
Optimising a Trebuchet [video] - montrose
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gn2RGPqe_A
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jimmy1
If you enjoyed this one, the video where he adds the wheels is equally
fascinating: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpFTyE-
wiNo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpFTyE-wiNo)

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masklinn
To me it's way more interesting than TFA, as it's really not obvious why the
wheels would work, and the wheels don't work "out of the box" either, you
can't just slap wheels on a tuned "static" trebuchet and need to do some re-
tuning to get the correct synchronisation between the arm and counterweight.

Really neat.

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jcims
Most of the means of optimizing trebuchets make sense after the fact, but
would not be intuitive to me at first glance.

For example, making the frame more rigid improved the outcome here, but if you
put the whole thing on wheels you would likely still get _more_ increase
because the weight could take a more direct path downward as the frame moves.

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schiffern
>the weight could take a more direct path downward as the frame moves.

That should change how long it takes the arm to drop, but it shouldn't change
the amount of potential energy released (and thus, projectile speed).

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jcims
Projectile velocity is a function of power rather than energy alone because
you only have so much time to accelerate it.

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ramgorur
Very interesting. Is it possible to make a trebuchet that can throw stuffs
beyond escape velocity?

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ColinWright
Orbital Velocity at grazing altitude is 8 km/s, and escape velocity is sqrt(2)
times that, or about 11.3 km/s. Thing is, anything travelling that fast in the
atmosphere tries to turn to plasma, so your launch arm would need to be a bit
special.

Or at very high altitude.

Or have ablative heat shielding.

But atmospheric drag would probably prevent you from getting anything like
those speeds with this kind of mechanism.

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dividuum
This happened before:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Plumbbob#Propulsion_...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Plumbbob#Propulsion_of_steel_plate_cap)

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craftyguy
Wow, so they basically made a cannon powered by 300t nuclear explosion.

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bwbw223
The superior siege weapon.

