Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519). self-portrait
The great Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci showed himself to be a universal creator. He was a sculptor, architect, inventor. In Italy, he was called a sorcerer, a magician, a man who can do anything. Infinitely talented, he created various mechanisms, designed unprecedented aircraft such as a modern helicopter, and invented a tank. A brilliant master, he made a huge contribution to art, culture and science.
The portrait of the Florentine girl "Mona Lisa", or "La Gioconda", which is supposed to be the wife of a wealthy Florentine merchant delle Giocondo, painted by him, is on display in the Louvre in Paris and is considered a masterpiece of world painting. For centuries, the smile of the Mona Lisa has attracted millions of people -
Leonardo was born near Florence in the town of Vinci, was illegitimate son the notary Pierrot and the simple peasant woman Katerina. His father tried to introduce him to his profession.
But the young Leonardo was not interested in social laws, least of all he wanted to rewrite papers. Noticing his son's craving for painting, his father gave him training to the Florentine artist and sculptor Verrocchio. For six years, Leonardo studied the secrets of artistic craft and sculpture. The master quickly recognized outstanding talent in his student and prophesied a great future for him.
At the age of twenty, Leonardo began to work independently. He was a tall, slender, attractive young man, possessed considerable strength, bent horseshoes with his hands, he had no equal in fencing, women admired him. But despite many advantages, he did not manage to settle in Florence, where the artists were patronized by the head of Florence, Lorenzo Medici the Magnificent, who most of all liked the works of the famous Botticelli. Leonardo did not want to be in the second role and left Florence.
He went to Milan, where he lived for 17 years. It was in Milan that Leonardo showed many of his talents. The ruler of the city, Duke Lodovico Moro, first instructed him to deal with the laying of water supply and sewerage. The young Leonardo successfully coped with these problems. Then he became interested in anatomy and made several drawings for the anatomical atlas of man. Then he began work in the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie on the fresco "The Last Supper", where he reflected the final period of the life of Christ, when He sadly said to his disciples: "One of you will betray me." In this work, Leonardo, as his contemporaries noted, showed himself to be a subtle psychologist, managed to convey the tension of the situation and the various feelings that gripped the disciples of Jesus after this sacramental phrase of His.
In Milan, Leonardo made one of his interesting sculptures - an equestrian portrait of Lodovic Moreau's father, Duke Francesco. The statue has not reached our time, it was smashed by the French, but the artist’s drawing remains, which gives an idea of the scale and grandeur of the sculpture. In 1513, at the invitation of the Pope, da Vinci came to Rome to participate in the painting of the Belvedere Palace. Soon he returned to his homeland and in Florence in great hall Palazzo Vecchio made the fresco "Battle of Angier".
In 1516, he accepted the invitation of the French king Francis I and lived the rest of his days in royal castle Cloux near the town of Amboise. During this period of his life, he painted the painting "John the Baptist", prepared a series of drawings on biblical themes, invented a device for measuring the strength of the wind and the speed of the ship. Among his works, projects of earth-moving machines and a submarine were later discovered. After his death, several volumes of manuscripts remained, which contain sketches and drawings of various machines, the purpose of which is still unclear.
The Vitruvian Man is a famous drawing in which a naked man with arms and legs spread apart is depicted in a circle and a square. For artists of that time, it was considered canonical. Leonardo created it to study proportions human body. It was based on a treatise by the Roman architect Vitruvius.
It is difficult to find among the figures of science and art another such person, who was the great Italian Leonardo da Vinci. His whole life is an example of how a real genius should behave so as not to waste his talent on trifles. After all, you must admit that many talented people, having achieved some significant results, prefer to rest on their laurels, instead of continuing to fulfill themselves, benefiting others and enjoying work for themselves.
