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Trebuchets

Gorilla SaladGorilla Salad Registered User regular
edited September 2007 in Games and Technology
Shamelessly stolen from Wiki.
Wikipedia wrote:
A trebuchet is a medieval siege engine, a weapon employed either to smash masonry walls or to throw projectiles over them. It is sometimes called a "counterweight trebuchet" in order to distinguish it from an earlier weapon that has come to be called the "traction trebuchet." Sometimes the word trebuchet is used to refer ambiguously to either weapon, but originally it referred to the counterweighted weapon. All trebuchets were made from wood.
The counterweight trebuchet appeared in both Christian and Muslim lands around the Mediterranean in the twelfth century. It could fling three hundred pound (140 kg) projectiles at high speeds into enemy fortifications. On occasion, disease-infected corpses were flung into cities in an attempt to infect the people under siege--a medieval variant of biological warfare. Trebuchets were invented in China in about the 4th century BC, came to Europe in the 6th century AD, and did not become obsolete until the 16th century, well after the introduction of gunpowder. Trebuchets were far more accurate than other medieval catapults.
L_trebuchet.jpg
Picture from Lego education

So, let's discuss Trebuchets. Have you ever built one? Full size or small scale? What would you launch with it?

Gorilla Salad on
«13

Posts

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    WrenWren ninja_bird Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    too expensive and immobile. I usually build siege cannons instead

    Wren on
    tf2sig.jpg
    TF2 - Wren BF3: Wren-fu
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    TheKoolEagleTheKoolEagle Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    1. Yes.
    2. Full-size.
    3. Cows.
    yes, small, paper clips

    TheKoolEagle on
    uNMAGLm.png Mon-Fri 8:30 PM CST - 11:30 PM CST
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    Al_watAl_wat Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    1. Yes.
    2. Full-size.
    3. Cows.
    yes, small, paper clips

    Cows are good for the splatter effect, but they can't beat cars.

    Al_wat on
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    TallahasseerielTallahasseeriel Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    I prefer Ballista

    Tallahasseeriel on
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    DocDoc Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited September 2007
    man what the fuck why would you post this here

    jesus

    Doc on
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    Gorilla SaladGorilla Salad Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    I would like to build a full-scale trebuchet, but I do not have the resources.

    Gorilla Salad on
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    LewiePLewieP Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    Doc wrote: »
    man what the fuck why would you post this here

    jesus

    old techology is still technology.

    LewieP on
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    Gorilla SaladGorilla Salad Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    Doc wrote: »
    man what the fuck why would you post this here

    jesus
    Check the rules.

    Besides, I really like trebuchets.

    Gorilla Salad on
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    ProjeckProjeck Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    LewieP wrote: »
    Doc wrote: »
    man what the fuck why would you post this here

    jesus

    old techology is still technology.

    Fo reals.

    Projeck on
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    DocDoc Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited September 2007
    LewieP wrote: »
    Doc wrote: »
    man what the fuck why would you post this here

    jesus

    old techology is still technology.

    Good point.

    Doc on
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    SniperGuySniperGuy SniperGuyGaming Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    Doc wrote: »
    man what the fuck why would you post this here

    jesus

    Because trebuchets are medieval technology.


    I never quite got the hang of how exactly trecbuchets work.

    SniperGuy on
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    DocDoc Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited September 2007
    inside joke--;

    Doc on
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    NackmatholnNackmatholn Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    I actually want to make one of these at the office (obviously small) when I move to the new floor. The higher cube walls will make my inter-cube catapult all but useless!

    Nackmatholn on
    camo_sig2.png PSN - Nackmatholn
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    rayofashrayofash Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    Teach me how to make one and I would.

    rayofash on
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    TheKoolEagleTheKoolEagle Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    I actually want to make one of these at the office (obviously small) when I move to the new floor. The higher cube walls will make my inter-cube catapult all but useless!

    http://www.trebuchet.com/10400
    only $69!


    http://www.trebuchet.com/11001
    this one is only $29

    TheKoolEagle on
    uNMAGLm.png Mon-Fri 8:30 PM CST - 11:30 PM CST
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    Gorilla SaladGorilla Salad Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    rayofash wrote: »
    Teach me how to make one and I would.
    Let me go get some plans.

    You can find many more by searching "Trebuchet Plans" on google.

    Gorilla Salad on
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    WrenWren ninja_bird Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    siege towers are way cooler anyways

    Wren on
    tf2sig.jpg
    TF2 - Wren BF3: Wren-fu
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    Al_watAl_wat Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    They are actually pretty simple in concept.

    Al_wat on
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    TallahasseerielTallahasseeriel Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    Actually screw ballista, I want a M109A6 self propelled howitzer

    Tallahasseeriel on
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    SolSol Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
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    VeegeezeeVeegeezee Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    Here's some discussion on the math behind how they work, if you're into that. You can get improved range if you allow the axle to drift horizontally and constrain the counterweight to drop only vertically.

    img30.png

    I had planned on building one of these a few years ago, but life sort of interrupted and I never picked it back up again.

    Veegeezee on
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    NackmatholnNackmatholn Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    I can see it now, I'm going to put out a light (or someones eye) with a push pin...

    Nackmatholn on
    camo_sig2.png PSN - Nackmatholn
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    Gorilla SaladGorilla Salad Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    I can see it now, I'm going to put out a light (or someones eye) with a push pin...
    Make sure to bring a video camera.

