Siege Engine and Castle Models Engineering

Engineering Design 100 Project 2:

The Warless Summer: Siege Engine and Castle Models

Engineering Guild E

Stephen Dule, Nicholas Moose, Braden Rosemas & Cameron Tolas

Professor Cox

Pennsylvania State University

Contents: 1. Abstract……………………………………………………………………...….. 3 2. Existing Conditions………………………………………………………...… 4-9 a. Introduction…………………………………………………………...... 5 b. Our Definition of Siege Engines and Castles……………………...... 4-5 c. History of Siege Engines and Castles up to the Middle Ages…….... 5-7 d. Economy of Fiefs…………………………………………………...… 7-8 e. People we are goin to use and their jobs………………………...….. 8-9 f. Stakeholders and their needs…………………………………...……... 9 g. Summary………………………………………………………………... 9 3. Methods……………………………………………………………………. 10- 16 a. Introduction…………………………………………………………… 10 b. Conceptualizing Approach………………………………………... 10-11 c. Assessment Criteria……………………………………………….. 12-15 d. Specifications………………………………………………………….. 15 e. Ranking Chart…………………………………………………….…... 16 f. Summary………………………………………………………………. 17 4. Data Analysis………………………………………………………………. 17-24 a. Introduction………………………………………………………....….17 b. Final Prototypes………………………………………………...... 17-21 c. Prediction of Performance………………………………………... 21-22 d. Comparison of Predicted Performance to Actual Performance.. 22-23 e. Summary…………………………………………………………... 23-24 5. Conclusion…………………………………………………………………. 24-27 6. Works Cited…………………………………………………………….…….. 28

List of Figures: 1. Sketches of Castle…………………………………………………………….. 12 2. Final Prototype of Ballista…………………………………………….….….. 18 3. Final Prototype of Catapult……………………………………………...…... 20

List of Tables: 1. Stakeholder Table……………………………………………………………... 9 2. Specifications Tables………………………………………………….……… 15 3. Ranking Tables………………………………………………………..……… 16

Abstract: An engineering team consisting of Stephen Dule, Nicholas Moose, Braden Rosemas

& Cameron Tolas have been assigned to build a model siege engine and castle for our engineering design class. The task arose from the lead stakeholder, the Queen, who has commanded that the neighboring fiefs in her dominion cease the annual summer fighting. The

Queen is planning on invading her neighboring countries because of an omen that suggested an invasion. So in order to make sure she will have enough men, and food, she called off the fighting. However the Fief bosses have quickly come up with an alternative to the actual fighting and decided on using the models of the siege engines and castles that their engineers make and put them up against one another. This alternative is mainly based on gambling and a point system. Points will be accumulated from how well our siege engine and a castle do when facing other models in the field. Our siege engine will be designed around middle age engines such as

Ballistas, Catapults, Falaricas, Mangonels, Onagers, Springals, and Trebuchets.

Our engineering team has sat down and decided on making a Ballista and a Catapult that has three crevices allowing us to throw multiple projectiles at once. These engines will be built around the main goals of destruction, reliability, and ease of use, as points will be accumulated through these factors. The Castle will be designed around the principle of angled walls, as they are less likely to be penetrated and destroyed by enemy fire. Its main purpose will be to survive multiple attacks from enemy siege engines, as we will receive more points if our structure receives minor damage.

In this report we will be going over several things the first of which are the existing conditions. In this part of the report we are going to define several things as well as identify the stakeholders and all of their possible needs. Preceding this is the methods section, where we discuss our approach to each of our structures, outline what they need to do. In addition to this

we will make specification and ranking charts. After this we will have our data analysis section where we explain how our structures work, what they are made from and how our castle is laid out. We will also write about how we predict how our siege engine will perform in the field and finally compare that to how it actually did.

After several days, we successfully completed construction on our engines and castle as well as test. them in the field. The results of the field test lead us to say that we have achieved success, as we were able to cause major damage to our opponents castles. During the field testing we were able to breach several walls and make a lot of shots enter our opponents courtyard. In addition to this our castle withstood several harsh rounds of bombardment, and came out with minimal damage and breaches.

