By placing the fulcrum much closer to the counterweight end, a higher linear velocity can be achieved by the projectile. A simulator describing the physics of the trebuchet, a catapult motherboard project pdf powered by a. Trebuchets were engineered due to an enhanced understanding of gravity and potential energy, and accelerationeach of. Trebuchet range simulation and optimization file exchange. It considers several models of varying complexity and finds a maximum range efficiency of 83% for a 100 pound counterweight, 1 pound projectile, a 5 foot long beam pivoted 1 foot from the point of attachment of the counterweight, and a 3. Laser cut desktop trebuchet by dustinandrews thingiverse. To aid designers and enthusiasts and anyone who wants to win a trebuchet competition, i created a trebuchet simulator, programmed in microsoft excel which simulates the motion of a trebuchet, and is very useful for trebuchet design. The above explained physics behind the trebuchet was written into a basic program capable of asking for all variables and simulating the behaviour of the trebuchet. A lever is a simple machine that gives a mechanical advantage when given a fulcrum, or pivot point. Figure 2, below, shows a diagram of a trebuchet with the main parts labeled. Pdf the trebuchet is a hardware architecture for machines implemented from.
Accurately predicting the motion of a trebuchet requires a lot of complicated mathematics. Introductory conservation of mechanical energy problem using. The physics of the trebuchet t he motion of the trebuchet is simple enough in its essentials to have inspired medieval studies of motion, but its details ar e subtle and require computer simulations to interpr et accurately. Students work as teams of engineers to design and build their own trebuchets. This projects aim was to model the mechanics of one such engine by use of an euler method as opposed to the more common lagrangian form. Trebuchet physics concepts the trebuchet has a lot of physics concepts that are used to make the machine work. For my physics class i have to build a trebuchet that can project a 1kg water balloon 3050yards. A sling is simply a piece of cloth or looped strap in which a stone is whirled and then let fly. Rest assured, your device will be used for peaceful purposes only.
A simple project which attempts to emulate real life in the launching of a trebuchet. Licensed under creative commons attributionshare alike 3. They consisted of a single arm that could hurl stones, pots of boiling oil and. Much of this isnt obvious if youre new to trebuchets and i overlooked many of the key energy. The wikipedia page on trebuchets links to a pdf paper which discusses exactly this question. May 02, 20 trebuchet design physics tutorial with tuning guidelines duration. A very simple model we have used in my intro to eng class just uses the mass of the projectile m2, the mass of the counter weight m1, and the height the counter weight falls h. Learn how to design the perfect trebuchet by watching the animated video below or continuing to read the article. The trebuchet is a classic example of ancient engineering design.
Designing a trebuchet optimizing weight and length the. Do you need to launch little wooden projectiles into the next cubicle. The trebuchet is one of the most famous siege engines of all time, and designing and optimizing the powerful machine involves some tedious work. The payload could be thrown a far distance and do considerable damage, either by smashing down walls or. Trebuchet physics how a trebuchet works a trebuchet is a battle machine used in the middle ages to throw heavy payloads at enemies. Is your desk is missing that certain something to show of your geek cred. In the trebuchet gizmo, you can design your own trebuchet to. The word trebuchet derives from a middle french word meaning overturn, and its structure comes from an ancient variation of the sling. The trebuchet relies on the principle that stored potential energy of the counterweight can be converted into kinetic energy of the payload. A simulator describing the physics of the trebuchet, a catapult powered by a falling counterweight. Pdf the trebuchet is a hardware architecture for machines implemented from conventional software source programs. Simple as it seems, the trebuchet is a complicated dynamical system. The payload could be thrown a far distance and do considerable damage, either by smashing down walls or striking the enemy while inside their stronghold. The physics of siege weapons stem club resource pack.