    Gorilla Salad on
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    volluspavolluspa Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    Veegeezee wrote: »
    Here's some discussion on the math behind how they work, if you're into that. You can get improved range if you allow the axle to drift horizontally and constrain the counterweight to drop only vertically.

    img30.png

    I had planned on building one of these a few years ago, but life sort of interrupted and I never picked it back up again.

    I wasn't expecting the math behind it so soon. i'd figured it would show up on page 3 or 4. but thats an interesting read.

    volluspa on
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    NickTheNewbieNickTheNewbie Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    I built one of these in highschool. Launched a grapefruit about 30 yards.

    NickTheNewbie on
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    NackmatholnNackmatholn Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    I can see it now, I'm going to put out a light (or someones eye) with a push pin...
    Make sure to bring a video camera.

    I'm thinking about it, But since I work in a bank, they may lynch me for bringing a camera in. We have to keep our cellphones off at work as it is...

    Nackmatholn on
    camo_sig2.png PSN - Nackmatholn
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    MalkorMalkor Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    I built one in college. Well I hamered some stuff and some engineering dudes asked what we were doing, made some suggestions, and eventually took the whole thing over. It was more fun when we were going by intuition and gauged success by it not collapsing under its own weight.

    Malkor on
    14271f3c-c765-4e74-92b1-49d7612675f2.jpg
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    VeegeezeeVeegeezee Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    volluspa wrote: »
    Veegeezee wrote: »
    Here's some discussion on the math behind how they work, if you're into that. You can get improved range if you allow the axle to drift horizontally and constrain the counterweight to drop only vertically.

    I had planned on building one of these a few years ago, but life sort of interrupted and I never picked it back up again.

    I wasn't expecting the math behind it so soon. i'd figured it would show up on page 3 or 4. but thats an interesting read.

    It's pretty thorough - it looks like he went through a whole parametric optimization thing on three different trebuchet designs. He cut a few corners, but I don't think it will have affected the results much; I got pretty close to his numbers for the traditional fixed-axle trebuchet, way back when.

    Veegeezee on
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    MalkorMalkor Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    Pshaw math. Can math lift heavy planks of wood and rocks?

    Malkor on
    14271f3c-c765-4e74-92b1-49d7612675f2.jpg
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    The Black HunterThe Black Hunter The key is a minimum of compromise, and a simple, unimpeachable reason to existRegistered User regular
    edited September 2007
    I find it amazing how they get them to be accurate and consistent.

    Old fashioned weapons and architecture is actually very complex in some cases.

    The Black Hunter on
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    The_ScarabThe_Scarab Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    I built one of these in highschool. Launched a grapefruit about 30 yards.

    spent 6 weeks constructing one in physics class.

    ended up launching a watermelon about 300m over the roof of the school (which is 4 storey), over the carkpark and crashing into the primary school roof across the road, landing through a glass roof and spraying watermelon all over a classroom (no kids were in it, this was well after end of school) the terbuchet was enormous. like, ludicrously enormous. i have pics somewhere, of both the device, the launching and the carnage.

    we got in a LOAD of shit for that.

    also, an A+

    The_Scarab on
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    The Black HunterThe Black Hunter The key is a minimum of compromise, and a simple, unimpeachable reason to existRegistered User regular
    edited September 2007
    "YOU FUCKED UP AND ENTIRE SECTION OF A SCHOOL!"
    "I'm sorry sir, I'm so so sorry!"
    "WHAT ABOUT? THAT WAS FUCKING AWESOME! A+"

    Pictures, now.

    The Black Hunter on
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    Rabid_LlamaRabid_Llama Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    I built this one a couple years ago. I could never really get it to work like it was supposed to. The sling was always off. It would launch grapes a good 5 feet though.

    Rabid_Llama on
    /sig
    The+Rabid+Llama.png
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    VeegeezeeVeegeezee Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    Malkor wrote: »
    Pshaw math. Can math lift heavy planks of wood and rocks?

    d/dt [δL/δ(dq/dt)] - δL/δq = Q, beeotch

    Veegeezee on
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    NickTheNewbieNickTheNewbie Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    agree.

    NickTheNewbie on
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    InquisitorInquisitor Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    Sol wrote: »

    Oh man, I almost would let them launch me from a trebuchet.

    Almost.

    Inquisitor on
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    bombardierbombardier Moderator mod
    edited September 2007
    I built one in highschool shop class about 4 feet long. Hurled a golf ball a good 100 yards, it did.

    bombardier on
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    JawaJawa Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    I built one a few years back with my friends, mostly out of old wood from my friends parents fence, some rusty nails and climbing rope we found.

    With no knowledge of how a trebuchet worked we managed to create a fairly large one that was able to hurl a cinder block about 50 meters.

    sadly we were forced to disassemble it before we could unleash it any where else

    Jawa on
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    gilraingilrain Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    The ancient technology thread, from back when, was awesome. This thread is also awesome. Trebuchets are awesome. We need more old technology threads. :^:

    gilrain on
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    gilraingilrain Registered User regular
    edited September 2007
    The_Scarab wrote: »
    I built one of these in highschool. Launched a grapefruit about 30 yards.

    spent 6 weeks constructing one in physics class.

    ended up launching a watermelon about 300m over the roof of the school (which is 4 storey), over the carkpark and crashing into the primary school roof across the road, landing through a glass roof and spraying watermelon all over a classroom (no kids were in it, this was well after end of school) the terbuchet was enormous. like, ludicrously enormous. i have pics somewhere, of both the device, the launching and the carnage.

    we got in a LOAD of shit for that.

    also, an A+
    You must find the photos and post them here. GO GO GO!

    gilrain on
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