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.