Leonardo lived for 67 years, having tried about a dozen professions in his life. And, no matter what he undertook, he always achieved results in that craft, some of which have not been surpassed to this day. His life is the surest proof that a genius is a genius in everything, while dullness - it manifests itself in everyone in its own way. Not wanting to waste precious time, Leonardo slept for 15-20 minutes every 4 hours. That is about two hours a day. Apparently, he realized that maximum brain activity (and, as a result, creativity) is most effective in the first few hours after waking up, and he used this discovery to the fullest.
However, the genius did not pay attention to many social issues either. Well, it’s understandable - why be distracted by some state or mercantile things, when exciting work awaits you in the workshop and every second of your life is worth its weight in gold. Picking up many orders and receiving advances, he did not always complete the work, so he changed his place of residence more than once, thus running away from angry creditors or bailiffs. On the other hand, even unfinished things to which the great master had a hand in one form or another found their application.
Leonardo's inventions were several centuries ahead of his time. Most modern technical means described by him, for example, a helicopter, a parachute, a car, a bicycle - these are only the most famous concepts developed by him. Of course, for that time they remained at best ideas or unfinished layouts, but the genius did not care. The main thing is to give birth to an idea, and others can do the implementation.
Leonardo was equally proficient with both hands, a rare occurrence in our species. This undoubtedly left an imprint on his approach to solving certain problems. Being engaged in analysis, he often considered the same phenomenon from different angles (up to the use of mutually exclusive methods), thereby forming the most complete picture of the true causes of a particular phenomenon. And such a duality of the nature of the master was manifested in almost everything; sometimes it came to very funny episodes.
For example, being a staunch vegetarian who no longer wants to cause the death of animals for the sake of food, he nevertheless created several dozen meat dishes, and in general, he was the head of court feasts in Milan for more than 10 years. The reluctance to kill animals was perfectly combined in him, along with the inventions of fighting machines and mechanisms designed to kill people on the battlefield. The wheel lock invented by him (and introduced into production) made it possible to almost double the rate of fire of muskets, which, as you might guess, also contributed to the death of people rather than their long and happy life.
Leonardo devoted a lot of time to the study of man in all its manifestations - from anatomy to sociology. His anatomical atlases were relevant for almost three hundred years from the moment they were depicted. The works of Leonardo touched almost all areas human activity- from projects of cities with water supply and sewerage systems to philosophical essays in which he discussed the role of creativity in the life and culture of mankind. His "official" diaries alone number over seven thousand pages; they are still being studied, since the author often resorted to ciphering his messages and allegory.
Leonardo did not ignore such a part human life like the occult. After himself, he left many prophecies and predictions. However, most likely, in this way the genius simply “rested his soul”, or made fun of future generations, forcing them to look for a secret meaning where it actually does not exist. On the other hand, during his lifetime, Leonardo denounced various mediums, astrologers, occultists, palmists and other pseudoscientists in every possible way. He even published a small collection of works in which he debunked their pseudoscience, showing the most elementary inconsistencies in it. The genius did not favor the clerics either, although he did not bring things to open clashes.
In his works of art, in particular, paintings, the master always left the viewer the opportunity to think out the plot himself. In addition, some of his works contained such obvious ambiguous elements that disputes about the meaning of certain fragments of his works are still ongoing. The painting "The Last Supper", made in the dining room of the Milan monastery, with a deep analysis, turns out to be a whole cluster of mathematical and philosophical puzzles. And his two almost identical paintings "Madonna in the Rocks", according to many critics, are a secret message, encrypted through discrepancies in the writing of individual fragments. Leonardo painted his most famous creation - the painting "La Gioconda" for more than 16 years and finished it shortly before his death. There are many secrets and mysteries associated with the picture: from who was (or was) a model for the picture to the true purpose of this picture. It is believed that the one who solves the mystical riddle of the Gioconda will be able to understand all the secret plans set forth in the encrypted notes of the great master ...
Leonardo spent the last years of his life bedridden. But this did not affect his performance in any way. Until his last breath, he remained himself: surrounded by followers and students, he came up with new projects and ideas. The cultural legacy that remained after him, in the form of diaries and random notes, was so huge that his student, Francesco Melzi, spent almost fifty years publishing only a part of the works of the great teacher concerning painting.