This year, instead of being a mere catapult observer, why not build your own. A trebuchet, also sometimes called a trebucket is a medieval siege engine, a weapon employed either to batter masonry or to throw projectiles over walls. Learn how to use the conservation of mechanical energy equation by solving a trebuchet problem. Trebuchet physics modeling lab instructions engineering system. We had to find a way to bend the rules in our favor, and the trebuchet was close, but not quite there. If playback doesnt begin shortly, try restarting your device. Homework statement the goal is to calculate the static forces in the throwing arm of the trebuchet when its pinned as shown in the image. Each cad and any associated text, image or data is in no way sponsored by or affiliated with any company, organization or realworld item, product, or good it may purport to portray. The first is the traction trebuchet, or mangonel, which uses manpower to swing the arm. Design oriented trebuchet model with simmechanics file. Download the big book of catapult and trebuchet plans.
This is a brief tutorial on trebuchet physics and useful tricks to make your trebuchet throw farther. The computeraided design cad files and all associated content posted to this website are created, uploaded, managed and owned by third party users. Next, press the submit button located under the inputs. Accept and commit to completing specific responsibilities. Requires a python compiler, and the python modules for math, trebuchet physics browse files at. Range max 2 m1m2 h now the efficiency of the trebuchet will cause this model to be off by quite a bit. Output of this model is projectile range as a function of these inputs along with a mechanics explorer simulation.
A trebuchet is a device that converts potential energy to kinetic energy. All the files that come with this trebuchet simulator are contained in a single compressed file, in the zip format. Physics 40s files physics 30s announcements physics 40s announcements. This is the machine that the rules were written for. It is sometimes referred to as a counterweight trebuchet in order to differentiate from an earlier weapon that has come to be called the traction trebuchet with the original version being. Calculate projectile velocity shooting from a trebuchet. I can solve impact equations separately for a 3 pendulum system which has a similar analogy to the trebuchet, so that the pendulum hits a wall at x0. Throughout this tutorial students learn basics of adamsview and get acquainted with some aspects of trebuchet design.
When we assembled it with only 120lbs all the three of us could lift and attach at that height, it. Not only is it a compound machine a device that uses a number of simple machines it relies on one primary simple machine, the lever, to launch a projectile. Only recently have we come to understand how the rotation of the counterweight plays a crucial role in transferring. From the long arm, a sling holds the payload, usually a rock. I found some good web pages with highly detailed answers to predicting the range of a trebuchet. Physics of the trebuchet physics of the trebuchet the.
Final year project the mechanics of the trebuchet matt taggart 1. Abstract the trebuchet was an immense counterpoise siege engine that became the artillery weapon of choice throughout the middle ages. This advanced trebuchet model can be used for simulating the trebuchet mechanics using simmechanics tools. This weapon is built on the idea of converting potential energy into kinetic energy to hurl a projectile over a large distance. What is the physics behind a counterweight trebuchet. History of the trebuchet the trebuchet was first invented in china around 500 to 300 b.
Gizmo warmup a counterweight trebuchet acts like a giant see saw. Hanging from the short arm of the beam is a heavy counterweight. Trebuchet quarter project this project is designed to challenge both your mechanical and creative abilities as you build working model of the ancient siege weapon known as the trebuchet. Other parameters are held fixed but can be adjusted by the user.
This kit has almost everything you need to build a working desktop trebuchet. They also rely on their knowledge of algebra and physics to explain their results. The inputs to this model are finger angle, pivot position, and sling length. Do you want something sciency to do with your kids. This is the link for the 2017 trebuchet post project questions. Student exploration trebuchet answer key documents. Trebuchet simulator capturing all the essential physics of a trebuchet, and useful as a design aid. I have to use range equations, conservation of energy, torque and rotation to show how changing the weight or angle changes the distance projected. Virtual trebuchet is a free web based trebuchet simulator.
Each team member can build 1 or more of the subassemblies 2 frames, 1 lever arm assembly from which the trebuchet is constructed. In addition to building prototypes of a trebuchet, you can also use physics calculations or even a computer simulation to help you design it to have the best range. Modeling a trebuchet online technical discussion groups. It is probably possible to open the dxf files in other cad programs. Trebuchet design physics tutorial with tuning guidelines duration. A heavy weight of mass m falls under gravity, and thereby lifts a lighter weight of. Im wondering if there is any way i can calculate the velocity of the projectile when it is released. The trebuchet is a large siege weapon that you might recognize from movies set in the middle ages or fantasy worlds. There are three types of levers, a first class lever is like.
