A recurve bow has tips that curve away from the archer when the bow is strung. By definition, the difference between recurve and other bows is that the string touches a section of the limb when the bow is strung. A recurve bow stores more energy and delivers energy more efficiently than an equivalent straight-limbed bow, giving a greater amount of energy and speed to the arrow. A recurve will permit a shorter bow than the simple straight limb bow for a given arrow energy and this form was often preferred by archers in environments where long weapons could be cumbersome, such as in brush and forest terrain, or while on horseback.
Recurved limbs also put greater strain on the materials used to make the bow, and they may make more noise with the shot. Extreme recurves make the bow unstable when being strung. An unstrung recurve bow can have a confusing shape and many Native American weapons, when separated from their original owners and cultures, were incorrectly strung backwards and destroyed when attempts were made to shoot them.[1]
From Wikipedia.
Weylin, the science behind the recurve-
When you string a normal bow, the string is attached at the ends of the limb, and does NOT contact the limb in ANY way along its length. Therefore the length of the bow remains constant during the draw, resulting in the weight increasing in a exponential curve.
When you string a recurve, the string contacts the limb. It shortens the bow due to that contact- Diagrams are far easier than words.
I will draw them while I eat...
Anyway, A recurved bow lengthens while it is drawn. This results in higher-early-draw weight, and lower full-draw weight. If you straighten out a recurved bow, it will be weaker- the limbs which were reflexed are now straight, resulting in them being more flexible.
A recurve bow-limb is stiffer than a normal bow limb of the same weight and length, because it has reflex near the tip, and the tips do not bend, resulting in what would be a longer bow. A molly bow is similar to a recurve, but because it does not have the early draw weight, it stores less energy. More or less, a recurved bow lengthens when drawn to compensate for string angle rising, resulting in little to no stack, storing more energy than a non-recurve bow.
To be continued.
