Objective: To build a catapult that is capable of throwing a 3-kg projectile 100 meters
Major Considerations:
1) All the components must have at least a safety factor of two
2) Must be below $10,000
Solution: The final design exceeded expectations by functioning as it should while only costing $4526.20, less than half of what was provided
Major Considerations:
1) All the components must have at least a safety factor of two
2) Must be below $10,000
Solution: The final design exceeded expectations by functioning as it should while only costing $4526.20, less than half of what was provided
The innovative gear train designed enables the average person to wind up the catapult
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The tension springs used to launch the projectile had a collective force of 14,028 N. This is good for launching the projectile the desired distance but very bad for the person who has to wind it back to firing position.
To solve for this, an elaborate gear train was designed, as shown on the left. This gear train successfully reduced the force required by the user to a very manageable 334.3 N. The user uses the crank shown to wind it up to firing position. In order to fire, the user merely has to pull on the lever arm. This would disengage Gear A from Gear B. This would enable Gear A to rotate freely and would start unwinding the cable very rapidly. The projectile is successfully launched. |
The report below shows the project in its entirety:
| catapult_report-3.docx |
Credits : Lindsey Gonzalez, Liran Kong