im in a high school competition and dont no what trebuchet would be best

im in a high school competition and dont no what trebuchet would be best

Morgan (guest) 16 May 2009 00:29

I don’t no what type of trebuchet would get my group the furthest but without to many problems, we are an advanced construction class so we'd like a challenge but it cant be overly complicated, the size would have to be around a meter and a tennis ball would have to be the ammunition. Please give me some advice on a design that would suit me best. We dont want any plans but tips and ideas would be greatly apreciated Thank you.

Re: im in a high school competition and dont no what trebuchet would be best

Craig Macomber 18 May 2009 05:48

I would recommend something simple, but doing a good job of it. FAKAs, FATs and other complex types offer lots more range when compared to arm length (but require a larger machine for a give arm length. Even for the same machine size they will throw further though). Those complex types also have a tendency to fail completely or not work anywhere near their potential. A carefully built HCW or Wheel treb would be my recommendation. Make a solid frame and axle (it can be ugly and heavy, as long as it holds the axle up), then focus of the arm and tuning. The long arm should be very light and tapered, and thesling should be very light as well (just needs to be strong enough to not break. You could make it out of dental floss and duct tape). If you get that done well and early, you should have time to tune the sling length and pin angle. If you get that done well and early, you could use what you learned to build a second arm for the machine (but keep the first) that could be something more complex if you want (like a wheel treb, whipper, KA, etc).