Gautham Govindarajan

Main Project Report Part 2: Trebuchet

May 8, 2017

Main Project Final Report 2017 Part 2, Student Work, zy 2017

Why? The ‘why’ question for my project can be classified into two different aspects – 1. Why did I choose to make a trebuchet? and 2. Why did choose the aesthetic I decided to go with for the trebuchet? I’ll address both the questions in the following passages of this report. Why a Trebuchet? My…

Main Project Report Part 1: Trebuchet

May 8, 2017

Gautham Govindarajan

Main Project Final Report 2017 Part 1, Student Work, zy 2017

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This post gives a brief outline of what and how of my final project for the Aesthetics of Design class: a battle-worn looking trebuchet. A trebuchet is a siege engine used during the medieval ages. It uses a counterweight and sling action to hurl projectiles weighing up to 90 kgs for 200 meters. The Trebuchet…

Final Presentation: Trebuchet

May 4, 2017

Gautham Govindarajan

Main Project Presentation 2017, Student Work, zy 2017

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Below is a video of my class presentation.

Final Stretch: Trebuchet

April 12, 2017

Gautham Govindarajan

Main Project Final Stretch Progress 2017, Student Work, zy 2017

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Based on the timeline I set up for my project, I should have acquired all the materials by now, which I have, and should be able to complete my construction by this weekend. I think I am poised to get my construction done according to my timeline unless run into any design issues. I think…

Construction Timeline: Trebuchet

April 10, 2017

Gautham Govindarajan

Construction Timeline 2017, Student Work, zy 2017

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For my trebuchet project, I have finalized my design and acquired all the materials I need for my construction including some nice pieces of ghost wood which really fits my ghastly war-torn aesthetic goals. My plan is to finish the construction by next week and start working on the aesthetic as soon as possible. The…

20th Century Design Movement: Trebuchet

March 23, 2017

Gautham Govindarajan

Project aesthetics compared to 20th Century design movements (2017), Student Work, zy 2017

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Having decided to make a trebuchet, a weapon from 12th century, for my final project, I find it quite difficult to fit the aesthetic I am looking to achieve into one of the 20th century design movements. May be it can loosely fit into Constructivism because of all the mechanical elements. Or may be it…

Design Review: Trebuchet

March 15, 2017

Gautham Govindarajan

Main Project Design Review Report 2017, Student Work, zy 2017

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For this project, I’ve decided to make a scaled model of one of the siege engines used during the medieval ages – the trebuchet. The trebuchet is a siege weapon that were used to hurl huge boulders at enemy castles and walls at a distance of about 300 meters away during battles. The trebuchets were…

Top 5 Constraints: Trebuchet Design

March 9, 2017

Gautham Govindarajan

Student Work, Top 5 Constraints 2017, zy 2017

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1. Deciding on the Scale: I thing I have to figure out right away is the size of the trebuchet I want to make. This is first important step before I could start acquiring materials and decide on the design. 2. Achieving the Aesthetic: The Aesthetic I am looking to achieve is a trebuchet that looks like it…

Main Project Inspiration: The Medievel Marvel

March 1, 2017

Gautham Govindarajan

Main Project Inspirations 2017, Student Work, zy 2017

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Anyone who has played Age of Empires will agree on one thing, that Trebuchets are awesome. For those who don’t know about this marvel of medieval engineering, a trebuchet is a type of siege engine that was used to hurl 100 kg (220 lbs) boulders at or into enemy fortifications located up to 300 meters (980 ft) away,…

Skill Sets and Aspirations

February 22, 2017

Gautham Govindarajan

Skill Sets and Personal Aspirations 2017, Student Work, zy 2017

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Skill Set: I’m Gautham and as a Graduate Student in the Mechanical Engineering Design program, my basic skill set would be that of any other ME student. I have experiences in pretty much most of the CAD softwares like SolidWorks, NX-CAD, Catia, Pro-E and AutoCAD. At this stage I can learn the basics in any…

Upcycle Final Report: Cardboard Night Lamp

February 13, 2017

Gautham Govindarajan

Student Work, Upcycle Final Report 2017, zy 2017

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One of the side effects of moving in from different country, as I did six months ago, is that I ended up with a lot this. So, when we were given an upcycling assignment, I had little doubt about what raw materials I was going to use for the project. Yes, I decided to use…

Design Loop: Cardboard Night Lamp

February 9, 2017

Gautham Govindarajan

Design Loop Reality 2017, Student Work, zy 2017

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Even though I had a frustrating start to my design process, struggling to decide what to make and what to make it with, I had a fairly straight forward design loop until I hit a dead-end. I had decided to use cardboard as my raw material. I settled on the idea of making a piece…

Upcycle Progress: Cardboard Lamp

February 1, 2017

Gautham Govindarajan

Student Work, Upcycle Progress 2017, zy 2017

2

One of the side effects of moving in from different country, as I did six months ago, is that I ended up with a lot this. So, when we were given an upcycling assignment, I had little doubt about what raw materials I was going to use for the project. Yes, I decided to use…

Aesthetic Exploration: Aesthetics of Time

January 25, 2017

Gautham Govindarajan

Aesthetic Explorations 2017, Student Work, zy 2017

Aesthetic Explorations, Clocks, history, Time, Watches

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“Time and tide wait for no man” says the famous proverb. While humans have managed to find a way to tame the tides and make electricity out of it, we are still chasing behind time. Humanity has tried to manipulate time for a long time and has failed time and again. The concept of time…