Materials and Fortification, a detailed study (Work in progress)

[Sarias]

MATERIALS AND FORTIFICATION, A DETAILED STUDY

A WORK IN PROGRESS -
BY TERAN MAL

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MATERIALS

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ROCK- AND STONE TYPES:

Carbon - Carbon was a non metallic element. It was the primary element in most of the sentient life of the galaxy, including Humans and most humanoid races. Carbon was used in the manufacture of such substances as duraplast, durasteel and carbonite. It could be found in naturally occurring crystal form as diamonds. It was also found in wood and tibanna

Concrete - Concrete was a compound consisting of cement, aggregate and water. It was used in the construction of buildings and other structures. If mixed with iron, it is used to create the highly durable ferroconcrete.

METAL TYPES:

A - AGRINIUM: Agrinium was an alloy based on aluminium used to create solar sails, and was highly resistant to all forms of radiation. Applied to droid armor, it created an extremely effective barrier against many forms of damage, and was often used on lightweight repair droids that maintained the sails on many deep-space sailing ships of the Old Sith Wars era. Agrinium was also used sometimes to make strong and lightweight melee weapon and tool grips.
- ALUMINIUM: Aluminium or aluminum was a malleable and ductile metal. It was also an excellent heat and electricity conductor, a light material and a good corrosion-resistant material. It was the basic element for forming Agrinium, which was applied to droid armor.
- ALUSTEEL: Alusteel was an alloy used in starship hulls. It was known for its high durability, protecting ships with their shields disabled.

B - BESKAR: Mandalorian iron, also known by its Mando'a name of beskar, was an extremely durable iron ore whose only known source was the Outer Rim world of Mandalore and its moon, Concordia. The introduction of certain additives during the smelting process served to increase the strength of the natural ore, and Mandalorian metalsmiths guarded the secrets of forging beskar from outsiders. A versatile metal, Mandalorian iron could be melded into multiple alloys and forged into various configurations.
- BONDITE: Bondite was an abundant metal used for a variety of purposes, ranging from reinforcement of stronghold walls, to waste containers. Its strong and reliable quality allowed for this.
- BRASS: Brass was an artificial metal, a copper-zinc alloy that contained up to 40% zinc. Its color ranged from yellow to red. Brass not only resisted corrosion, but it was also a good conductor of electricity and heat.
- BRONZIUM: Bronzium was a solid, durable substance, often employed in droid armours due to its weight. It is also fashioned into weaponry on occasion, and although these weapons are durable and strong, they are obscenely heavy.

C - CIRIDIUM: Ciridium was a substance often used to strengthen mandalorian armours. A sturdy substance, it provided the warrior with protection against kinetic weaponry such as slugs.
- COPPER: Copper was a metal that could be mined throughout the galaxy. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orange color. Copper is used as a conductor of heat and electricity, as a building material, and as a constituent of various metal alloys. Copper is one of the few metals that can occur in nature in a directly usable metallic form (also called a native metal).

D - DESH: Desh was a very flexible, but less sturdy, naturally occurring metallic element used to protect droids during the centuries surrounding the Great Sith War and the War of the Star Forge. When combined with another type of alloy, desh armor plating became a very cost-effective means of shielding droids from external damage; maranium was often one such recombinant that cut the weight and expense, but at the cost to the overall durability.
- DIATIUM: Diatium was a metal substance used in small power cells as early as four millennia BBY. Lightsabers generally used cylindrical diatium power cells. It was not a very rare mineral, in that it was easy to mine for helpful use
- DURALIUM: Duralium was a metallic substance used in shielding. It could be coupled with lanthanide to make a strong alloy in armor plating.
- DURAPLAST: Duraplast was a type of metal used during production of durable equipment. It was much stronger than many other metals, and was thus widely used throughout the galaxy by the Imperial and Republic military machinery. The main element used in synthesizing duraplast was carbon. Duraplast was also used in armor, such as Mandalorian armor, and was capable of offering protection up to light grenades, medium slugs, and light laser cannon rounds. Duraplast could also be reinforced to be extremely resistant to EMP and ion cannon warfare and offered very strong protection against lightsabers.