Keywords: Siege Engine, Castle, Middle Ages, Ballistas, Catapults, Falaricas, Mangonels,

Onagers, Springals, Trebuchets, Motte-and-Bailey, Keep

Existing Conditions

Introduction: In this section of the report we will focus on our definitions of siege engines, and castles. In addition to this we will discuss the history of these objects, the economy of fiefs, identify certain people we will need and determine all the needs for each stakeholder.

Our Definition of Siege Engines and Castles

Siege Engine- Our team defines a siege engine as a giant mobile weapon or structure that is capable of doing major damage to people, and buildings. Siege engines can achieve this goal by throwing or shooting projectiles that can be sharp, or heavy over a long distance. Or they can

achieve this by being able to carry a large amount of people at once over a wall so they can enter the enemy's fortress.

Castle- Our team has defined a castle as a large structure usually made of rocks and cement, which is surrounded by an outer wall. In addition to this they have strong fortifications making it very hard for invading forces to enter, or attack it. This is done by digging a moat around the castle or building it on a mountain so that the ground is uneven preventing siege engines and enemy forces from being very effective. They also symbolize wealth and power as noblemen mainly lived in them.

Siege Engines and Castles in the Middle Ages-

Siege Engines- During the middle ages siege engines were more suffocated, reliable, and effective than their earlier counterparts (Campbell, 2003). The types of engines built in the middle ages were Ballistas, Catapults, Falaricas, Trebuchets/Mangonels, and Onagers. Ballistas are giant crossbows that shoot arrow like projectiles by using string torsion, however they were mainly used as a defense engine. Catapults are wooden structures that can hurl projectiles over long distances as a arm in the middle has a bowl at the end which houses projectiles. The arm is bent and then thrusted forward using a weight system, the arm then hits something when it is almost perpendicular to the base causing the projectiles to hurl towards the enemy. Falaricas are heavy javelins that have a sharp narrow tip, which can pierce armor. This weapon could also be applied with flammable materials allowing it to set enemy siege engines on fire. Trebuchets, know as mangonels in the middle ages, are beam-sling weapons that can hurl rocks, and containers filled with flammable material. They were mainly used to damage castle walls as the fire would deteriorate the cement holding the wall together. Finally Onagers are a type of

catapult that uses torsional pressure, by twisting a rope which created the energy to throw projectiles (Ramsey, 2016).

Castles- During the middle ages castles mainly came in the form of giant structures surrounded by a wall, and denoted that someone of wealth, political or religious importance lived there. They were built all over Europe, and the Middle East during the middle ages as demand for them rose due to the fall of the Roman Empire. The first european castles were built by the Anglo-Saxons between the first and third century. They were basic structures, mostly made of wood and stone.

Next the Normans began constructing castles as well, after conquering the Anglo-Saxons in the tenth century. They observed the early designs of these structures and decided to add to them, which resulted in the motte-and-bailey design. The motte is either a natural or man made mound that was raised about a hundred feet from the ground. On top of the hill was a keep, which was the stone or wooden wall covering the top structure and other living areas, meant to defend against incoming invaders. The bailey is the enclosed courtyard where the regular inhabitants lived (“A Brief History…”, 2017)

The motte-and-bailey design was popular for the next few centuries. However in the 12th century the making of a shell keep formed, which was a keep that was on a lower level of the motte. This concept was mainly used in the 11th and 12th centuries as they built curtain walls, which were very tall stone keeps that surrounded the perimeter of the castle. Near the end of the

12th century, castles became a necessity for royal families. To accommodate this, castles became larger and stronger to block out large scale enemy attacks. This new design caused the keep to be replaced by a stronger defence, known as the barbican. This design included high walls and the placement of towers between a certain length of the wall. Overall it allowed for a better view of

the surrounding area allowing guards to see and warn if any attackers approached the castle. The curtain walls were designed as concentric figures and squares, which allowed the guards to have the best view (“A Brief History…”, 2017).

By the 14th century many design changes were made, which improved the overall structure and safety of new castles. They were made into smaller structures called fortified manor houses. These houses had multiple layers of walls and towers, as well as a tower house that stood alone. They were not meant to withstand a battle as they were built more for show.

This occurred because conflicts and battles had been decreasing and politics and society had advanced to the point where defensive castles were no longer a necessity (A Brief History…”,

2017).

