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| Just about complete. The counterweight boxes are loaded. Those are 10 gallon Freon gas containers with the tops plasma cut off and holes drilled in the side for the CW bar. We used lead radiation shielding bricks as counterweights. With dimensions of 8"x2"x4", they each weigh about 26.3lbs, thanks to the high density of lead. They taste great too. |
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| The trebuchet frame is constructed from an assortment of poor grade 2x4's and 2x6's from Home Depot, and is held together with screws and about 3 gallons of Gorilla Glue. |
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| After a hard day of construction, even the nicest physicists can get grouchy. |
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| The look of displeasure says it all. This was neither the first nor last time we would see it. |
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| The axle is constructed from 3/4 hot rolled steel and it sits in a series of nested steel tubes with a total tolerance of about 1/8" (1/16" on either side) The wheels are plastic casters with roller bearings rated at 1000lbs each. |
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| Here the counterweight bar is threaded through the lever arm and the arm is in place. The slots for the CW bar to slide through have not yet been cut. |
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| Putting it together on the field. Unfortunately, a non-level area was selected which caused alignment issues later. The redesign will address these issues. |
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| You can see the engineer's puny one next to ours here. |
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| Attempting to figure out what went wrong with the sling |
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| Due to a design error and crappy wood, the tracks that the casters rolled on torqued in upon themselves and cracked. A quick field repair was to place another 2x4 on top, screw it in, and then cut out the CW slots by hand. |
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| We have now abandoned all hope of the sling working, and are loading the pumpkin in a plastic bucket. It ain't pretty. |
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