split limb/solid

[sundancer]

I have been looking at some bows, this will be my 1st bow and I do plan to go to the store. I'm trying to narrow it down to a few choices. Some bows have a solid limb and others a split limb, are there any advantages of one over the other?
Thanks

[winchester70]

if u want a great deal on a bow get a diamond archery triumph its around $500 for the bow and with all the acesories i picked out with it came out to $800 but it is the best bow i have ever shot it's so smooth and a solid back wall and it's parell limbs take all the vibratioin away its a great deal

[Yooper]

From what I've gathered, the biggest reason for split limbs was weight reduction. Other advantages were vibration reduction, and tuning.

Really there is no big advantage. You'll see archery companies come out with split limbs one year and go back to solid limbs the next.

If you're looking for a really good bow at a great price, look no further than Reflex bows. Great shooters, great prices and they stay in tune.

[Black Mamba]

Split limb has the advantage of being wider for Hoyt and reflex bows, creating a more stable platform. They also eliminate the the groove and limb bolt hole where most limbs crack at these areas. The split limb eliminates those problem areas.

Article from Hoyt
Are Split Limb Bows Better? (Compound)

Are Split Limb Bows Better?
By Randy Ulmer

Over the past few years, nearly every major bow manufacturer has put a split limb bow on the market. Some of the larger manufacturers like High country, Alpine and Hoyt USA have gone to split limb bows almost exclusively.

I'm always on the lookout for something new and better to shoot, so I've been doing some research (and quite a bit of shooting) with these bows. I've been pleasantly surprised by what I've found. In my hands these bows seem to be quieter, more durable and a little lighter than similar bows with a solid limb.

I've also been fielding more questions about split limb bows lately. I've wanted to share some of my thoughts with you, but rather than having you listen to me speculate about the structural and functional advantages and disadvantages of this limb design, I decided to go to one of the premier authorities on Quad limb design and theory, Jason Fogg, for his thoughts. Jason is on the cutting edge of limb design and performance. He is probably more qualified to answer these questions than anyone in the industry.

Following is a synopsis of our conversation:

Ulmer: Jason, Why split limbs?

Fogg: Historically, the weakest part of the compound bow is its limbs. When dry fired, solid limbs typically begin to fail at 25 cycles (25 dry fires). These failures are nearly always in the V-groove at the working end of the limb. Some cracks appeared at the butt end of the limb as well, but no matter which end of the limb these cracks appeared in first, they were nearly always in the center-line of the limb.

Logic told us that if we eliminated the center of the limb we could eliminate the problem. We found this theory to hold true in practice. We cut the center out of limbs that failed after 25 dry fires. We then tested them in the quad limb configuration. We were able to consistently dry fire these limbs 1000 times before failure.

Remember, we are testing these bows with a machine under controlled conditions. We do not recommend dry firing any bow!

We also found that by cutting out the middle of the limb we were able to eliminate some other structural problems inherent in a solid limb.

Ulmer: What problems?

Fogg: Because of the inherent weaknesses in solid limbs we just discussed, manufacturers must beef up both ends of the limb. You'll notice the ends of a solid limb are significantly thicker than the belly (middle) of the limb. This geometry creates two undesirable conditions. First, the bow must move more weight at the end of the limb. This translates into slower arrow speeds. Second, the portion of the limb that actually flexes (the working portion of the limb) is small and therefore under tremendous stress.

By using two limbs (two on top and two on bottom) it is possible to design a limb that is more uniform in thickness from butt to tip, allowing more of the limb to bend and creating a more uniform stress distribution. In other words, the working length of the limb (the part that bends) can be much longer on a split limb bow. A longer working length reduces the stress points on the limb, making the limb work more efficiently. It also significantly reduces the stress placed on the area of the limb that actually bends.

Ulmer: Any other advantages to split limb bows
Fogg: Yes, split limb bows tend to be lighter because you've eliminated almost a third of the mass weight of the limb.

Also, in our testing, these quad limb bows are quieter than their solid limb counterparts. They routinely have a lower decibel reading than the same bow with a solid limb. We're not sure why, though we have a couple of pretty good theories: Less weight at the limb tips means less vibration, which translates into less noise. Also, there seems to be less surface area for sound to be generated from on a split limb bow--less echo effect--more baffling effect.

Ulmer: So let me get this straight: faster, quieter, lighter, less vibration and more durable, sounds too good to be true. There has got to be a downside, or there wouldn't be any solid limb bows left on the market, what are the disadvantages of this design?<

Fogg: Up until very recently, the weak link in the split limb design was the limb pocket and limb geometry. The industry was having a tough time finding a way to provide the structural stability needed on high performance bows, especially one cam bows. We've identified three characteristics that eliminate any instability inherent in the old style split limb assemblies.

1. Use a limb that is wide and flat on cross section. A wide flat limb is much more stable and is less likely to roll than a limb that is square on cross section.
2. Separate the two limbs (place the limbs far enough apart to leave a ¾" gap between them). We have found that this separation dramatically increases the functional stability of the limb by increasing the overall functional width without increasing the weight.
3. Use a limb pocket that locks the base of the limbs into a completely immovable position.

[kajunhunter]

I shoot a fred bear buckmaster bow, It is a split limb. All my friends use a solid limb. I can't tell any difference in the performance between them except that my bow is lighter than their's. I don't know what the difference is other than vibration control.

[sundancer]

Thankyou everyone for the time you took, this will help me choose.
S.