Rotating mechanisms, secret drawings, unsolved mysteries of paintings - this is a list of what the coolest engineer and artist of the Renaissance left behind. I present to you a collection of the most significant creations and mysteries of a genius ahead of his time.
Machine gun prototype
Leonardo actively advertised his military-technical ideas. One of them revealed the essence of the machine gun. He could not quickly fire bullets from one barrel. But on the other hand, it could fire volleys at short intervals, and if it had been built, it would have effectively mowed down the advancing infantry.
Automobile
It is assumed that this idea of \u200b\u200bcreating a car was born by Leonardo back in 1478. But only in 1752, the Russian self-taught mechanic, peasant Leonty Shamshurenkov was able to assemble a “self-running carriage”, set in motion by the power of two people.
The first ever bike
The first technical drawings of a bicycle belong to Leonardo da Vinci. The Meiningen chronicle of 1447 tells of a moving device set in motion by a driver.
Bearing
For the first time, the idea, as many believe, was born back in the time of the Roman Empire, but historians say that it was in da Vinci's notebooks that the first sketches of the bearing appeared.
Parachute
In his manuscripts, Leonardo described the exact dimensions of the device for safe descent from high altitude. Swiss Olivier Tepp decided to test it in practice and jumped from a height of 650 meters with a parachute. According to the tester, the jump was safe, but such a parachute is practically uncontrollable.
Scuba and skiing
Leonardo loved water: he developed diving instructions, invented and described Breathe-helping machine for scuba diving.
Tank
Such a basin on wheels with cannons and a turret is the progenitor of modern tanks. It was equipped with a system of gears that made up the sequence. Eight people were protected from battle by an outer shell, so they could deliver such a “hedgehog” on foot right into the thick of the battle without being wounded.
Ratchet lift
Leonardo came up with a lot of little things that were very useful. Then he used them in his mechanisms. The ratchet is a locking device that prevents the shaft from turning in the opposite direction.
Bobbin winder
At one time, Leonardo made life easier for many tailors.
robot knight
It is believed that in 1495 Leonardo da Vinci first formulated the idea of " mechanical man”, in other words - a robot. As conceived by the master, this device was supposed to be a mannequin dressed in knightly armor and capable of reproducing several human movements.
Mona Lisa and her author
Researchers have been struggling to unravel the mystery of Mona Lisa's smile for many years. Almost every year there is a scientist who announces: "The secret is solved!" Some believe that the difference in the perception of facial expressions of the Mona Lisa depends on the personal mental qualities of each. To some it seems sad, to some thoughtful, to some crafty, to some even malicious. And some believe that Gioconda does not even smile at all!
Manuscripts
Leonardo da Vinci could write with both hands, and "mirror" - that is, from right to left, although sometimes, for example, for correspondence with officials, he used the usual style of writing. The most interesting thing is that the inventor deliberately made mistakes in the drawings in order to prevent, in today's language, industrial espionage. That is why many secrets of genius remain unsolved for mankind.
human anatomy
An interesting fact is that da Vinci is considered the inventor of caricature drawing - due to the fact that he often depicted mutilated human bodies. In January 2005, researchers discovered Leonardo's secret laboratory. Untouched frescoes of the master were found there, as well as a room for the dissection of corpses (Leonardo and his students dissected hundreds of the dead, studying anatomy).
"The Last Supper"
Creating the fresco "The Last Supper" Leonardo da Vinci searched for ideal models for a very long time. Jesus must embody Good, and Judas, who decided to betray him at this meal, is Evil.
