Though the goal remains the same, it is always a unique experience at the collegiate Pumpkin Chunkin competition hosted by Rowan University ASME. Breaking down the walls built from last year’s medieval knights theme are the feisty angry birds vying to take out their green pig rivals. While it was buckets full of fun to unload our pumpkins at the king pig, there is more to Pumpkin Chunkin that just the trebuchet.
To start, we had to get everything to Rowan University. That’s easier said than done when all you have is a Mustang and a Prius at your disposal; much less a trailer towed by a truck like most other teams. We took this into account in the design process, emphasizing modularity and designing for assembly. To quote the Lockheed Martin design judge, we became “Tetris masters” to fit everything we needed to get to Rowan.
Unloading went much easier than loading, with some extra help from the team of firefighters next to us. Next, we set up our trebuchet on the firing line, taking care to snug up all the bolts and keep the center pivot loose in its bearings. After setup, we proceeded to conduct a dry test fire with our maximum weight of 390 pounds — this was the most worry some part of the day, as our main pivot bar bent slightly under the load.
We decreased the weight for the next few shots and worked it back up for the final rounds; the rest of the competition was without indecent. Thankfully we redesigned and beefed the main pivot bar and the lever arm attachment enough to advert last year’s catastrophic failure. Overall we were quite satisfied with this year’s design — our new pulley lowering system and steel weight holders made reloading much safer and effective, as shown below. We also increased our range and accuracy, punching a clean hole in a target box downrange.
Even with all the fun we had launching our trebuchet, Pumpkin Chunkin is more than just the chunkin. Our Rowan ASME hosts were nice enough to serve up complementary burgers, hot dogs, chips, and soda thoughout the event. Did I mention there were also free event T-shirts for all, and other activities with prizes? ASME UD put on a good showing in the costume contest, and also tried our hand at pumpkin throwing. In addition, our very own Francis Klincewicz carved a masterful pumpkin. This pumpkin featured a Greek pi, the ideal gas law, and a square for the theme: Pi R^2.
All in all, we had an excellent time. We hurled our pumpkin further than last year and event hit a box target! We had a blast this year, and can’t wait until next year!
