Our Experts won't do the work for you, but they will make suggestions, offer guidance, and help you troubleshoot. If you get stuck, you may need to consult a physics textbook, ask your physics teacher for help, or do your own internet search for "trebuchet physics." But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. In the Middle Ages, soldiers had to make sure their trebuchets had a long enough range to stay outside the range of defending archers on castle walls. 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 3.25 foot long . Once the arm was in place, the projectile would be loaded into a cup at the end of the arm. The horizontal distance the payload would travel is called the trebuchet's range. From a 14th century siege (Tlemecen) marble missiles were recovered, the largest had a weight of 230 kilograms (510 lbs). However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. Bernhard Kast is a participant in the Amazon.com.ca, Inc. Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.ca.
For example, when I first shot my trebuchet I was using a 2.26kg payload and a 22.6kg counterweight. Pictures. While wood is easier to gather, it does consume more wood than reinforcements. Do you have time to do a fancy design, or do you need to build one quickly? This book also contains some useful designs and building tips: Autodesk Inventor software is available as a free download for students from: If you like this project, you might enjoy exploring these related careers: You can find this page online at: https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science-fair-projects/project-ideas/ApMech_p013/mechanical-engineering/effect-of-trebuchet-arm-length-or-counterweight-mass-on-projectile-distance. Copyright 2002-2023 Science Buddies. (Hill, Donald R.: Trebuchets, in: France, John: Medieval Warfare, p. 274 & 280). What about moments of inertia, which are not labeled in Figure 3? This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Trebuchets also worked better against a fortified position because of the types of ammunition they employed: metal or stone balls, heads, corpses, dead animals, excrement, trash, and even Greek fire a powerful burning-liquid weapon that could not be put out with water [2]. Do you need to build a miniature trebuchet that fits on a tabletop? A trebuchet exists as a medieval rock throwing machine, but quite different to a catapult. Licensed under CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Enjoy! 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. it will likely jam, but the counterweight or the arm might also strike the frame. In the results below, the throwing distance is plotted as a function of the release angle . From what we know it seems that counter-weight trebuchets were used with heavier missiles. [Check out this Video of a small modern rebuild of a real life traction trebuchet], [Check out this video of a rebuild of traction trebuchet in the game Besiege]. Thus, although it was a rather simple machine, the handling required quite some training and coordination. Internet: http://www.trebuchet.com, [Oct. 11, 2006]. The trebuchet had a problem of sagging to one side, so I made some guy wires to hold everything relatively straight. Figure 1, below, shows a modern reconstruction of a trebuchet. Figure 3: Trebuchet on the grounds of Caerlaverock Castle, Scotland. This is exactly as I predicted. While this is happening, the wheel is moved backwards by the torque acting on the arm from the counterweight. Finally, watch your trebuchet go. This model includes: Counterweight Trebuchet Cranker (Crew) Rope Puller (Crew) A supported versionAn Unsupported VersionLychee file (editable supports) The models in these photographs were printed with 60% Epax Hard resin mixed with 40% Sira. Whereas the traction trebuchet had the force only applied for a short amount of time. A trebuchet (French trbuchet) is a siege engine used in the Middle Ages. The fixed counterweight eventually gave way to a hinged counterweight (Fig. A trebuchet is a long-range weapon that uses a swinging arm to send a projectile toward a target. All rights reserved. Is there anything heavier than a 100 stack of stone (13.00 "weight") that can be used as a counter? How much counterweight does a trebuchet need? These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. Why is it a complicated design? Elementary mechanics tells us that if we neglect air resistance and the height from the ground at which the projectile is released, the throwing distance s of the projectile (measured in the positive x direction) can be expressed as. One of the most important components of the trebuchet is the sling, which greatly increases the range of the weapon by simply extending the length of the throwing arm [5]. While designers of the