Siano, in his analysis of trebuchet physics trebuchet mechanics, march 28, 2001, the optimal release position and design, based on his definition of range efficiency is such that. Fire roll, hand drill, bow drill, and bamboo fire saw duration. How to calculate projectile distance of a trebuchet. You can now do all that with your very own desktop siege engine. It starts with elementary blackbox and seesaw models, and builds gradually to the full model that includes a sliding, constrained sling. Virtualtrebuchet is a web based trebuchet simulator that will allow you to quickly evaluate different trebuchets. This machine lets you get your counterweight higher than a traditional trebuchet but keeps the pivot point. The initial release position is such that the beam on the counterweight side makes an angle of 45 with the vertical. The trebuchet was then modified so that the projectile was fired every time and could easily be analysed.
To begin, enter the specifications of your trebuchet in the input boxes on the left. Requires a python compiler, and the python modules for math, gtk, pygame, random, and numpy. The first of these, a black box model in which the mechanism for the. Oct 23, 2016 hello, im designing a hanging counterweight trebuchet for my physics project. If you want to do hand calculations to design a trebuchet with the best range, you will need to understand the physics involved. Range max 2 m1m2 h now the efficiency of the trebuchet will cause this model to be off by. Welcome to the original version of virtualtrebuchet. This becomes simple lever physics, but you also dont want to have the fulcrum too close to the counterweight, or your mechanical. Homework statement the trebuchet is a siege engine that was employed in the middle ages to smash castle walls or to lob projectiles over them. From basic physics we know that the range of a projectile with initial velocity v and angle. For less than fifteen dollars, you can build a one by onehalf meter trebuchet that will throw a croquet. Physics of the trebuchet the trebuchet is actually two things a lever and a sling. An excel file of an order based on the groups trebuchet design.
The physics of the release mechanism is also described in some detail, and the. A trebuchet is a device that converts potential energy to kinetic energy from basic physics we know that the range of a projectile with initial velocity v and angle. Trebuchet and quadratics data collection sheet pdf. Jan 16, 2017 the physics behind a trebuchet are more complicated than the mechanism would suggest. Watch the video from nova, link in the word document, with for some hints on what things can help your trebuchet perform better. What im really looking for is a formula for a trebuchet that i can input the desired initial velocity after launch and mass of the object, and from that figure out how long the long arm, short arm. The fabric pouch was replaced with a plastic spoon superglued to the top of the trebuchet arm. The trebuchet, a medieval catapult driven by a falling, hinged. Use the default settings for point in the main toolbox container.
A pvc pipe trebuchet, a tabletop trebuchet, the world famous floating arm trebuchet, the historical warwolf trebuchet, a rattrap catapult. Input the parameters for the treb, and watch the animation. Effect of trebuchet arm length or counterweight mass on. The program calculated a at every point in time and then calculated the angular velocity of the trebuchet arm by adding the acceleration to the speed. This book is a compilation of stepbystep instructions for how to build nine different types of catapults and trebuchets, including plans for. But when it comes to the trebuchet, i cannot seem to set up the equations properly. Physics stack exchange is a question and answer site for active researchers, academics and students of physics. A trebuchet is a siege engine that was invented in the middle ages either to smash masonry walls or to throw projectiles over them.
In this project you will be building and test different siege weapons, discovering the mechanisms that make them work and how to improve them, before building your own, ultimate siege weapon. The biggest and most powerful trebuchet ever made, warwolf, stood over 4 stories tall, weighed 30 tons, had a throwing arm 50 ft. A simple wooden trebuchet my friends and i built a couple years back. A trebuchet is a mechanism used to throw missiles in ancient medieval warfare. Physics the ultimate castle wall buster the trebuchet introduction as royal engineer to the king your task is to design, build and test the construction of a trebuchet. And launching things far through the air with catapults and trebuchets. Due to the complexity and size of the files in some cases, not all information. Having a software program, like this simulator, will save you a lot of work. In addition the background physics behind this type of trebuchet involved differentials and appeared to be too complicated for this level. Trebstar simulator application trebstar is a free app that allows you to compute the range and range efficiency for your design. The main types of catapult are the trebuchet and the mangonel. It is often used to move heavy loads with less effort.