The trebuchet from plywood

Proposal

Our goal is to make a trebuchet capable of throwing a ball as big as a inch and a half across 50 feet. We will only be able to use wood or fiber board but not any type of metal. Each piece will be milled out and assemble with glue or any other type of adhesive. Each team member will have an assignment to turn in at the end of each week. We picked a trebuchet because it is a simple and efficient machine that we can make in little amount of time. The project will last 5 weeks

Research

For our project we need to write a research paper about a trebuchet that we are building in class, a trebuchet is a war machine used to throw large objects at castles walls. By dropping heavy weight on the lever or the sling, the lever will rise with such spedd pulling the sling which the object was in heavy object .

The trebuchet was the dominant siege weapon in Europe from 850AD to 1350AD, larger versions were able to throw large stones, cows or even people who were shunned for treason. The trebuchet works by gathering the potential energy of the weight, and demonstrates  There are multiple parts you have to consider in the design which can be improved or changed to change the  range and throw-weight.

The trebuchet reached Europe during the in 500 A.D and was used by the French. During this time , the plan of the trebuchet was revised so instead of having men pulling it down they had levers to make it easier and quicker to pull the arm down.

The Trebuchet is an accurate machine and was widely used. The Medieval Trebuchet consisted of a lever and a sling. A force was applied to the shorter end of the arm , the weight is on the other longer end of the arm. The trebuchet arm could measure up to 60ft in length. Heavy weights or a box filled with sand or stones were fixed to the short end of the Medieval trebuchet arm. A heavy stone, or other large objects, was placed in a pouch that  was attached by two ropes to the other, long  end of the arm.

When the arm was released, the force created by the weight propelled the long end upward and caused the object to be thrown in the air towards the selected target .The Trebuchet was capable of hurling  heavy stones weighing  about 200 pounds with a distance of up to about 300 yards after maximum distance was achieved.

Step 1: Materials

Materials and Parts List
Timothy R
Allan L
Terrence S
• 19/32 in. x 4 ft. x 8 ft. Rtd Sheathing Syp (plywood)  - $21.97 Home Depot
• Elmer's Carpenter's Max 16 fl. oz. Wood Glue  - $6.78 Home Depot
• Crystal Sand 50 lb. Pool Filter Sand - $5.48 Home Depot
• Charlotte Pipe 3/4 in. x 2 ft. PVC  - $1.24 Home Depot
• Charlotte Pipe 1 in. x 2 ft. PVC -  $1.67 Home Depot
• Painter's Touch 12 oz. Flat Black General Purpose Spray - $3.87 Home Depot
• Painter's Touch 12 oz. Gloss Apple Red General Purpose Spray Paint - $3.87 Home Depot
• Red Heart Super Saver Yarn - $2.99 Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores
• Great Value Heavy Duty Foil 12"x50' - $2. 52 Walmart

Comments

[wilgubeast]

Looks good. Bonus points for including your CAD designs. Maybe give the text a once-over to find some glaring typographical errors (aside from the trebuchet essay, which was fine), but this is a solid, reproducible project. Thanks for sharing.