Middle Ages had to rely largely on intuition or trial and error to build their trebuchets, modern builders have many helpful tools available. Using a parametric sweep, you could easily examine the effect of changing other physical lengths in the model (while keeping the counterweight at fixed height for consistency). Now you will build the trebuchet's arm. (France, John: Western Warfare in the Age of the Crusades 1000-1300, p. 124), Note that trebuchets were not only used in the offense, quite on the contrary, there were also used effectively by defenders. and a hose clamp to hold the counterweight on. The trebuchet is the hallmark of medieval siege warfare and is synonymous. For an indoor trebuchet, you can use 1 x 6-inch (2.5 x 15 cm) planking. Trebuchets have appeared in several films and TV shows, such as The Return of the King (2003); Marco Polo (20142016); and even in Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), where a cow was catapulted from inside the castle walls toward an unsuspecting King Arthur! [Weapons 101] Trebuchet - How they work - Traction & Counterweight Trebuchets Medieval Equipment Military History Visualized 190K views 6 years ago How to Operate a Mini Trebuchet Joe Staggs. But the usual weight was probably more around 45 to 90 kg (100 to 200 lbs). You can fix this by pressing 'F12' on your keyboard, Selecting 'Document Mode' and choosing 'standards' (or the latest version The trebuchet made improvements upon both of these weapons, able to launch stones that weighed hundreds of kilograms farther and more accurately than either the ballista or the catapult. The velocity, distance, and trajectory are not only dependant on the ratio of projectile weight to counterweight but also the sling length, cog length and angles, and beam length and angles and counterweight motion. In order to maximize their chance of winning, both the attackers and defenders employed trebuchets to help their cause. (France, John: Western Warfare in the Age of the Crusades 1000-1300, p. 123). pushing it forward, or pushing it backwards. The ratio between the counterweight and the payload is important, and this may dictate the size of your trebuchet. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. SOURCE: Skylitzes chronicle, Madrid, National library via medeivalists.net. The longer the ratio, the greater the speed that tip of the throwing arm will reach but also increasing the force required to move it quickly. This massive weapon was eventually capable of throwing massive boulders over 250 meters, but it did not start that way. Hill states about the Counterweight Trebuchet: Another error that could have occurred was the axle
These references will be useful for learning about the physics of trebuchets. The arm then jerks forward and releases the projectile from the sling. Many teachers also use trebuchets to teach the fundamentals of physics to their students, and hobbyists build huge devices to enter in competitions that require the trebuchets to launch a wide variety of objects including pumpkins, pianos, cars, coffins, and even the builders themselves [8]! In terms of operating, it depends to a certain degree on the perspective, which one was, Hill notes the following: For a small trebuchet, you may want to make them 1 foot (30 cm) long; for a larger trebuchet, they can be longer. The floating arm trebuchet uses a counterweight held on top of a tall drop channel to transfer potential energy into kinetic energy. A trebuchet is a type of catapult that uses a swinging arm to throw a projectile. Due to its low accuracy when targeting units it is ineffective against them. Furthermore, Hill assumes that light trebuchets were used to throw missiles into the city, whereas the heavy trebuchets were used for attacking the walls. To fix
The counterweight is usually very heavy and provides the mechanical force to fire. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. Pick something with a high ratio of strength to weight. Below are some examples of different materials used as ballast. Kaffa was a port city, so the disease soon spread across the Mediterranean and into European ports [3]. Before you start building a trebuchet, ask yourself the following questions to help you pick a design: What factors can increase the range of a real trebuchet, based on the one you build and test? The plot reveals that deviations of the order of 5 from this optimum only affect the throwing distance by a few meters. Has been printed on a MiniFactory and works almost out of the box, some filing or sanding requred. This happens when one end of the sling slips off the tip of the swinging arm. A trebuchet a simple machine from the middle ages when attacking the opposing side. Here is an oversimplified diagram of an armed trebuchet. The traction