F - FARIUM: Farium was a heavy metal used in starship hull construction due to its sturdiness and resistance to kinetic and energy weaponry.
- FERROCONCRETE: Ferroconcrete, or ferrocrete, was a composite building material made from the combination of concrete and iron that was molecularly bonded to produce a substance with exceptional resistance to wear and tear. The material was used primarily in the construction of roads and walkways, but also for reinforced bunkers and building foundations.

H - HOLLINIUM: Hollinium was a valuable metal ore used in the creation of synthetic hyperbaric, super heavy elements, which in turn were used for the construction of turbolasers.

I - IRON: Iron was an element commonly found in asteroids and, occasionally, on planets. It could be extracted from the iron ore minerals magnetite and hematite. Iron was used in the making of many objects. It was used with concrete to make Ferrocrete. Pummel Staves were constructed from tubes of iron.

K - KIIRIUM: Kiirium was an armor material used to shield starship engines and heavy weapons.

L - LAMINASTEEL: Laminasteel was a metallic material used to strengthen structures, as it increased both sturdiness, resistance against wear and tear, and its overall kinetic and energy weapon impact dispersion.

M - MULLININE: Mullinine was a metallic substance considered by some weapon manufacturers to be an ideal building material for melee weapons, as it held an edge extremely well once sharpened.

N - NEURANIUM: Neuranium was a metallic substance used to shield from radiation, and one of the heaviest and densest metals in the galaxy. A millimeter of it could stop most scanners, and it could even temporarily block lightsaber energy. However in order to cover a space as large as a cargo hold, it would be prohibitively heavy and thus inefficient to use. Neuranium was so dense that some gravity-sensitive species noted its warping of the space-time fabric of gravity itself that a large piece created. It was used in thick walls of fortresses and strongholds

P - POLYFIBE: Polyfibe was metal to make suits, as it help shape the suit, and allowed for slight protection against kinetic and energy weaponry.

Q - QUADRANIUM: Quadranium was an incredibly strong and durable element that was used primarily for the construction of starship fuel tanks. they also applied this element to droid armor during the development of droids that were to be sent to clean starship engines and fuel tanks. Quadranium could be forged into a blade, as seen with a Quadranium edge.

T - TRIMANTIUM: Trimantium was a gray-green metal which could be used to make armor plating for starships. Starship hulls lined with trimantium plating exhibited unusually high tensile strength.
- TERENTHIUM: Terenthium was a metal that, when combined with the metal desh, produced a super-light alloy which was used to manufacture starships.
- TITANIUM: Titanium was a metallic element. It was valued for its strength and low density, and was used to construct strong durable doors.

U - ULTRACHROME: Ultrachrome is a metal used as starship armor around the time of the Great Sith War. Silver and superconductive, it reflects blaster and slugthrower weaponry, is heavily resistant to lightsaber attacks, and immune to metal-eating fungi. Ultrachrome’s resistance to lightsaber strikes was due to its superconductive nature. When the energy field of a lightsaber interacted with ultrachrome, it would be uniformly conducted across the entire solid mass, rather than be allowed to concentrate in one area and cut through. However, this also entailed that if enough energy from the lightsaber were transferred to the ultrachrome, the entire piece would melt.

V - VANADIUM: Vanadium was a chemical element and a hard, silvery-gray, ductile and malleable transition metal.

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FORTIFICATION

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TOWERS - Towers could be situated in different places in relation to the walls

1. CORNER TOWER, which gave extra fortification, oversight and control over the corner, and reinforced the structure, as corners in walls are easy to destroy compared to the singular wall.

2. MURAL TOWER - Located in centrally within the wall, these towers were mainly
used for oversight, and as reinforcement against a potential weaker spot in the wall.