Leonardo interrupted work many times, going in search of sitters. Once, while listening to the church choir, he saw in one of the young singers the perfect image of Christ and, inviting him to his studio, made several sketches from him. Three years have passed. The Last Supper was almost completed, but Leonardo never found a suitable sitter for Judas. The cardinal, who was in charge of painting the cathedral, hurried the artist. And after a long search, the artist saw a man lying in the gutter - young, but prematurely decrepit and drunk. The artist ordered his assistants to deliver him directly to the cathedral. The man did not really understand what was happening and where he was, and Leonardo captured on canvas the face of a man mired in sins. When he finished the work, the beggar, who by this time had already recovered a little, went up to the canvas and exclaimed:
- I've seen this picture before!
- When? Da Vinci was surprised.
“Three years ago, before I lost everything. At that time, when I sang in the choir, and my life was full of dreams, some artist painted Christ from me.
Optics was popular in Leonardo's time and even had a philosophical connotation. Here are several machines for making mirrors and lenses. The second one from the top is for making concave mirrors, the third one is for polishing them, the fourth one is for the production of flat mirrors. The first and last machines are able to grind mirrors and lenses, make their surface smooth, while transforming rotary motion into a variable.
Also known is the project (performed by Leonardo between 1513 and 1516 during his stay in Rome) of a large parabolic mirror with many facets. It was conceived to heat laundry boilers by concentrating solar energy.
ARTILLERY
keeled shells
Experimenting with water flows, Leonardo came to the conclusion about the influence of air on the flight path of cannonballs. He solved this problem with the help of keeled shells, which are still relevant today. They had an aerodynamic contour and guide wings.
Machine gunRapid fire guns
This design was called by the scientist "the musket in the form of an organ pipe". Three racks with barrels (11 barrels each) with a capacity of 33 charges were installed on the cart. The unit rotated. When one rack fired, the second reloaded, and the third cooled down, the power of the fire increased and a continuous shelling was created. The gun was equipped with a screw mechanism that regulates the lift.
Leonardo paid great attention to the design of automatic firearms. To increase the power and speed of fire, he fanned out many trunks.
WEAVING INDUSTRY
lamellar spindle
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Leonardo's real innovation in weaving is the lamellar spindle, which enables the machine to pull, twist and wind one thread onto three different spools. The spindle and plate (rib) move at the same time, but each of them makes different number revolutions. The rib twists the thread and allows it to wind onto the spool faster than the spindle does. The spindle moves alternately as it rotates. It "comes and goes", due to which the thread is wound in spirals along the entire length of the coil.
Rope Making Machine
The textile industry has always been widely developed in Tuscany and Lombardy. Leonardo studied machines for winding, making ropes and processing fabrics. To make a rope (rope) it was necessary to intertwine several strands (each strand consists of separate threads). To do this, Leonardo developed a machine driven by a crank. With the help of blocks (gates), she turned the device, to which interlaced strands were attached (only three strands in this picture). In the machine shown in this figure, there are much more strands. They are collected in a semicircle of the drum, on which the blocks (gates) turn.
MECHANIZATION OF LABOR
Dredging projectile (dredge)
To clean the canals, Leonardo invented a dredge, placed between two boats and equipped with four blades. The blades were driven by a handle. According to the plan, the silt collected from the bottom was folded onto a raft, fortified between two boats. When the wheel was turned, the cable tied to the shore was wound on a drum, which automatically moved the installation.
The axis of rotation of the drum could be moved vertically and thereby adjust the depths)" of the soil sampling.
Pidravlicheskaya saw
The flow of water set in motion a wheel, which, in turn, moved a vertical saw and a cart with a tree trunk. Thus, the entire sawing process became automated.
AUTOMOTIVE
Transmission
This mechanism is designed to generate various speeds necessary for the operation of clocks, machine tools and vehicles. It has to do with the modern box
gears.
Three gears are rigidly connected to each other and lined up along the radius of the largest of them, called the planetario. The central wheel is driven from the outside by means of a handle and transfers the moment of movement to the adjacent wheel. Only the middle wheel is independent of the planetario, the other two are rigidly connected to it. At the moment of transmission of movement from the central wheel to the outer one, the planetario turns, but at a speed lower than the original one. The rotation of the outer wheel on its own axis relative to the planetario circle is called " epicycloidal crooked".