trebuchet was a rather simple construction, the frame was static and connected to the dynamic beam with an axle. (Hill, Donald R.: Trebuchets, in: France, John: Medieval Warfare, p. 274; France, John: Western Warfare in the Age of the Crusades 1000-1300, p. 119) I added a cover for the opening to keep kids from adding or removing things. A trebuchet can fling big, heavy things if the counterweight is heavy enough; if you want to fling a pumpkin 150 feet, you will need more than a 90lb . Of course, the hanging CW trebuchet sacrifices counterweight fall distance for this efficiency. Now, the number of ropes in the illustration is not correct, they were usually around 40 to 125 ropes and pulled by 40 to 250. Overall, both types of trebuchets were used together during sieges. Accuracy increased with the elimination of the major human element, but the machine still suffered from heavy jerking, keeping it from being perfect. (France, John: Western Warfare in the Age of the Crusades 1000-1300, p. 119) 2 stacks of fire arrows are the same. The horizontal distance the payload would travel is called the trebuchet's range. When assembled it has an internal capacity of 2600ccs. The Counterweight Trebuchet was more complex, instead of men pulling down the beam, another axle with a counterweight was fixed on the end of the beam. The working principle of a trebuchet is simple. and don't have more than a 1:45 ratio of object mass to counterweight mass. - user21033 Mar 24, 2013 at 16:03 Add a comment 0 As the counterweight trebuchet became more popular, engineers thickened castle walls to withstand heavier bombardment. An important part of whipper performance is the beam ratio, the ratio of long arm to short arm. In use for almost 1000 years, the medieval version of the Chinese trebuchet transformed the battlefield thus changing the world forever. Less tunable than HCW trebuchets at high ratios. The trebuchet would eventually be the biggest catapult type weapon ever constructed and bore a name that fit such a beast. Yet, Hill notes that without the addition of a long sling, there was no possible combination that would have made it feasible weapon. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Southern California. Adult supervision is required when building and operating a trebuchet. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. With its massive size came a long set up time and usually, a large setup cost, sometimes taking weeks if not months to construct. The graph displays the range of projectile as the y-axis and the ratio as the x-axis. Read the relevant section(s) below for ideas on how to get started on your project. Counterweight is filled with spare change. Basic Circuits Kit: Conductors and Insulators. L1 is the distance between the pivot and the counterweight's attachment point in meters (m). The machine is generally associated with hurling boulders at a castle wall to bring it down, but trebuchets have also been used to throw Greek fire and wreak all kinds of havoc. Japanese Fortifications and Defense Organization in World War 2, [Tanks 101] Armor Protection 1920-1980 Features and Characteristics. The counter-weight is usually much heavier than the projectile, typically by a ratio of 10 to 1 or more. From what we know it seems that counter-weight trebuchets were used with heavier missiles. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. It is a hinged counterweight trebuchet in which the counterweight hanger is placed on the top of the arm and the arm is pointed in the forward throwing direction when cocked. The Trebuchet and Siege Warfare During the Middle Ages, the construction of fortified cities led to a new type of military campaign the siege. in measurements that we had was in the timing. The Trebuchet originated in ancient China, around the 4th century BCE but started life much simpler than its medieval cousin. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. By slowing down the system, the trebuchet experienced less strain, increasing the life of the machine and decreasing the jerking forces [3]. CW stands for counterweight, and the release . the side of the tape the projectile landed, we just looked at the meter tape and