Economy of Fiefs

The economics of the feudal system depended on two main aspects: land and people. Those who owned the land were known as vassals, or lords of the fief. The land was split up between serfs on portions of land called manors. These serfs were mainly responsible for agricultural work, and were paid with protection from their vassal, and had little governing power in this system. The most powerful were those with the most land. Although vassals did own land, the property mostly belonged to higher ranking people, such as dukes, knights, and kings. Kings held the highest position and the importance trickled down from there, going all the way to serfs. Each person who was underneath a rank had to do favors, give money, or harvest food in order to be protected by the upper position. The most important group was actually at the bottom; the peasants. They were the ones who provided food for the community, and were the largest portion of the population. Their role individually was insignificant, but on a large scale view, they were

crucial to the setup of a structured economy. The feudal system was set up right after the fall of the Roman empire. The collapse of a single governing and economic unit allowed for regions to create their own empires. The most powerful and rich people developed areas for defense from invading groups who took advantage of the boundaryless state. This is the reason land was so valuable in the medieval times, because without protection one would most likely be invaded.

With surrounding fiefs there was a balance between authority and liberty. They were open for trade, but also were prepared for protection against unsuspected attacks. The production of a fort and weapons were set as a critical invention for a successful economy and society (Goucher,

LeGuin, Walton, 2004)

People we are going to use and their jobs

Blacksmith- Metal worker whose main purpose was to make armor, weapons, jewelry, tools and was responsible for shoeing the horses. The metal that they smithed came from the miners as well as traveling merchants that have acquired it from other towns and countries. (Alchin, 2016)

Woodcutter- Cuts large pieces of wood to meet a certain dimensions, they get the wood from the lumberjacks who cut down trees. They also get their saws made and sharpened from the blacksmith and might need him to do either of those tasks.

Carpenter- Shapes the wood that the Woodcutter cuts, by sanding it down and adding designs to it. The wood shaper needs to have the blacksmith available so that he can get his tools sharpened or to acquire new tools.

Paper Maker- Makes paper by taking linen rags which are washed thoroughly and left to dry for several days, afterwards the linen is then cut (Lemeneva, N.D.).Flax is the crop that produces

linen and it was mainly grown by monasteries and causes major damage to the land it is grown on (“Flax…”, 2015).

Glue Maker- Made glue by boiling down the hooves of the dead horses, they might need the blacksmith to make a new cauldron. (Helm-Clark, 2007)

Merchant- sells materials at the town square or in a shop, if they are a traveling merchant they most likely have goods from other countries or neighboring towns. This includes things such as string and possibly paper.

Stakeholders and their needs

Stakeholders Needs

Queen Needs to ensure that the fiefs do not take part in the annual fighting as she had an omen leading her to believe that she should invade her neighbors.

Boss of Fiefs Need to follow the Queen as she is their boss and will severely punish them if they take part in the annual fighting.

Merchants Need time to obtain and sell items in the marketplace.

Trades Persons Need time to shoe horses, cut lumber for houses and other tasks in order to keep balance and progress in the fief.

Serfs Need to live and do not want to be bothered with the annual fighting.

Summary- This section went over our group's definition of siege engines and castles, their history during the middle ages, the economies of fiefs, certain trades people and the stakeholders

needs were outlined. In the next section we will used the needs of the stakeholders to derived prototypes to suit all of their needs.

Methods:

Introduction- In this part of the report we will be talking about our conceptualized approaches we took when creating our castle and siege engines. After that we will show our original sketches for our models, if needed, and then talk about the assessment criteria. We will finish up with our tables on specification that our models have to meet and how we ranked them.

Conceptualizing Approach

Ballista- The main purpose of the ballista is that it is going to weaken the structures supporting our enemies outer wall and tower. To ensure that this happens we have decided to allow the ballista to have 360 degree motion so that it can be readjusted to hit all the supports. We are also going to have a tube, made from bamboo, that will run the entire length of the ballista so that our projectiles will have a more defined path, resulting in an increased level of accuracy. In addition to this we are going to use box springs, that can be adjusted. This way we can produce the most tension, so when the string is released it will build up a high amount of energy. The energy will then be transferred to our projectile leading it to reach high speeds.

