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Transcript

Pumpkin Launcher???

Design Alternatives

Background/Research

Title Slide

Objectives

Functions

The slingshot has been designed to...

Team:

Timothy Ebbeling

Christian Mast

Jordan Randell

Amy Worden

Client:

Local Farmer

Problem/Task

We have been tasked with building a safe, accurate, and affordable catapult to launch small pumpkins.

Our research revealed to us quite a few potential designs that could effectively solve this problem. Some of the best ones include the catapult, trebuchet, slingshot, and ballista.

The farmer stated that they would like the device to be very safe, accurate, inexpensive, and made from readily available materials.

Trebuchet

The trebuchet, an old medieval siege machine, consists of a long, wooden beam attached to an axle to have two arms of uneven length. A counterweight is attached to the shorter arm and a sling containing the ammunition is attached to the longer arm. The arms are cocked so that the counterweight is raised off the ground which, when released, falls and causes the long arm to be pulled up at great rates of acceleration. The sling then releases the ammunition and hurls it away.

Catapult

Catapults are typically made from wood and have a square shape when looked at from the side. They have two vertical strings where wooden arms are inserted that are then connected by a bowstring with a sling to hold the pumpkin. The projectile force is then generated by twisting the springs

Slingshot

Slingshots use elastic energy stored in large rubber bands to fire projectiles. The energy stored in bands comes from the physical strength of the operator, however in larger systems, pulley systems could be developed to facilitate pulling back on the bands.

Overview

Problem Statement

A local farmer wishes to make their farm more appealing to visiting children by launching pumpkins into a nearby field. They are looking for a safe, affordable way to accomplish this, while also being able to operate the device fairly easily. While amusement is the overall goal, safety is still their top priority. Which is why they have decided to consult engineers to help them solve this problem as effectively as possible.

Ballista

The ballista uses elastic energy from flexible arms of wood arched out in a bow-like shape which are connected to the bowl with the pumpkin in it, launching it forward. It also uses the springing ability of wood however more similarly to a bow and arrow.

We will be analyzing the possible design options along with their strengths and weaknesses.

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