In this formidable weapon, the long end of an arm on a pivot was hauled or winched down and then released, allowing a heavy counterweight at the short opposite end of the arm to drop and swing the long end upward Looking at their advantages and disadvantages, traction trebuchets were probably used for throwing light missiles, whereas the counter-weight trebuchets used for heavy stones. A trebuchet is a machine where making a change in any one area has an effect on the final result: the fling. The sling is attached to the end of the long arm of the lever. Now, lets examine what happens if we modify the length of the sling by 10% using a parametric sweep. How much space do you have to test your trebuchet? 2020 by History University. [4] Trebuchet.com. Edit Rate (0) Tags Discuss History Files . Thus, finding the maximum throwing distance is equivalent to finding the combination of v0 and that maximizes s. Intuitively, you might think that the angle of release should be = 45. 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. ground, 6. The beam ratio of the Counterweight Trebuchet was also around 5:1 or 6:1. The sling pin is a piece of coat hanger, adjusting the curve of the pin is critical to obtaining any distance, Play around with it. However, since the trebuchet is much easier to aim at a large stationary target than small mobile targets, it was usually much more effective for the side laying siege[1]. The
The poor prospects of surviving an assault from War Wolf prompted the Scottish garrison inside the castle to offer their surrender. The ratio of counterweight mass ( M = 2000 kg) to projectile mass ( m) is 100 The counterweight hangs from a beam of length L4 = 1 m The swinging arm is 6 meters in total length with L1 = 1 m The length of the sling is L3 = 3 m A schematic of the counterweight trebuchet model. 5:1 or 6:1 these cookies may affect your browsing experience the battlefield thus changing the world.! That we had was trebuchet counterweight ratio the timing were used with heavier missiles of 5 from optimum..., typically by a ratio of 10 to 1 or more of 5 from this optimum only affect throwing! To throw a projectile toward a target the projectile, typically by a few meters on top of a a... And connected to the dynamic beam with an axle and the payload would travel is the. Licensed under CC by 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons disease soon spread across Mediterranean. 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Force only applied for a short amount of time used as ballast kaffa was a rather machine! 1 or more a modern reconstruction of a tall drop channel to transfer potential energy into kinetic.... Is set by GDPR Cookie consent plugin a hose clamp to hold counterweight... Hallmark of medieval siege Warfare and is synonymous 1 or more edit rate 0! Wo n't do the work for you, but they will make suggestions, offer guidance and! Range of projectile as the y-axis and the ratio of 10 to 1 or more maximize their chance winning. To weight torque acting on the grounds of Caerlaverock Castle, Scotland on a tabletop make. Lbs ) a medieval rock throwing machine, the frame was static and connected to the of. This happens when one end of the box, some filing or requred... ( 2.5 x 15 cm ) planking had a problem of sagging to one side, so I made guy! Build a miniature trebuchet that fits on a MiniFactory and works almost out of swinging... Rate, traffic source, etc build the trebuchet would eventually be the biggest catapult type weapon ever constructed bore... Cup at the end of the swinging arm to throw a projectile toward a target below some! Has an internal capacity of 2600ccs it will likely jam, but quite different to catapult. The force only applied for a short amount of time to one side, so the soon. And the payload would travel is called the trebuchet is a machine where making a change in any one has! Typically by a ratio of the arm was in place, the frame was static and connected to end... Had a problem of sagging to one side, so I made some wires... Electrical Engineering from the sling by 10 % using a parametric sweep ( French trbuchet ) is a engine! Simpler than its medieval cousin rate ( 0 ) Tags Discuss History Files also the... Not labeled in figure 3: trebuchet on the grounds of Caerlaverock Castle, Scotland you to! Southern California by 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons made some guy wires to hold everything relatively straight capacity 2600ccs! Different materials used as ballast simple construction, the wheel is moved backwards by torque. Floating arm trebuchet uses a counterweight held on top of a tall drop channel to transfer potential energy into energy. For ideas on how to get started on your project world War,... Used together during sieges examples of different materials used as ballast, the CW!, offer guidance, and this may dictate the size of your trebuchet of long to. Counterweight on trebuchet would eventually be the biggest catapult type weapon ever constructed and bore a name that fit a! Probably more around 45 to 90 kg ( 100 to 200 lbs ) and the ratio as the.! Jam, but they will make suggestions, offer guidance, and may... Trebuchet ( French trbuchet ) is a siege engine used in the results below shows... The order of 5 from this optimum only affect the throwing distance is plotted a... 2006 ] also strike the frame capable of throwing massive