Catapult- The catapult is going to be made to produce the largest amount of force that it can, so it will cause a lot of damage to our opponents castle. This engine is going to be primarily built out of wood, except for the string that provides the torsion to swing the catapult arm back which throws the payload. By designing the catapult to throw multiple objects, whether it is making the bucket larger or creating multiple buckets, this would allow for a higher chance of hitting the

target, which will deliver a large amount of damage to our opponents castle or castle wall. The catapult is a simple, easy, and effective siege engine which can throw multiple objects resulting in the damaging or destruction of our opponents structures.

Castle- Our castle and its surrounding wall are going to be built on the principles of durability as we want them to withstand constant hits of enemy fire. To achieve this the castle and the outer wall are going to be constructed of paper and supported by thin wooden sticks. Our castle is going to be a tower placed in the middle of the area taken up by the walls. It is going to have a rectangular shape, as the directions limit what we can do with the tower.

Our outer wall is going to be based off of angled walls which will make them more likely to stay together. Other groups will have difficulty penetrating our wall as the angle allows the force to be lessened on the paper and sticks, which will help by keeping the structures integrity in tact. To accomplish this angled wall we have decided to make the wall in a polygonal shape, in which the walls are not on a perfect 90 degree angle. However the setup of other walls will recede at other angles, decreasing the impact of force on the castle making it a tougher target to damage. In addition to these horizontal angles we are looking at adding vertical ones as well, because of the reasons stated earlier. Overall our structure will be able to cushion the blow of enemy fire by redirecting its force which is caused by the angular nature of the walls.

Sketch of Castle

Assessment Criteria

Ballista-

Accurate- We are going to try to take down enemy fortifications and need a device that will be able to hit the main supports of their structure. To ensure that this device is going to accurate we are going to place our projectiles in a tube that will span the entire length of the ballista. This will create a more defined path for the projectile allowing it be more accurate as it will not easily stray from the path. We expect the target value of this specification to be second highest priority.

Powerful- This ballista needs to be powerful enough to break through wooden sticks and hot glue. To ensure this we are going to place box springs, an open box with a string which you can tighten, to produce a high amount of force. This will cause the projectile to go at high speeds leading it to transfer more force on our enemies fortifications. We expect the target value of this specification to be the highest priority.

Adjustable- We need the Ballista to be able to move as it will be less effective if it can just shoot in one direction. To make this possible we have a swivel system that allows the ballista to move

360 degrees allowing it to hit all the supports on the enemies castle. We expect the target value of this specification to be the third highest priority.

Catapult-

Multiple Payloads- The primary need of the catapult is to send multiple objects at the opponent’s castle at once. By modeling our catapult like this we can deliver a lot of damage in multiple places at one time. We did this by making multiple baskets on the arm of the catapult which can hurl many objects (pretzels) in one shot. We expect the target value of this specification to be second highest priority.

Powerful- The catapult needs to be powerful and to get this we are going to use the method of twisting string as a way to provide torsion on the arm. This will satisfy the need of the catapult being a powerful siege engine because it will be able to deliver a large amount of damage to the opponent’s castle due to the tension in the string. We expect the target value of this specification to be the highest priority.

Adjustable- We will satisfy the need of the catapult being adjustable by having knobs on the ends of the string providing the torsion on the throwing arm. These knobs will allow us to tighten or loosen the string, this will allow us to adjust how much torsion is put on the arm. This will

help us greatly in the field as we are not sure how far or how close our opponents will place their castles from our siege engine. We expect the target value of this specification to be the third highest priority.

Castle-

Strong- We need our castle to be strong as every group is going to use similar materials to the ones we are using. Strength will come from how we build it, so we need to make sure that each wall is even and stable. As well as make sure that the corners and sides are glued properly and tight. In addition to this the paper used for the walls will be slightly loose to allow for more impact from projectiles. These methods will ensure that our castle will be capable of taking impact from the pretzels. We expect the target value of this specification to be the highest priority.

Symmetric- Our fort must have at least two lines of symmetry in its design so that our opponents cannot see any noticeable weak spots. The easiest way to meet this need is to make it into a regular polygon. A square has four lines of symmetry, and from there it increases. With too many lines of symmetry though, it will look more like a circle, which will cause the sides to look more sloped instead of angled and may make our wall an easier target. We expect the target value of this specification to be second highest priority.

