The Trebuchet Essay examples -- medieval siege machine

Used by castle commanders during times of peace to hurl roses to ladies during tournaments, trebuchets proved a plaguey weapon in the field of ancient warfare. Flinging a wide variety of objects hundreds of yards, the trebuchet became the weapon of choice for laying siege to a castle. Its incredible regorge could often place it beyond the effectual defense range of the castle archers, thereby permitting the besiegers to destroy the defenders walls with little interference. During extended sieges, trebuchets were often used to hurl larger quantities of dung, dead animals, and other such items to encourage disease throughout the besieged city.Trebuchets earned a reputation for being much more(prenominal) accurate and precise than their onager and catapult counterparts. Not only was this accuracy a win, but being based on rotational motion and leverage rather than torque (spring power) and lacking in a throwing arm stop, the trebuchet proved a much safer alternative for the perso nnel operating it. Onagers and Mangonels would literally explode on source when the torsion proved too great or a crack developed in the throwing arm due to the rapid stops it experienced.All in all, the Trebuchet was a fearsome weapon of mass destruction during the Middle Ages, a force to be reckoned with. Trebuchets only lost favor when cannons emerged, and the primary benefit of the cannon that the trebuchet lacked was not in fact power, but rather mobility. Smaller, more maneuverable cannons rapidly overran the position of the trebuchet in most armies across the world.Warwolf, the legendary trebuchet built by the English Army to destroy Castle Urquhart, which was located in the Highlands of Scotland, on the shores of the also infamous Loch Ness. Par... ...elease and a more horizontal trajectory, with higher velocity.In an attempt to better understand the components of the trebuchet and to permit the viewer a better idea of the manner in which the going of a trebuchet occurs, a trebuchet constructed entirely of K-nex was built this past week. The counterweight consisted of 5000 steel bbs wrapped in plastic and duct tape, while the mangonel itself was made of duct tape and twine. The remaineder of the trebuchet, including the throwing arm, were constructed purely from K-nex.Standing some 3 feet tall, this trebuchet could repeatedly launch a 2-3oz object in excess of 20 feet.Lengthening the sling proved valuable, increasing velocity and range considerably. However, a point was reached at which the sling length could be said to be optimized, and continuation it further only created unpredictable release angles.