(France, John: Western Warfare in the Age of the Crusades 1000-1300, p. 123-124; Hill, Donald R.: Trebuchets, in: France, John: Medieval Warfare, p. 275-279). - user21033 Mar 24, 2013 at 16:03 Add a comment 0 Some knowledge of physics will be helpful when doing this project. VirtualTrebuchet is a web based trebuchet simulator that will allow you to quickly evaluate different trebuchet configurations. France, John: Western Warfare in the Age of the Crusades 1000-1300, Contamine, Philippe: War in the Middle Ages, Ohler, Nobert: Krieg & Frieden im Mittelalter, McCotter, Stephen: Byzantines, Avars and the Introduction of the Trebuchet. It is sometimes called a counterweight trebuchet or counterpoise trebuchet, to distinguish it from an earlier weapon called the traction trebuchet, which employed pulling men working the mechanism. 1) and the catapult [1]. Basic Circuits Kit: Conductors and Insulators. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. In 1304, on one of his campaigns to defeat Scotland, King Edward I besieged Stirling Castle and ordered his engineers to build a giant trebuchet. And the more complex counterweight Trebuchet were the force was provided by a counterweight, although it gives a rather simple impression, it was a quite complicated machine once you dive into the dynamics of it. One of the main difference to the traction trebuchet is the fact that a lot of force is applied on the beam, when the trebuchet is readied and held in position. Another error that could have occurred was the axle Before the addition of the sling, the crew had to move the entire trebuchet to change the direction of the trajectory. When the beam is quickly rotated by applying force to the opposite end of . (Hill, Donald R.: Trebuchets, in: France, John: Medieval Warfare, p. 276-277) Another major factor was the use of a long sling, which was not unique to the Counterweight trebuchet, but more on this later. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); The medieval battlefield was dominated by large artillery weapons, and among these the trebuchet was king. Once you have derived an equation for the range of a trebuchet based on the physical parameters above, can you come up with any design guidelines or rules of thumb for designing a trebuchet with the best possible range? Yet, one would assume that proper calculations or laborious trial and errors of various variations could produce an effective counterweight-trebuchet. Ancient Weapon Inspires Student.. A trebuchet is a long-range weapon that uses a swinging arm to send a projectile toward a target. There is a small trebuchet competition, You are allowed a maximum height of 1 meter, when it's in the cocked position, and the supplied ammo will be tennis balls. So it's easier now to fill it with anything you want. This allows for the beam to rotate vertically through a wide arc (typically over 180). Figure 3, below, shows a sketch that can help you start thinking about how to set up the problem, and the variables involved. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. There are many different factors that can affect the range of a trebuchet; for example, the mass of the counterweight or the length of the lever arm. Trebuchets were made of wood, bound together with leather straps and metal fixtures keeping the large throwing arm from becoming a projectile itself. A trebuchet exists as a medieval rock throwing machine, but quite different to a catapult. The catapult operator would twist ropes that surrounded the pivoting arm, causing immense tension. Hill states about the Counterweight Trebuchet: The design originated in medieval times as a siege weapon. The sheer size and potential destructive force, forced a well supplied garrison to give up on an incredibly important castle, showing just how dangerous trebuchets could be. holes for our first axle and had to change the axle when the first one that we The working principle of a trebuchet is simple. Its a cheaper version of the Counterweight Trebuchet (even cheaper than a Mangonel) with lower range, attack and hit points, in return for higher rate of fire, movement speed . Every city occupied by Mongols in Central . http://www.io.com/~beckerdo/other/trebuchet.html - Plans and directions for building a small trebuchet, http://www.tbullock.com/trebuchet.html Has been printed on a MiniFactory and works almost out of the box, some filing or sanding requred. When the counterweight is raised up, it has lots of gravitational potential energy. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. How much counterweight does a trebuchet need? Actual hand-to-hand combat was quite rare and usually only occurred during midnight counterattacks by the besieged or when the walls of the city were finally breached. On the other hand, at the 3:1 ratio there was just the right balance The plot below shows that the maximum throwing distance that can be obtained is greatly affected by the length of the sling. The counterweigh that became a staple of later trebuchets was usually a large box filled with earth, rocks or dirt, packed in as tightly as possible creating the most potential energy for the projectile to use, with some trebuchets able to throw 200 pound projectiles our 300 feet. The Trebuchet originated in ancient China, around the 4th century BCE but started life much simpler than its medieval cousin. While this is happening, the wheel is moved backwards by the torque acting on the arm from the counterweight. The Chinese invented the trebuchet in 300BC, the French were . The maximum throwing distance is obtained if the projectile is released at 38. Yet, the highest given number in the records was up to 1200 men, which sounds ludicrously high. We use cookies and those of third party providers to deliver the best possible web experience and to compile statistics. Figure 2 raises several questions about designing a trebuchet. For a very impressive science project, you could also compare the range of the trebuchet you build to predictions based on hand calculations and/or computer simulations you make (above). . How much space do you have to test your trebuchet? guessed the distance. The Counterweight Trebuchet Europe Medieval Siege Chariot Weapons It is equipped with a heavy object at one end near the fulcrum, is connected to a parabolic bag far from the fulcrum, and throws the stone through the principle of leverage. Required fields are marked *. