Ranged Weaponry (Pre-1700)

A Roman Ballista

A catapult is any one of a number of non-handheld mechanical devices used to throw a projectile a great distance without the aid of an explosive substance—particularly various types of ancient and medieval siege engines. The picture above is of a Roman Ballista and was used to great success by the Romans, however, the design for the Balliata was not invented by the Romans. It was in fact invented by the Greeks and later revised by the Romans. The design uses no chemical reaction to launch its projectile instead it uses a system of pulleys to create torque and then releases that torque to propel the projectile. The projectile was normally a large arrow and would sometimes contain a jar of flaming oil to increase its killing capabilities. The Ballista was a highly accurate weapon (there are many accounts of single soldiers being picked off by Ballista operators), but some design aspects meant it could compromise its accuracy for range. The manpower required is very little in fact it could be run by one person, however, the common manpower used was 2-3 so that it could be reloaded faster. The Ballista was pretty cheap to build and was made out of common material such as wood, rope, and some metal gears were added in later versions to increase torque. The Ballista was used as a defensive weapon because of its low mobility. It's economic impact was a positive one because it now required less solders to defend a city,thus less soldiers to manage. The Ballista was used through time and could be considered the first catapult. Its design lead to many breakthroughs in projectile firing warfare.

The design of the Ballista made combat less personal but it was still to the point where a solder firing the Ballista could see the damage being done. This would change with time.

Ranged Weaponry (1800's)

1800's "Howitzer"

A cannon is a type of artillery, usually large and tubular, that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellants to launch a projectile over a distance. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees, depending on their intended use on the battlefield. The cannon was developed over time but really made its mark in the 1800's. It was used most effectively in the American civil war. The cannon was crucial to the civil war because it had high mobility, was cost effective, and packed a punch. The cannon was put on a set of wheels which could be moved by a few men or towed by a mule or horse. The cannon was mostly made from iron(barrel) and wood. The metal used for the barrel changed throughout time as people experimented. The cannon was used to fire many projectiles. Cannon balls were most common but other materials were also used. They used two medium sized balls linked by a chain in ship to ship battles take down the masts. They also used grapeshot (tiny iron balls about the size of grapes) to take down infantry in some cases. The ammunition used varied from situation to situation in fact in some cases people used household items such as silverware and nails. Cannon's could be operated by a group of 2-3 men and had a faster reload time than the early catapults. They used explosive reaction between chemicals to fire their projectile forward. They used gunpowder in most cases but other chemical compounds were improvised. As the reaction occurs it creates vapor pressure between the sealed end of the cannon and the projectile. This pressure forces the projectile out of the cannon and towards the target. The cannon was used with much success for both defensive and offensive fighting throughout the years ans is the basis of design for modern day artillery.

The cannon as it was in the 1800's would have been less personal, however, the way it was used was very personal. In fact in the American civil war the cannon was used as close as point blank range to fend off armies overrunning a town. When it was used at a range the solders firing the cannon were focused on reload and not where the cannon ball went or who it killed.

Ranged Weaponry (1900's- )

Modern Artillery

Artillery is used in a variety of roles depending on its type and caliber. The general role of artillery is to provide fire support—"the application of fire, coordinated with the manoeuvre of forces to destroy, neutralize or suppress the enemy". This American definition makes artillery a supporting arm although not all armies agree with this logic.Unlike rockets, guns (or howitzers as some armies still call them) and mortars are suitable for delivering close supporting fire. However, they are all suitable for providing deep supporting fire although the limited range of many mortars tends to exclude them from the role. Their control arrangements and limited range also mean that mortars are most suited to direct supporting fire. Guns are used either for this or general supporting fire while rockets are mostly used for the latter. However, lighter rockets may be used for direct fire support. Most modern artillery is cost effective because while it may cost some money to make it initially its rounds are cheap and it can take out other artillery, infantry, armored vehicles. Artillery throughout time has evolved into an important part of warfare to the bowman of the old days to the modern mortars. It will continue to remain an important part of warfare.

