USFA RULES FOR EPEE

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(a) Weight m.14 The total weight of the épée ready for use is less than 770 g.

(b) Length m.15 The total maximum length of the épée is 110 cm.

(c) The blade m.16 The blade, which is triangular in section without cutting edges, is made of steel and must comply with the safety standards described in Appendix A to the Rules. It should be as straight as possible and mounted with the groove uppermost. Any curve of the blade must be uniform and the maxi-mum bend must in any case be less than 1 cm; it is only permitted in the vertical plane and must be near the center of the blade. The maximum length of the blade is 90 cm. The maximum width of any of the three sides of the blade is 24 mm. The blade should have a flexibility equivalent to a bend of 4.5 cm mini-mum and 7 cm maximum measured in the following way. 1. The blade is fixed horizontally at a point 70 cm from the extremity of the button.2. A 200 g weight is suspended 3 cm from the extremity of the button.3. The bend of the blade is measured at the extremity of the button between the non-weighted and weighted positions (see Figure 9, p. 89).

(d) The guard (cf. m.5)m.17 The guard, which must have a circular edge, must be able to pass through a cylindrical gauge having a diameter of 13.5 cm and a length of 15 cm, the blade being parallel to the axis of the cylinder. The depth of the guard (the distance between lines B and C) must be  between 3 cm and 5.5 cm (cf. m.3).The total length between lines A and C must never be greater than 95.5 cm  (cf. m.3). Eccentric mounting is allowed provided the distance between the center of the guard and the point where the blade passes the guard does not exceed  3.5 cm.

(e) Electric wires m.18 The épée has two electric wires, glued in a groove in the blade, which connect the button (as stated below) to two of the three sockets situated   inside the guard and which form the active circuit of the épée. The body of  the épée is connected to the third socket.

(f) Point and buttonm.19  The electric button is completed by a point which must conform to the  following specifications.

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Last modified: February 01, 2002