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| '''Trebuchet''', a ] ], employed either to batter ] or to throw projectiles over ]s. It was developed from the post-classical ] onager (wild ass), which derived its name from the kicking action of the machine. |
'''Trebuchet''', a ] ], employed either to batter ] or to throw projectiles over ]s. | ||
| It was developed from the post-classical ] onager (wild ass), which derived its name from the kicking action of the ]. The onager consisted of a frame placed on the ground to which a vertical frame of solid ] was rigidly fixed at its front end; through the vertical frame ran an ], which had a single stout ]. On the extremity of the spoke was a cup to receive the projectile. In action the spoke was forced down, against the tension of twisted ropes or other springs, by a windlass, and then suddenly released. The spoke thus kicked the crosspiece of the vertical frame, and the projectile at its extreme end was shot forward. | |||
| In the trebuchet the means of propulsion was a ]. The axle which was near the top of a high strutted vertical frame served as the bridge of a ], the shorter arm of which carried the counterweight and the longer arm the carrier for the shot. An alternative name for the trebuchet is the '''mangonel''' (man gonneau). | |||
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Revision as of 17:27, 25 September 2002
Trebuchet, a medieval siege engine, employed either to batter masonry or to throw projectiles over walls.
It was developed from the post-classical Roman onager (wild ass), which derived its name from the kicking action of the machine. The onager consisted of a frame placed on the ground to which a vertical frame of solid timber was rigidly fixed at its front end; through the vertical frame ran an axle, which had a single stout spoke. On the extremity of the spoke was a cup to receive the projectile. In action the spoke was forced down, against the tension of twisted ropes or other springs, by a windlass, and then suddenly released. The spoke thus kicked the crosspiece of the vertical frame, and the projectile at its extreme end was shot forward.
In the trebuchet the means of propulsion was a counterweight. The axle which was near the top of a high strutted vertical frame served as the bridge of a balance, the shorter arm of which carried the counterweight and the longer arm the carrier for the shot. An alternative name for the trebuchet is the mangonel (man gonneau).
Trebuchet is also the name of a font family designed by Vincent Connare.