Automobile
This famous drawing shows a prototype of a modern car. A self-propelled cart moves with the help of a complex crossbow mechanism, which transfers energy to drives connected to the steering wheel. The rear wheels have differentiated drives and can move independently. The fourth wheel is connected to the steering wheel, with which you can steer the cart. Initially, this vehicle was intended for the amusement of the royal court and belonged to the range of self-propelled vehicles that were created by other engineers of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.
ANEMOMETER
These are the very "light and strong bridges" promised by Leonardo in his letter to Moreau. They could easily be built from available materials(small tree trunks). easy to transport (using ropes) and were intended mainly for military purposes. By facilitating the crossing of rivers, such bridges contributed to the rapid and covert movement of the search, which created a factor of surprise and led to a successful outcome of the battle. Leonardo distinguished between the laws of statics and resistance of materials and used them and the construction of these bridges.
The bridge is made of logs tied together with ropes assembled in such a way that two arches complete. The crossbars connecting them determine the width of the bridge. The boards that form the pavement are fixed on these rungs.
ARTILLERY CARRIAGE
This wagon was used to transport artillery pieces; by gripping with pincers and ropes, the barrel of the gun was fixed, and then lifted with the help of a screw mechanism. The wagon was moved by animal force.
BIKE
The drawing of this bicycle, found among Leonardo's papers, was too unexpected not to arouse distrust and doubt among scientists. It came into being during the restoration work of the Codex Atlantean after the separation of the two halves of the sheets pasted by Pompeo Leoni at the end XVI century on one sheet, referred to the named Code. The drawing, being on the reverse side of the sheet, which Leoni divided in half, remained invisible for more than three hundred and sixty years, and no one, naturally, could finish or add something to it during this time.
According to one version, the drawing may have been made by Salai, Leonardo's student and model. His name is actually just a word written on a piece of paper. The student copied the drawing of the master. The chain drive with gears undoubtedly goes back to the da Vinci drawing from the Madrid Code, which no one knew until 1966.
AIRCRAFT PROPELLER
The model is a base into which a screw is inserted, made of linen canvas.
Leonardo believed that if the screw was unscrewed very quickly (in his notes he did not explain with the help of what source of energy or force), then the structure would rise up, rising into the air.
This is one of the most famous drawings by Leonard da Vinci, which some scientists see as the progenitor of the modern helicopter.
SCREW LIFTER
The column, placed on a cart at one end and placed under the hoist frame at the other end, is lifted by a vertical screw attached to the column itself. People on the upper platform turn the screw and, having lifted the column, put it at a given point with the help of a device that moves the entire mechanism.
RETRACTABLE LADDER
Leonardo created a portable assault ladder, one of constituent parts which was the "gear screw" mechanism. He lengthened, shortened, raised and lowered the ladder.
Leonardo, after observing the battle scenes, designs the staircase as a military machine, ideal for storming the walls of besieged palaces and fortresses, since it would be very difficult for the enemy to repel the attack.
Today, this mechanism is used to rescue people from fires.
HYDROSCOPE
The device is a scale with two bowls. Wax was placed on one scale, and a sponge on the other in the amount necessary for balancing. The sponge, as it absorbed moisture from the air, became heavier and, under the weight of its weight, the bowl fell, and the vertical plumb line indicated the value of humidity at the marks of the horizontally located crossbar.
Protected assault installation on a mobile wheeled platform. Having approached the wall at an appropriate distance, with the help of ropes it was possible to lower the bridge (closed with a gabled roof) onto the fortress wall, which allowed the attackers to reach the enemy without being in danger.