3. RECESSED MURAL TOWER - This decreased the surface area that could be hit, making it a more defensive version of the regular Mural Tower, but also decreased the area of vision and control the tower had.

4. PROJECTING/FLANKING TOWER - This tower stood out the the fact it was technically still in the wall, but also outside of it, granting a greatly increased field of vision and control for fire weapons. A disadvantage of this tower is that the surface area that can be hit is greatly increased, making it easier to take down than the other towers.


PICTURE 1

TOWER SHAPE - The shape of a tower is very important, by reducing direct impact of projectiles, a tower can become sturdier, as the damage the projectiles normally do when they hit the wall with an angle perpendicular to the aforementioned wall. As seen in picture X, different shapes of towers have been developed, with the circular tower being the most efficient at brushing off attacks. This is due to its property of innumerable angles across its surface, and thus a minimal surface area where it could be struck with a projectile with a perpendicular angle to the wall. Although this improves a longevity of a tower, the shape causes for less space to be used by its occupant.


PICTURE 2

GATEHOUSE - The gatehouse is essentially a giant weak point in the fortification, it is a literal opening in the wall for the enemy to pour in through. Because of this very reason, many different fortifications have been developed to deal with this inherent weakness. Some of these defences even take it so far that they become little strongholds themselves.

MOAT - A moat is nothing more than a giant hindrance for the enemy by using the terrain. Often a simple ditch around that which is to be fortified, sometimes filled with water, but it's always meant as a dead-stop to infantry units, and to force siege machinery back, to hinder those that require close range to be most effective. Seen on PICTURE 3, spikes at the bottom, regardless if there is water in the moat, will be a highly effective deterrent against any assailant foolish enough to try and cross it any other way than a bridge. A fact often forgotten, moats guard against tunnelling enemies, as they will have to dig a considerably deep tunnel that is prone to collapse under the weight of the water, should they tunnel underneath. Even if they breach the walls, if they have no way of crossing the moat (quickly enough), there is little they can do against reinforcement from the inside.
NOTE: Often, enemies will attempt to improvise bridges by means of filling the moat with earth or other materials that may make a path for them, be wary of this.


PICTURE 3

BRIDGE - When a moat in introduced as a defensive precaution, a bridge is also required to traverse the moat without injury or casualty. A couple of bridges are widely used, these are, but are not limited to:

1. PERMANENT BRIDGE - This bridge is self explanatory, it is a bridge that remains permanently, if it is maintained. This bridge allows for the gatehouse to be equipped with more space to use, as there is no mechanism required to handle the bridge, and this can be used to improve fortification in places that would otherwise be used by bridge controls. It also allows for an extra control point on the bridge, making it more difficult to get in should the enemy try to use the bridge. A disadvantage of this bridge is that just like the creator, an enemy has free use of this bridge, this allows for the concentration of enemy troops for later eradication, but it is still a free access to ones encampment.


PICTURE 4


2. DRAWBRIDGE - An old design, but due to its usefulness, still built in many strongholds or encampments. The draw bridge allows the defender to deny the enemy passage. If the moat has been dug all around, or the environment prevents attack from other directions, then the infantry has no possible way into the stronghold or encampment without crossing the moat in the most dangerous way:
2.1. Through the water - Which will cause the infantry to sink, if they are carrying heavy armour, almost always killing the victim by drowning. In cold temperature environments, getting wet can cause frostbite or in the least weaken the enemy's resolve.
2.2. Through a dry moat - As shown in PICTURE 3, a moat will usually have defences at the bottom of the moat, deterring enemies by fear of life, because if one were to lose their grip and fall onto the defences, one would be impaled and surely die. Even if there were no spikes or barricades at the bottom, the climb would in itself be arduous for any who tries. Slippery surfaces and heavy armours don't work together. The draw bridge also allows the defenders to use it as a wall, as it will protect the main gates when it is pulled up.