Protection from Aerial Bombardment- A siege engine our castle must face is the Catapult, which can cause projectiles to enter our castles walls. To prevent this we have decided to decrease the area of the castle's inner courtyard by setting up a slanted roof. This will prevent both frontal and aerial attacks as the inward slope will stop vertical and horizontal projectiles.

Along with the walls, there will be towers made to stop any firepower from entering. They will

be integrated within the sloped wall so that they will be near the curtain wall. We expect the target value of this specification to be the third highest priority.

Specifications- Ballista-

Specifications Tube Tight Box Springs Swivel

Powerful ✓

Adjustable ✓

Accurate ✓

Catapult-

Specifications Multiple Baskets High String Torsion Knobs on String

Multiple Payloads ✓

Powerful ✓

Adjustable ✓

Castle-

Specifications Slanted Walls Pentagonal Towers Proper Gluing Shape and Sealing

Strong ✓

Symmetric ✓

Protection ✓ ✓ from Aerial Fire

Ranking Chart

Ballista-

Specifications Ranking (adds Tube Tight Springs Swivel to 10)

Powerful 3.5 0 0 8 28 0 0

Adjustable 3 0 0 0 0 8 24

Accurate 3.5 9 31.5 5 17.5 5 17.5

Total 10 9 31.5 13 45.5 14 41.5

Catapult-

Specifications Rating (adds to 10) Multiple Buckets High String Torsion Knobs on String

Multiple Payloads 3.5 9 31.5 0 0 0 0

Powerful 3.5 0 0 8 28 2 7

Adjustable 3 0 0 0 0 9 27

Total 10 9 31.5 8 28 11 34

Castle-

Specifications Rating Proper Gluing (adds to Slanted Walls Pentagonal Tower and Sealing 10) Shape

Strong 4 0 0 0 0 5 20 8 32

Symmetric 3 1 3 10 30 7 21 4 12

Protection from 3 8 24 0 0 7 21 0 0 Aerial Fire

Total 10 9 27 10 30 19 62 12 44

Summary- The Methods section went over our conceptualized approaches to our siege engines and castle, and our specification and ranking tables. In the next section we will be discussion our final prototypes, showing you pictures of them as well as state how we think they are going to perform and compare that to how they actually perform in the field.

Data Analysis

Introduction- In this section we will be describing our final prototype in detail, by explaining how our siege engines work, how the castle is laid out, and what these structure are made of.

After this we will predict how we think they are going to perform in the field. After we test our siege engines and castle in the field we will compare that to how we initially thought they were going to perform.

Final Prototypes-

Ballista- The Ballista we made is constructed from metal, wood, hot glue, and string. The metal that we used comes in the form of screws, a ball bearing swivel commonly found on shopping carts, and door hinge that has been split in two. The wood used in this structure comes from three rectangular pieces of wood that all have various dimensions, box springs, a circular wooden piece and a bamboo tube. This siege engine works by pulling the strings that are wound up, located on the sides of the siege engine. The string is then fed through a bamboo tube, which we drilled creating an open slit on both sides. The sting is then attached to a wooden circle, which ensures that all projectiles catch and are shot properly. If the users target is not directly in front of them the ballista is on top of a ball bearing swivel, which allows the Ballista to have 360 degree motion. When all the adjustments have been made the user simply has to pull back on the

string on both sides, intensifying the tension in the strings, throw the projectile in the tube and let go. When they let go the wooden piece goes forward until it reaches the end of the slit causing the projectile to get most of the energy produced leading it to fly forward.

Catapult- The catapults base was built with plywood and has a rectangular shape, composed of two larger pieces of wood, which are 10 inches long, connected by two smaller pieces of wood, which about 2.5 inches long. This creates a solid and heavy rectangular base that will help keep the siege engine on the ground while fire in addition to making it easier to load. There is also an arch that is raised up and connected approximately 5 inches about the top of the base of the siege engine. This is what will stop the arm and launch the projectile into the air when in use. The arch also has diagonal bracing along the long side of the base to support the arch from the heavy impacts it might endure while being fired. There are two holes through the two longer pieces of wood on the base, this is where the paracord goes through to be twisted around the throwing arm.