THREE-SPEED WINCH
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The winch, invented by Brunelleschi, is a solid structure propelled by a pair of oxen. By means of two horizontal wheels, a vertical column sets in motion a horizontal cylinder, which, in turn, drags another horizontal cylinder. To these horizontal cylinders, which have different diameters, ropes are mounted that serve to lift loads. Depending on the weight of the load to be lifted, three different lifting speeds can be selected. The machine was also equipped with a safety device that prevented the rotation of the cylinders in reverse side. The screw device allows you to raise or lower the column, which sets the entire structure in motion. This operation, in turn, makes it possible to change the direction of rotation of the horizontal cylinders and thus to switch from lifting to lowering the load, without having to unhitch the animals and re-hitch them in the opposite direction.
OIL PRESS
The traditional agricultural machine in Tuscany was the oil press. It was equipped with elementary technological devices that facilitate manual labor (counterweights and wheel mechanisms).
The upper horizontal arm, curving on the right and with a counterweight on the left, by its translational movement rotating the cogwheel, which is the mother screw in relation to the vertical spiral, creates pressure on the bag containing the olives.
The base of the pole rests on a pair of wheels, which are driven by both a horizontal and an inclined rope. The horizontal rope requires less force, which is due to the total friction of the lower and upper wheels. This effort remains constant because as it increases at the bottom, it decreases as much at the top. When using an inclined rope, as you move, the load increases and in the end is completely transferred to the rope itself.
MODEL OF PROPORTIONS OF THE HUMAN BODY ACCORDING TO VITRUVIUS
After mastering the basics of arithmetic and grammar, young Leonardo enters the studio of Verrocchio, where he studies the art of drawing and sculpture. Often in the workshops it was necessary to implement the projects of different architects, therefore, a deeper knowledge of geometry was necessary, also in the study of human proportions and perspective.
Leonardo has always been interested in the world of geometry, as evidenced by his numerous drawings.
The famous drawing by Leonardo da Vinci of a man inscribed in a circle and a square is nothing more than an illustration of the theories of Vitruvius (lived in I century BC), which are the basis for the study of architecture.
The architect Vitruvius, in his work on architecture, believed that man’s measures were distributed by nature in such a way that “if you spread your legs so much that you drop your head 1/14 of your height, and spread and raise your arms so much that with outstretched fingers you touch the line of the uppermost part of the head, then know that the center of the extreme points of the parted members of the body will be the navel and the space between the legs will form an equilateral triangle.
BRIDGE WITH COMBINED SPANS
Two spans of the bridge located one above the other are interconnected by a crosshair of beams in the form of the St. Andrew's Cross.
The ends of the crossed beams are aligned with each other and represent a grid of vertical rhombuses, each of which is reinforced with an additional vertical beam.
In the upper corner of the figure representing the St. Andrew's Cross, horizontal beams are driven (inserted), on which the upper span of the bridge rests.
The pressure exerted by the weight of the beams themselves allows the diagonals to be in constant tension/tension, which is intended to give them additional strength. This creates a preventive tension that must resist the gravity of the entire bridge. This principle, according to Leonardo, makes the whole structure truly<нерушимой>.
ODOMETER ON CART
A device for accurately calculating distance. The shape resembles a wheelbarrow, it has two gears: the vertical one passes one notch every time the wheel hub turns on the ground. Each time the vertical gear completes a revolution, the inner lip drives the other horizontal gear. It has holes through which a stone falls into a special container when the device passes another notch. Collecting and counting these stones makes it possible to count the number of revolutions of the wheel on the ground and thereby measure the distance.
PARACHUTE
The model is based on wooden frame in the form of a square, in the corners of which the same wooden guides are fixed, converging at one point in the center relative to the base frame. The material is fixed along the guides so that it closes, forming the shape of an exhaust hood. Ropes were attached to the four corners of the base frame, at the lowest point of which a person was tied.
"If a man has a tent of thick fabric, each side of which is 12 days of the hand (the length of the arm is 60 cm) and the height is 12, then it can jump without breaking from any significant height.
In fact, it seems difficult for Leonardo's parachute to allow a safe descent, since the air that collects in the dome, not finding an outlet, would tear the entire structure to pieces.
