Trebuchet Project

Hasan Liou
Jason Corpin
Date Fired: 9/16/15

1
 Table of Contents
Cover Page.....1

Table of Contents...2

Trebuchet History...3

Basic Projectile Motion..6

Objective..9

Materials used.9

Procedure9

Data11

Data Analysis....11

Physics Concepts.13

Conclusion.14

2
 Trebuchet History
The trebuchet is an outdated war machine that has been used to dominate and horrify
nations in Europe during the Middle Ages. This invention was created in China in 300
BC. The Chinese initially pulled the trebuchet with their own weight as a means to
propel the projectile. However, this method was inefficient, and the trebuchet was not as
widely used.

The trebuchet eventually reached Europe during the Middle Ages in 500 AD and
it was heavily used by France. By this time, the design of the trebuchet was edited, with
the group of men pulling down on ropes replaced by a heavy counterbalance weight. It
was introduced in England in 1216 during the Siege of Dover, which was dictated by
Louis the Dauphin of France. The siege was a success, and it re-figured the art of
European warfare for centuries to come.

Nevertheless, the idea of the design spread throughout Asia as well as Europe,
eventually traveling to the Middle East. Arriving during the Islamic Middle Age, a thriving
period where the work of many scholar and scientists was applauded. Having reached
an intellectual group, the trebuchet design was vastly improved. One of its definitive

3
new features was a counterweight at the other end of the throwing arm, which removed
the need for people to pull on the other end of arm. This innovation added the all the
forces provided by the people and converted it to potential energy; as a result, the final
throw was more uniform than having people stand on one side to try to throw it.

When King Edward I heard about the use of trebuchets in the Middle East, he
decided to test his luck with these devices, and so he ordered his chief engineer to work
on one of the most famous war machines of all time, Warwolf. The Middle Age tanks
were capable of launching stones weighing thousands of kilograms, destroying walls
from a range in which these machines stay untouched. Trebuchets generally consisted
of a long arm, a sling, a strong base, and wheels. The throwing part of the arm was
usually 4 times the length of the arm of the counterweight.

The uses of the trebuchet also brought the earliest cases of chemical warfare
due to the types of projectiles launched at fortified buildings. In many occasions, the
armies laying siege notoriously used Greek fire, stones, dead corpses, body parts, and
dung as missiles thrown at their enemies. Dead corpses, body parts, and dung were
used to humiliate the people being sieged and to also contaminate the water supply,
which would quicken the spread of disease.

4
 Before the trebuchet was introduced, the catapult and the ballista were the main
machines that were used in warfare. The catapult and the ballista were on the battlefield
for the same reason the trebuchets were; to wreak havoc on enemy castles while being
at a range in which the machines would not be able to be reached. The ballista was also
used to shoot down enemy infantry at a far range. However, the trebuchet exceeded the
limits of the catapult and was made to be the main machine used for sieging European
castles.

5
 Basic Projectile Motion
Projectile motion is basically a form of motion in which an object is thrown near
the surface of the Earth and moves in a curved path through the force of gravity. Since
the force of gravity has a constant acceleration of9.8 / 2 , the only things that can
affect the shape of the path is the horizontal component of velocity, the vertical
component of velocity and the initial velocity.

Based on knowing one or more of the velocities in projectile motion, you can find
out the time it took the object to touch the ground and the distance the object is from
where it was initially thrown.

These instances of projectile motion go hand in hand with the kinematics

equations. Each given instant of the projectiles position in the parabola can be grouped
or characterized with a specific set of vertical and horizontal values. The combination of
these two forces creates the velocity and direction of the projectile at any given
moment.

In the horizontal section, there are three main components: distance, velocity,
and time. The velocity of a horizontal component theoretically remains constant
throughout the flight, and has no deceleration. The time will remain the same for both
the vertical and horizontal components.

6
 In the vertical section, there are four main components: distance, velocity, time,
and acceleration. Generally, these maintain the same definitions as the horizontal
components. Acceleration, however, will have the projectile rise or fall, creating the
parabolic shape.