The paracord is strung through and looped around two small pieces of 1 inch long dowel rods that are separated from the base with metal washers. The arm of the catapult is made of a normal wooden kitchen spoon and a small half cut piece of bamboo is attached to the back of the head of the spoon. The bamboo extends on the right and left sides of the head of the spoon, allowing the catapult to load multiple projectiles and fire them all at once. Depending how you place them on the head, you can load anywhere from one to five projectiles at a time. The end of the spoon is placed in between the looped string, which is then twisted to put active torsion on the arm, which results in a spring like effect. There are small nails put on either side of the catapult to keep the string from coming unwound.

Operating the arm is very simple, after placing the machine on the ground, or surface you are using, simply put one or two fingers at the very top of the spoon and pull it all the way down until the spoon is stopped by the base. From there take the desired amount of projectiles, which in this case are pretzels, and place them one by one on the head of the arm and the cut bamboo to the left and right of it. After placing your ammo on the head of the catapult you simply have to aim it in the direction you want to shoot towards and let go of the machine. The tightly wound string will pull the arm up till it hit’s the frame of the arch, this then releases the projectiles into the air in the direction of where you were aiming. Then to shoot again you just need to repeat the same process.

Castle- The castle is a pentagonal shape with a four inch wall. Each side of the pentagon is 9.6 inches in length, giving the total area of the pentagon to be about 158 inches2. The walls slant inward to protect projectiles from entering the courtyard. The slanted wall was made by building supports pointing inward to the castle and make an angle of about 30 degrees. Along with that, there is a roof that covers one half of the top part of the castle. The roof goes from one corner to the second closest corner, making a triangular shape, which is for denying projectiles as well.

The fort itself is made of trace paper and basswood, with hot glue holding the connecting parts.

The materials were given for the project, but we also took advantage of our own creation of the castle and let the walls loosely hang to prevent breakage on impact. A looser wall will absorb some of the force and direct it to the outside of the wall instead of directly at the contact point. A tower was also set up, which is 3 inches x 3 inches in length and width, and one foot in height. It

covers almost the entire courtyard and will stop most projectiles from entering. The walls are made of trace paper as well as basswood for the structure.

Calculations-

Total Length of Sticks Used for Castle:

10 x 9.6 inches.

5 x 2.5 inches

5 x 3 inches

5 x 4 inches

5 x 3.3 inches

5 x 5.6 inches

1 x 15.5 inches

TOTAL:

202.3 inches

Base Area of Castle

Side = 9.6 inches

Area = 158.56 inches2

Prediction of Performance

Ballista- We predict that the Ballista is going to be able to cause major damage to our opponents castle supports, and wall. This conclusion was reached as we performed some initial testing and found that our ballista, when the torsion in the strings are high, can cause our projectiles to shoot out at high speeds. If we can get this high torsion and a decent level of accuracy then we will be able to take down our opponents wall, supports, and tower with continued bombardment.

Catapult- We predict that the catapult is going to be able to deliver a large amount of force to our opponent’s castle and walls. We came to this as we performed some initial testing and found that our catapult shoots projectiles at a high speed. This along with the ability to load multiple projectiles will most likely result in out catapult being very effective during the final trials.

After some additional testing, we discovered the accuracy of the catapult when shooting a target three, four and five feet away. We tested the accuracy using one to three pieces of pretzels as the payload can vary and we wanted to see how accurate and how effective the shots are at from certain ranges. From our testing we discovered that our catapult is very accurate however when it is completely loaded the accuracy is a little off, due to the additional weight. We tested the catapult on a replica model of a castle, which used the same materials in order to get the most accurate predictions of how the siege engine will perform in the actual rounds.

Castle- We predict that the castle will perform effectively when being attacked by enemy fire.

We think this because of the castles slanted outer walls as well as the pentagonal design it has.

These elements will make our castle difficult for enemies to hit, in addition to this the integrity of our design is strong, so the framing will remain intact. These reasons are why we think our castle will have minimal damage while it is in the field test.