Building our Cannon

We used paper and model designs on the computer to construct a rough cannon idea. We also Incorporated a double chamber into our design so we could generate more pressure. After taking the general design our group each took up a specific task on making each piece. After making each piece we all came together and used the tape provided to piece the parts together. The cannon was broken into three parts total so as to limit the tape usage and the risk of escaping pressure. The cannon barrel was kept short and the reactant space kept in ratio with the barrel. The double chamber design was very difficult to make but the rewards for such a design outweighed the risks. The constraints on material made the design difficult to build, however, our finished product was almost sure to create maximum pressure and thus, fire the ball further.

Finished Product

Hypothesis

Taking a look at the general designs of canon's throughout the years, I've developed a general hypothesis on what might happen when we build our cannons from the materials given. My hypothesis is that we were given the materials to build a working cannon, however, the distance that the projectile is thrown will vary greatly on design. The design that we have chosen consists of a double chamber cannon tube, which in theory should concentrate the exothermic reaction's power so that the projectile will better receive this power and thus go further. Another important design is the angle at which we should set the cannon. We've concluded that a 38 degree angle would be best for our cannon. We used a formula in which we considered the height from which the projectile will be launched and the velocity that projectile will have. Using this design with the materials given should equate to one successful launch after which I predict the materials used will be damaged by the reaction and be of no further use.

Reflection

After building the cannon and testing it we have concluded the reason behind the cannons failure. We believe that either the ethanol used in the reaction was not properly mixed so that it would react correctly or the temperature that day was too low to create the proper pressure. Gay Lussac's gas law states that as the temperature of the enclosed gas increases,the pressure increases, if the volume is constant. The low temperature on the day of testing could have resulted in the loss of pressure and thus the failure of the launch. If we had done the experiment in a warmer temperature the pressure would have been more and propeled the projectile. Another reason behind this theory is that the many designs that were tested that day all failed, which means that the designs did not cause the failure somthing else did. The ethanol ould have been another problem. If it was not mixed properly the reaction itself would fail and thus lead to cannon failure. We did run a test on the ethanol and the test seemed to conclude the ethanol to be mixed properly howerver we may never know truly until we test agian. The cannon project has tought us much about the function of gases, the projectile formula, and the varous cannon like weapons throughout the years. We should take this knowledge and use it to create the same experiment with the two possible failure points removed.

Angles of Subject

The Formula used to calculate the angle of launch is shown above. The formula itself has problems because it leaves out many variables such as wind, height of launch, etc. and thus making it more usable for a "vacuum" cannon launch than one in the real world. We plugged in many angles and came back with one that made the projectile go the furthest. It turned out to be just under 40 degrees. We did not get to see our angle in action due to the failure of the reaction. If we were to redo the project I would choose o use a better formula and maybe come up with a better calculated angle.

Language of Cannons

The 600 soldiers were assaulted by the shots of shells of canons in front and on both sides of them. Still, they rode courageously forward toward their own deaths: "Into the jaws of Death / Into the mouth of hell / Rode the six hundred."The soldiers struck the enemy gunners with their unsheathed swords ("sabres bare") and charged at the enemy army while the rest of the world looked on in wonder. They rode into the artillery smoke and broke through the enemy line, destroying their Cossack and Russian opponents. Then they rode back from the offensive, but they had lost many men so they were "not the six hundred" any more.Canons behind and on both sides of the soldiers now assaulted them with shots and shells. As the brigade rode "back from the mouth of hell," soldiers and horses collapsed; few remained to make the journey back.

This poem shows how cannons were used throughout the years and how no matter the technology there will always be valiant men and women that will charge into "the mouth of hell". It makes you think how it must have felt to be in the midst of such warfare and how warfare in general has become less "up close and personal".


The piece of music called "Overture of 1812" is related because it tells a story of battle. The music goes deep into what i believe to be an 18th century battle. It shows many angles including cannon fire and the charging in of troops toward the cannon fire. It evokes many emotions and most of which the soldies in battle feel. The Music allows for the listener to see the battle take place, to see how warfare was waged, to imagine all inside their head the cannons, soldiers, and battle forces of battles raged in the past.