These principles can be defined with the following equations:

=
0 =
=
=
=
2 = 0 2 + 2
1
= 0 + 2
2
= 0 +

7
 Problems with projectile can begin to vary when different circumstances are
placed. For instance, a difference in the height of each base where the projectile is fired
and where it lands affects the amount of calculations needed to solve the problem. In
addition, the angle which the projectile is fired at can affect the distance of the projectile.
In problems with the same base, the following formula can be used to calculate the
horizontal distance:

0 2 2
=

Meanwhile, the formula cannot be used if there is a difference in the height which
the ball started and landed. As a result, different formulas must be used for different
situations.

8
 Objective

The objective of this project is to observe projectile motion through the means of a
trebuchet. The trebuchet, designed to send objects flying off into the distance, will
provide an apparatus with easily replicable throwing distances. By calculating values
with the three kinematics equations, we can therefore have a fuller understanding of
conceptual and math-related kinematics and projectile motion.

Materials Used

Plywood
PVC Glue
PVC Pipes
Electric Metallic Tube Two Hole Strap
Coins

Procedure

The design used on the day of the project was developed by Hasan and his father.
Although the original plan was intended, the design was mostly scrapped and
improvised upon. Originally planning to build the base using arches, we modified the
design by replacing it with a piece of plywood on the side. The diagram on the left
represents the side view, while the one on the right explains the frontal dimensions.

9
10
Data

Distance (m) Time (s)

6 2.31

13 1.83

6.84 2.39

16.25 2.24

20 2.31

20.7** 2.03**

19.53 2.11

17 2.47

19.5 2.04

19.23 2.14

** Data set to be used for calculations

Data Analysis

Given:

Range = 20.7 m
Time in air = 2.03 s
Radius of sling = 0.56 m
Time to Max Height = 1.01 s
Mass of Ball = 0.058 kg

11
 1. Initial Velocity in the Horizontal Direction X0

This is the horizontal component of the velocity, which should remain constant
throughout the firing.

x vx 0 t
x 20 m
vx 0 9.9 m/s
t 2.03 sec

2. Initial Velocity in the Vertical Direction V0

The Vertical initial velocity is constantly changing due to the constant
gravitational force acting upon the projectile.

3. Initial Velocity in the X-Y Direction V1

This calculation is resultant of the horizontal and vertical vectors, and
is used to show the balls total velocity.

4. Launch Angle
This is a calculation of the angle that the ball was launched at. The angle at
which it shot can affect the distance of which it traveled and maximum height.

12
 5. Maximum Height: The top height at which the ball will travel from the ground.

6. Circular Motion of the Tennis Ball: The building inertia of the tennis ball as well as
the force generated before the ball is separated from the trebuchet.
v2 (14 m/s)2
FT m (0.058 kg)
r (0.56 m)
FT 20.3 N

7. Centripetal Acceleration: The acceleration of the tennis ball projectile before the
ball flies off of the trebuchet.

8. Force: The magnitude of the tennis ball once released from the trebuchet.

Physics Concepts

Projectile motion is one of the main concepts that were exemplified in this lab. However,
many other concepts are derived from projectile motion, like the notion of how since
gravity is always the same, the horizontal velocity will always stay constant. The
trebuchet uses the energy of the counterweight in order to launch the projectile.
Newtons second law of motion is also a very important concept that was involved with
the experiment. Alongside Newtons second law of motion is centripetal acceleration,
which is the speed of the tennis ball in the air while continuously rotating in the air until it
hit the ground. The rotations of the tennis ball were due to the idea of circular motion;
circular motion is a movement of an object along the circumference of the circle.

13
Conclusion

Our trebuchet was relatively small in size and was pretty lightweight but it was
capable of launching a projectile for a very large distance. Also, the time it took to set up
for the next launch was extremely short, since we used a PVC pipe as the arm and did
not need to repetitively screw and unscrew a nail to reset the upcoming launch. The
weight stayed in place and the base was extremely sturdy, and we were able to perform
multiple launches without seeing a single dent on the contraption.

However, the ball went its maximum distance in a tilted position, which was not
our initial intention. Having to turn the trebuchet to offset the difference in shooting
angle, we were able to record more accurate measurements. In addition, the knot tied
on the end of the paracord used was much looser than we anticipated, and our initial
measurements were shorter.

In order to mend the problems on our trebuchet, we could have drilled the
electrical metallic tubes to a straighter position so that the PVC across the trebuchet
would be parallel with the base. Also, the weight could have been swapped out into a
less expensive item, as our weight ended up at around $500 in quarters.

14