News

A Single Misfire Leaves Team Behind in Game Using Medieval-Style Weapons

(Released 7/28/10)

GREENSBORO - The misfire on one of five launches from its medieval-style weapon spelled defeat for Team Hurlers against Team Eman Maet in a "war" between the two GTCC groups Wednesday (July 28) at the school's Greensboro campus.

Emat Maet averaged 377 feet for five launches from its trebuchet, a machine with a sling apparatus that hurls "mortar" to assault the enemy. Team Hurlers averaged 317 per launch.

The "mortar" was yellow golf balls.

The contest was between Mechanical Engineering teams that built the catapult devices based in principal on ancient devices used in the days of King Arthur to hurl mortars at castles under siege.

The teams, whose students are in associate professor Craig Koretoff's Design Process I class, failed to meet some of their best practice throws of 400 feet or more.

The winning Eman team included Jose Ramirez, Hugo Gonzalez, Gavin Morris, Ramiro Ramirez, Renny Godfrey and Eric Hoefler. Members of the Team Hurlers are Matt Dixon, Casey Berrier, Zanuyion "Zane" Wooten, Jeong Lim, Roger Hand and John Link.

The construction of the devices was part of a class requirement for these sophomore students.

"They had to design, build and test it (the device) going within 10 weeks" of the assignment being made, Koretoff said. "Students must come up with the idea for the project. Someone suggested the trebuchet (French word for siege engine)," he said.

The trebuchets are mini versions of the "real thing," Koretoff said.

Ancient armies used the trebuchets to lob projectiles over castle walls or to smash the walls.

Trebuchets were replaced by gunpowder in the 16th century.

Koretoff still finds the engineering principles of the ancient trebuchet good teaching tools.

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