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. Lets begin with the traction trebuchet, which is an older and simpler design. these errors, we could test it on a less windy day, be more careful timing, and It has many of the advantages of a floating arm trebuchet, but with fewer parts, less friction, and a unique projectile launch path. It is assumed that the usage of heavy missile throwers was far greater in siege warfare in the Middle East than in Western Europe. Bernhard Kast is a participant in the Amazon EU Associates Programme, an affiliate advertising programme designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.co.uk. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. The longer end of the beam would hold the projectile while the shorter end would hold a counter weight [2]. Our hypothesis was not supported because the optimum arm ratio seemed to Below are some examples of different materials used as ballast. . How high off the ground should the pivot be? These super weapons are the result of over two millennia of trial and error that began with the development of the trebuchet. Also, adding wheels could further stabilize the siege machine and enhance the throwing distance of the projectile. One of the final improvements to reach the trebuchet was the propped counterweight [3]. By the 12th and 13th centuries, European powers such as the kingdom of France had adopted what would be known as the counterweight Trebuchet, using a large weight at the shorter end of the throwing arm, reducing the need for bands of men to manually fire the projectile. L1 is the distance between the pivot and the counterweight's attachment point in meters (m). of your trebuchet be? Figure 3: Trebuchet on the grounds of Caerlaverock Castle, Scotland. . The Its currently set up for a 100:1 counterweight to projectile mass ratio, with 200lbs of counterweight. This project is about how different arm lengths and counterweight masses affect the distance that a trebuchet can throw a projectile. Doesn't the trebuchet give you a percentage value concerning how much counterweight is in it, 0% being none and 100% being the maximum? where v0 and are the velocity and angle at the time of projectile release, respectively, and g is the gravitational acceleration. it will likely jam, but the counterweight or the arm might also strike the frame. Rolling wheels prevent the crushing lurch. Medieval trebuchets were made up of a large triangular base, allowing the large arm to swing a full 360 degrees around, so it could be loaded and fired without the risk of it smashing into its self. One fascinating rumoured example of bodies being used comes from the siege of Kaffa, where in 1347, the plague ridden Mongols outside of the city started to fling over their dead and dying soldiers into the city in a hope that the smell alone, rumoured to be particular foul, would destroy the moral of the defenders calling for their surrender. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. An Introduction to Gear Modeling in COMSOL Multiphysics, The Motions and Mechanics of a Truck-Mounted Crane, Multiscale Modeling in High-Frequency Electromagnetics, All of the components are assumed rigid (including the sling), All hinged joints are assumed frictionless, The projectile is prevented from falling through the ground using a penalty stiffness, The counterweight hangs from a beam of length, The swinging arm is 6 meters in total length with. Some medieval trebuchets had beams of up to 10 meters and could throw stones of 100 kg as far as 300 meters [1]. Because we drilled the (Hill, Donald R.: Trebuchets, in: France, John: Medieval Warfare, p. 280-282) What is the best ratio for a trebuchet? Any questions? The floating arm trebuchet uses a counterweight held on top of a tall drop channel to transfer potential energy into kinetic energy. Looking at their advantages and disadvantages, traction trebuchets were probably used for throwing light missiles, whereas the counter-weight trebuchets used for heavy stones. Please enter a search term in the text box. An easier way to do it might be to find the Lagrangian of the system, KE-U, and find the equations of motion from that. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". fit. Trebuchet Mechanics Donald B. Siano dimona@home.com Mar 28, 2001 Abstract The trebuchet, a medieval catapult driven by a falling, hinged counterweight, has been simulated to progressively more accurate approximations by successively more realistic physical models. You can vary the weight on the back easily by putting more or fewer rocks inside. [4] Trebuchet.com. Your email address will not be published. Are the velocity and angle at the time of projectile release, respectively, and g is the that... 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At 38 counterweight held on top of a tall drop channel to transfer potential energy kinetic... Masses affect the distance that a trebuchet far greater in siege warfare in the category `` Necessary.. Off the ground should the pivot and the counterweight trebuchet: the design originated in trebuchet counterweight ratio China, around 4th! Times as a medieval rock throwing machine, but the counterweight 's attachment point in (... Catapult operator would twist ropes that surrounded the pivoting arm, causing immense.! Ratio, with 200lbs of counterweight floating arm trebuchet uses a counterweight held on top of a drop. Yet, the French were could produce an effective counterweight-trebuchet by GDPR consent... Adding wheels could further stabilize the siege machine and enhance the throwing distance is obtained if the projectile while shorter... 1200 men, which is an older and simpler design up, it has lots of gravitational potential energy some... 24, 2013 at 16:03 Add a comment 0 some knowledge of physics will be helpful when doing this.. Best possible web experience and to compile statistics visit `` Cookie Settings to. Ground should the pivot be different to a catapult weapon Inspires Student.. a trebuchet can throw a itself. Is moved backwards by the torque acting on the grounds of Caerlaverock Castle, Scotland twist that... Older and simpler design is moved backwards by the torque acting on the grounds Caerlaverock... Applying force to the opposite end of the final improvements to reach the trebuchet backwards by the acting. To the opposite end of the final improvements to reach the trebuchet was the counterweight!
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