Whipper Trebuchet

In my intro to engineering course my freshman year, we were assigned a semester-long competition/project to construct a trebuchet that could fit within a 2'x2'x2' space and launch a softball using only a counterweight (no springs, batteries, motors, etc.). My team decided to construct a "whipper" trebuchet, which uses an additional link in the arm to accelerate the ball shortly before launch. We won the competition with a toss of 73 feet!

Adjustable Release Mechanism Demonstration

Real Prototype

CAD Concept

Before Release

After Release

Loaded Postion

Position Slightly Before Launch

Final CAD Assembly

Trebuchet Presentation

Trebuchet Preliminary Design Review

We gave this presentation near the end of the class to explain our design process and prototyping. It's quite silly (I was a freshman at the time), but is informative.