SidViscous

Anyone see the finals.

Job wwas to fling an Austin Mini (real one, old style) as far as possible.

One team beat a Trebuchet (sp) otherwise known as a high thech catapult. The two A-frames that supported it were two stories tall. The long portion of the momentum arm extended another two stories from the top of the A-frames for a four story device. The momentum arm used a chain to the mini to fling it.

When they set the thing of it destroyed itslef in an absolutely spectacular way. The fulcrum pivot sheard just before the momentum arm snapped 4 tons of ballast came screaming down, the A arms let go and it just looked like an artillery shell had hit it.

The winners one worked fine second time around, but wasn't near as much fun.

Dave

I almost fell off my bed laughing when that happened, <img border="0" alt="[hiha]" title="" src="graemlins/roflmao.gif" /> . I don't think the arm (~7"x10" I-beam) snapped, but it bent ~120 degrees before the pivot sheared which then allowed the arm to demolish one A-frame (made from telephone poles, for those who didn't see it). It still flung the Mini about a car length by default but in the wrong direction.

ian

I was really pulling for the trebuchet (I don't know the spelling either), they are impressive when done correctly, there was a special on them the other day, and they could toss stones like 3/4's of a mile.

Eric

I didn't see the Junkyard Wars final, but I saw something a couple months ago about an eccentric in England(I think) who built one on his estate and would often entertain by launching various items(piano, Mini shell, etc..)

jenket944

That sequence of events was absolutely beautiful. One most unspectacular failure followed by one most fantasticly spectacular failure. I think the losers were too caught up in the spectacle of their contraption self-destructing to be upset or mad about losing (or their maching going crack-snapple-pop).

jenket944

Ok, after 12 years of English you'd think....*grumble*

(or their machine going snap-crackle-pop)

Kierf - ¿§?

</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva">Originally posted by Dave:
<strong>I almost fell off my bed laughing when that happened, <img border="0" alt="[hiha]" title="" src="graemlins/roflmao.gif" /> . </strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana,Tahoma,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva">I couldn't stop laughing at that, too.

Too funny. Sucks though, I would liked to have seen how far the trebuchet could chuck the Mini.