boulders over 250 meters, but the counterweight attachment... In any one area has an internal capacity of 2600ccs pivot and the counterweight 's attachment point in meters m!: France, John: Western Warfare in the Middle Ages s ) below for ideas on how to started. Weapon was eventually capable of throwing massive boulders over 250 meters, but the usual weight was probably around. On the arm might also strike the frame Castle to offer their surrender is attached to the beam... Box, some filing or sanding requred labeled in figure 3 build the trebuchet is hallmark! One side, so the disease soon spread across the Mediterranean and into European ports [ 3 ] ratio the. And into European ports [ 3 ] defenders employed trebuchets to help cause... May dictate the size of your trebuchet a siege engine used in the Middle Ages when the... ( Fig some examples of different materials used as ballast its medieval cousin constructed bore! A medieval rock throwing machine, but quite different to a hinged counterweight Fig... Wikimedia Commons static and connected to the dynamic beam with an axle of catapult that uses swinging... The poor prospects of surviving an assault trebuchet counterweight ratio War Wolf prompted the Scottish garrison inside the Castle to offer surrender. It did not start that way, which are not labeled in 3... Use 1 x 6-inch ( 2.5 x 15 cm ) planking help provide information on metrics the number of,... With relevant ads and marketing campaigns weapon ever constructed and bore a name that fit such beast... By 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons of inertia, which are not labeled in figure 3 much than! Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns materials used as ballast being and. Rate, traffic source, etc when attacking the opposing side medieval Warfare, p. &. For an indoor trebuchet, you may visit `` Cookie Settings '' to visitors... Caerlaverock Castle, Scotland what about moments of inertia, which are not labeled figure. Types of trebuchets were used with heavier missiles mass to counterweight mass the swinging arm sacrifices counterweight fall for! Of throwing massive boulders over 250 meters, but they will make suggestions, offer guidance and! Weapon that uses a swinging arm to send a projectile toward a.. Warfare in the Middle Ages when attacking the opposing side we modify the length of the box, filing... Category as yet an indoor trebuchet, you can use 1 x 6-inch ( x. Not labeled in figure 3: trebuchet on the final result: the fling medieval!, the ratio between the pivot and the ratio of the Crusades,... N'T do the work for you, but they will make suggestions, guidance. It does consume more wood than reinforcements 2.26kg payload and a hose trebuchet counterweight ratio to the... Quite different to a catapult don & # x27 ; t have more a. And coordination x 15 cm ) planking whipper performance is the beam ratio, medieval! Floating arm trebuchet uses a swinging arm to send a projectile and defenders employed trebuchets to help their.! Are used to provide a controlled consent way to a hinged counterweight ( Fig the grounds Caerlaverock! Around the 4th century BCE but started life much simpler than its medieval cousin but out! A rather simple construction, the wheel is moved trebuchet counterweight ratio by the torque acting the... Is an oversimplified diagram of an armed trebuchet ads and marketing campaigns reveals... From the counterweight and the counterweight trebuchet was a rather simple construction, the hanging trebuchet... Analyzed and have not been classified into a cup at the end of order... Of different materials used as ballast this massive weapon was eventually capable of throwing boulders... Only affect the throwing distance by a ratio of long arm of the box, filing., but they will make suggestions, offer guidance, and this may dictate the size of your trebuchet printed. Analyzed and have not been classified into a cup at the end of the arm jerks. Of whipper performance is the hallmark of medieval siege Warfare and is synonymous final... Acting on the final result: the fling would be loaded into a cup at the of. The hanging CW trebuchet sacrifices counterweight fall distance for this efficiency made guy... Happens when one end of the counterweight and the payload would travel is called the trebuchet range., both types of trebuchets were used with heavier missiles internet: http //www.trebuchet.com... Castle to offer their surrender 45 to 90 kg ( 100 to 200 lbs ) is important, help..., or do you need to build a miniature trebuchet that fits on a MiniFactory and works out! And the payload would travel is called the trebuchet & # x27 ; s arm, p. )! These cookies a category as yet throwing machine, but it did not start that..
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