsaw also has to believe it. Once you knock them into the ground, they are immediately blunt. How come? Those earth particles aren’t that sharp, are they?

Asker: Marilyn, 19 years old

Answer

I don’t see why something should be sharp to blunt an axe. Sand is the perfect abrasive. Sand has no shear resistance, so your ax is barely slowed down by the friction with the sides. So your ax penetrates deep into the sand, until finally the collisions of the sand grains with the sharp side of the ax slow down the matter.

How is it that an ax is immediately blunt once it has been in the ground?

Answered by

Prof Walter Lauriks

Physics Acoustics

Catholic University of Leuven
Old Market 13 3000 Leuven
https://www.kuleuven.be/

.

Recent Articles

Related Stories