Grant Alexander
Pd#6
11 November 2016
Trebuchet Engineering A trebuchet is a machine used in medieval siege warfare for hurling large stones or other missiles. How this machine works is not to complex but is also fascinating. The object that is being shot is held in the sling, which is on a launch trough whose job is to make sure the shot is straight. Also the trough is there to prevent the sling getting caught in the framework of the trebuchet. When putting the arm of the trebuchet down, it is best to push it down as close to vertical as it can go so that the weight can fall the farthest distance, and so that the sling can get pulled with greatest possible horizontal starting force. As soon as the sling is past the trough it is lifted up and away. Then it is swung out in a partial arc because of centrifugal force, or the sling’s inertia. When the object is being released it is because of the releasing mechanism. The releasing mechanism is a loop of the sling’s rope placed around a prong. The angle of the prong determines the angle of the release. If the prong is straighter it will have an earlier release and a higher trajectory. When the prong is more hooked it …show more content…
One side of the lever goes up as the other one goes down. To explain for the launch to commence the counterweight must be much heavier than the object or projectile. This has to be simply because the opposite side of the trebuchet has to be lifted up with extreme force to get it moving. For example if there was a little kid on a see-saw and he wanted to reach the top a tree without climbing it. An elephant would have to jump onto the other side to get the little kid to his destination up in the tree. This shows that when the counterweight falls or is released the trebuchet pivots on its fulcrum, releasing the potential energy that was built up turning into enough kinetic energy to throw an object through the
Pd#6
11 November 2016
Trebuchet Engineering A trebuchet is a machine used in medieval siege warfare for hurling large stones or other missiles. How this machine works is not to complex but is also fascinating. The object that is being shot is held in the sling, which is on a launch trough whose job is to make sure the shot is straight. Also the trough is there to prevent the sling getting caught in the framework of the trebuchet. When putting the arm of the trebuchet down, it is best to push it down as close to vertical as it can go so that the weight can fall the farthest distance, and so that the sling can get pulled with greatest possible horizontal starting force. As soon as the sling is past the trough it is lifted up and away. Then it is swung out in a partial arc because of centrifugal force, or the sling’s inertia. When the object is being released it is because of the releasing mechanism. The releasing mechanism is a loop of the sling’s rope placed around a prong. The angle of the prong determines the angle of the release. If the prong is straighter it will have an earlier release and a higher trajectory. When the prong is more hooked it …show more content…
One side of the lever goes up as the other one goes down. To explain for the launch to commence the counterweight must be much heavier than the object or projectile. This has to be simply because the opposite side of the trebuchet has to be lifted up with extreme force to get it moving. For example if there was a little kid on a see-saw and he wanted to reach the top a tree without climbing it. An elephant would have to jump onto the other side to get the little kid to his destination up in the tree. This shows that when the counterweight falls or is released the trebuchet pivots on its fulcrum, releasing the potential energy that was built up turning into enough kinetic energy to throw an object through the