PICTURE 5

3. ROLLING BRIDGE - A bridge that simply rolls a large plate over the moat to be traversed. This places the control mechanism can be built into the floor, leaving space to be used for other purposes. This type is very useful, because the entire plate can be hidden from the enemy, when one decides to place it behind the main gate.


PICTURE 6

4. ROTATING BRIDGE - The rotating bridge, just like bridge 3, had very little space required for it to be placed, allowing more to be used to store goods, weapons or to use as resting places for the occupants. Like the drawbridge, the rotating bridge could be used as a wall too, and allowed for a second, minor moat to be created within the gatehouse itself, adding another layer of defence and control for the occupants.


PICTURE 7

ENTRANCES - The entrance of a gatehouse is often specifically designed to make moving through them, as well as fighting and defending difficult for attackers. Walls are strategically placed to hinder enemy movement, such as, for example, swinging a sword or lightsaber. When looking at PICTURE 8, it is clear that these were designed with regular swords in mind, but because of the use of lightsabers still, weapons based on swords, these tactics are still valid today. Please note that all of the gates on PICTURE 8 are designed with the central architectural idea that it’s really hard to kill someone with a wall in your way.


PICTURE 8

But besides hindering the enemy in their attack, sometimes different tactics were chosen to deal with an invading force. PICTURE 9 shows how gatehouses could be used to draw in, concentrate, and then eradicate enemy troops. When troops were caught, often traps were employed to make swift work of the assailants. Openings in the roof of the antechamber allowed for projectile weapons to be fired into the room, and openings in the walls, if for example the rooms on either side of the chambered gate were closed, but had firing holes, they too could be used to make quick work with minimal casualties and effort.


PICTURE 9


BATTLEMENTS - Battlements are the upper parts of a fortification, often placed on a wall, PICTURE 10 however will likely make you realize these buildings were also maintained on top of towers or other buildings to allow for even more defensive capability.
Battlements were, as seen in the picture, a small wall with protrusion on top, called merlons, that allowed the defenders to break like of sight whilst shooting at the enemies through the embrasures/crenels, as well as provide extra cover for the head during these activities.
When battlements were placed on a wall, they served mainly to defend the walkway on top of the wall from projectiles, battlements built on top of buildings or towers, often with a flat surface encapsulated, served as a protected fighting platform from which suppressive or lethal fire could be shot.


PICTURE 10
LOOPHOLES - When the walkways atop the walls do no provide enough defense, or are considered too 'in the open' to deal properly with the threat at the gate, the loopholes were used. Small openings in the wall that would allow one to shoot projectiles under almost complete cover. PICTURE 11 shows four different kinds of loopholes that have been used throughout history, but the last one is most important to the current day situation.
Designed to allow free shooting from within, the loopholes were often incorporated in protrusions specifically designed for loopholes, that allowed a wider range of view and shooting angles to hit the attackers. Sometimes created to move, like a gun turret on starships, these loopholes were a highly efficient way to deter attackers with minimal casualties.

PICTURE 11
HOARDINGS/MACHICOLATIONS - Hoardings were temporary structures often built of wood or other weak but abundant material. They were placed, as seen in the PICTURE 12, over walls or towers, creating an overhang from which all sorts of defensive measures were employed. Made to break, however, these expendable structures were also occasionally destroyed by its creators, to have the excess debris pummel down anyone foolish enough to scale the walls.
Machicolations were the indefinite version of hoardings, made with the same purpose, but made to last, these structures, much like battlements, provided another layer of defense from which the defenders could, from cover, use a plethora of materials or ways to repel those who tried to scale the walls. When a machicolation was of particular importance to be defended, loopholes were sometimes used instead of the usual large openings. This improved how well it would withstand a direct assault, but came at the price of minimal vision and subsequent control (see PICTURE 13).

PICTURE 12

PICTURE 13