Comparison of Predicted Performance to Actual Performance

Ballista- Our predictions for the ballista were pretty much spot on to how it performed in the field. However it was not able to take down any supports, but the ballista breached a majority of our opponents walls as well as take down their towers. Unfortunately one of the the box springs

broke due to tightening it too hard, but we were able to repair it. Besides this everything went great with the Ballista afterwards.

Catapult- The catapult performed very close to how we predicted it would, as it proved to be an aquatiate siege engine during the field testing. Shooting and reloading the catapult was very easy, just like we intended it to be. We fired a majority of our rounds at our opponents castle, which ended up entering their courtyard. This can been seen as in one round our catapult got 15 pretzels in our opponents courtyard, which resulted in our team gaining a lot of points. This was due to our ability to load more than one pretzel at a time. The accuracy of the catapult was very good as well, as most of the shots landed where we wanted them to. In total our catapult was a very effective and efficient siege engine that performed extremely close to our initial predictions.

Castle- Our predictions for the castle were accurate compared to how it performed in the field.

The slanted walls made it difficult for our enemies to penetrate our walls as well as fire shrapnel into our castles courtyard. The structure of the castle remained intact throughout the trials, and only a few breaches occurred. There were six places in which projectiles penetrated our castle wall, and our wall had received more than six direct hits. This proves that our wall design is capable of persistent bombardment as it survived through the trials. The triangular roof also prevented some projectiles from entering the wall as well. The tower was the least effective in the overall design of the fort, as it was knocked down every round. The small square design sat awkwardly inside the walls and was easily taken out in one hit. Overall, the castle received minor damage, and most importantly performed extremely close to what we had initially predicted.

Summary- In the Data Analysis we discussed our prototypes for the siege engine by explaining what they were made from, and how they work. We did this by going over things such as how

can you adjust, load and fire them. Additionally we went over the plans for the castle and the materials we used. After this we gave our predictions for how we think our model will perform and compared that to how they actually performed. Next we are going to conclude the project by talking about our process from stakeholder analysis to final prototype, review to what extent we solved the problem, and go over possible directions for future research.

Conclusion- When we started this project we began by making sure that we had identified all the stakeholders in this scenario. The stakeholders were the Queen, Fief Boss, Merchants,

Tradesmen, and Serfs. According to our initial research each stakeholder would most likely have a specific need that they would want to be meet. In addition to this we realized that if we took up too much time and resources from certain stakeholders, specifically merchants and tradesmen, then serious consequences could occur. With this in mind we began coming up with ideas for our castle and siege engine that would not consume too much time or resources. However we also wanted our siege engine to win as the needs of the fief bosses and the queen would take priority as they are the main people we have to please. With all this in mind we sought to create a prototype that would be effective but somewhat simple to construct.

Overall we solved the problem and created two siege engines and a castle which were use to compete against other siege engines and a castle. However because of the main use of sophisticated metal parts the blacksmith would have most likely have barely any time to shoe the horses responsible for bringing in that years harvest. He also might have not had time to make the tools necessary for construction or mining, nails, keys, chains, jewellery, or weapons and armor. This would have a serious impact on the town as they would not have the necessities to be stable, and functioning, which would ultimately displease the Queen.

Another tradesmen whose time we consumed is the carpenter, but a majority of the wooden parts we used are fairly basic as they were mainly rectangular, circular, or square pieces of wood. However creating the half circle crevasse to hold the bamboo and cutting the slit in the bamboo might have been a challenge and taken up some time. But the carpenter would probably have time to make doors, houses, utensils, and furniture.

The paper maker would either need to grow flax, take the paper from an old bible, get the monks to give or make us paper, or get some from a merchant. If the first option happened then the rows between the harvest would be used to grow flax in order to produce the paper. This would have many negative repercussions as flax is very destructive to the land that it is grown on and can affect the crops surrounding it leading to butchered harvest. If this occurred then some of the serfs would most likely starve, in addition to having less rations necessary to led an invasion.

However if we go with the second option we would probably be seen as heretics as we would be defiling a bible and we would be swiftly excommunicated and shunned by the all the nearby towns and probably be killed or put in jail. The next option would probably get us paper and would be the most desired because those at the monastery would have already been growing flax.

They would have to deal with not adding pages to produce a bible but overall their would be very few repercussions. The last possible answer to this problem is buying paper from a merchant, however it would probably be almost impossible to obtain paper as the main producers of paper were monasteries who used it to create bibles.

The last this that might have caused trouble is obtaining a bamboo tube, which would have taken several months to get from china to where ever we were in Europe. This is because the Bamboo would have to travel through the Silk Road and then make its way through the middle east. There it would travel by boat and if we got lucky the boat would have to face little

to no storms or combat. After the ship docked in Europe we would receive the bamboo tube in a couple weeks if the person delivering it did not get robbed. Over the course of its trip there would be the possibility of it breaking which would have hindered the ballistas progress.

In the end if our models were to be constructed during medieval times they would have caused serious damage to the town. The engine that would have taken the most time to build would be the ballista. The ballista had the most complicated parts and most variations of materials. This would have been an issue if the catapult had not been so easy to build. Due to how common and how simple of the materials the catapult used, it would have been completed with fewer laborers and in less time. The catapult simply uses primarily would and rope. Rope and wood is both easy to maintain and simple to use. Basic educated tradespeople and/or slaves could build under specific instructions. A ballista would have taken more time out of the higher educated engineers, blacksmiths, and skilled tradespeople. Using both more materials and more time and people to build it.

After the field testing we discovered that our model's were very successful as they all performed very well. To start off our catapult caused a lot of courtyard damage as well as take down several towers. In addition to this our ballista was able to breach a majority of the walls that it went up against as well as take down a tower. However our ballista was wound up too tight and the spring box broke, but we fixed it and recovered. Our castle did very well as it was barely breached and won the field testing for best structural design as it could withstand continued bombardment from enemy fire.

So if this competition were to take place in medieval times the queen would have most likely adopted our design for the castle. This would happen as our design could take the most beating and still come out with minor damage. The queen would want this because her invasion

plan might backfire and she needs a good defensive structure if she is going to be attacked. In addition to this she would also adopt a form of the ballista we made, for defense, as it was very effective in penetrating our opponents walls. The ballistas would be used to disable enemy siege engines and would be used if her invasion does not work out so well. Finally our catapult design would not have been taken by the queen as other groups had more effective catapults. This is because our catapult was mainly used to hit inside the courtyard, if it could cause a lot of damage to the castle’s walls then it would be a good contender. The queen would most likely want her troops to be able to enter the castle walls and kill all those in it, instead of just blindly firing into the courtyard and hoping to kill someone.

Now if further research were going to be put into this then we suggest starting with talking to a historian that specializes in the medieval times. This should be done because we assumed the needs of the stakeholders based off of very basic research. Additionally further consultation with an expert should be made because a ball bearing swivel system might have been way to complicated for a medieval blacksmith to make. Also a medieval expert would be necessary in telling how many acres of flax would have to be planted to produce several pieces of paper. We suggest this because there is almost no information on flax being used to make paper as it has not been use that way in centuries. Furthermore they should aim to not take up too much time of a tradesman as they were key to running a successful fief.

Works Cited

A brief history of castle building over the last two thousand years. 2017. Castles and Fortifications of England and Wales. Retrieved from http://www.ecastles.co.uk/history.html

Campbell, Duncan B. 2003. Greek and Roman Siege Machinery 399 BC – AD 363. Osprey Publishing.

Flax Production in the Seventeenth Century. 2015. National Parks Services. Retrieved from https://www.nps.gov/jame/learn/historyculture/flax-production-in-the-seventeenth- century.htm

Goucher, Candice, LeGuin, Charles, and Walton, Linda 2004. In the Balance: Themes in Global History. McGraw Hill. Retrieved from https://www.learner.org/courses/worldhistory/support/reading_8_2.pdf

Helm-Clark, Catherine, 2007. Overview of Medieval Glues. Retrieved from http://www.rocks4brains.com/glue.pdf

Lemeneva, Elena. N.D. Materials and Techniques of Manuscript Production. Retrieved from http://web.ceu.hu/medstud/manual/MMM/paper.html

Ramsey, Syed. 2016. History of Weapons in Ancient Times. Retrieved from https://books.google.com/books?id=MCQzDAAAQBAJ&q=catapult#v=snippet&q=cata pult&f=false