As conceived by Leonardo, this bridge is a single span of parabolic shape, attached to one bank of the river with the help of a vertical hinge on which it rotates. Throwing the bridge to the other side is carried out by ropes and winches, as well as wheels and metal rollers that ensure its sliding. In addition, a caisson is provided for it, which is a counterweight when balancing and maneuvering a bridge suspended in the air in the process of lowering it onto opposite bank. The bridge was mainly intended for military purposes, but it was also of great importance for peaceful purposes, especially when crossing shipping channels and small branches of the sea in ports.
TURNING CRANE
This crane has three main movements: lifting, moving and rotating the load.
The worker responsible for lifting was on the lower platform, where the rope was wound and twisted from the drum to the required length. On the upper platform there was a worker responsible for the operations of moving the load and its rotation, which were carried out using a steering wheel and a long screw with right-hand rotation on one side and left-hand rotation on the other.
The rotation was carried out from the ground with the help of ropes fixed to two rings at the extreme points of the horizontal outrigger of the crane.
CRANE (BRUNELLESCHI)
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The size of this crane was at least 20 meters high. It was probably used in the final phase of construction to close the opening at the top of the dome of the Church of Santa Maria del Fiore, or to position heavy stone blocks in the construction of the lantern (the octagonal lantern that closes the dome of Brunelleschi). The vertical column of the crane, controlled by a long wheel, could rotate 360 degrees. The weight and counterweight moved simultaneously (converging or diverging) so as to keep the crane in constant equilibrium with its own vertical column. The wheel at the base of this post served to reduce the friction created by the rotation of the base platform. The load was raised or lowered with the help of a vertical screw equipped with three braces, which ensured that the load was evenly held in one plane during its transfer. For the crane to work, 4 groups of workers were needed: the first group turned the crane, the other two drove the screws for the radial movement of the load and counterweight, and the fourth group drove the vertical screw.
A rotating tower crane that does not provide for the movement of goods along the tower boom. The original drawing contains the inscription "for attaching to hemp ropes" and, if there were not four of them, which thus makes the crane immovable, it would seem that it can be moved using the cart on which it is mounted.
The function of this crane is still a mystery. Taking into account the very small size of the tower boom, it is possible to assume that the crane was intended for the construction of towers, domes and bell towers.
CRANE WITH RING PLATFORM #1
Dome lantern (most top part dome in the form of an octahedron) was built after the death of Brunelleschi (1446) using the machine he conceived. The main part was a crane, two slightly different versions of which were used in practice.
In its first version, the machine was located in the center of the hole in the dome with the circumference of the inner base along the perimeter of the octahedron, in the form of which the walls of the lantern were erected. Crane It was a 360-degree rotatable boom with a screw system that, in addition to turning, allowed the transverse movement of goods. The stand platform was raised with screws. A crane lifted and positioned with great precision the heavy marble blocks that make up the lower part of the lantern.
CRANE WITH RING PLATFORM №2
The model of this crane is the second version of the machine that was used in the construction of the lantern of the dome (the uppermost part of the dome in the form of an octahedron).
This crane, in addition to a rotating outrigger, also had a winch and gear, which made it possible to lift and position loads within the diameter of the base platform. The movement of the crane was possible thanks to the wheels located in the lower and central parts of the ring of the base platform.
SPOTLIGHT
The idea for the spotlight came from stage needs. It was a box, on one side of which there was a large glass lens, and inside there was a candle. So Leonardo created "intense and wide light."
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The operation of this machine was fully automated: a falling plumb line unwound the cable and, with the help of drives and levers, set in motion a heavy cutter, which was raised and lowered, as well as the part of the material that was to be cut. Full automation not only facilitated the work of a person, but also gave standard products, which is the prototype of modern production.
FLOUR SEPARATOR
Leonardo also applied his efforts to improve the processes of grinding grain. Many of his drawings depict mills that use the power of the water current or wind more efficiently.
In the presented drawing, Leonardo designed a curious machine for grinding grain, which rolled down a chute into a cloth sleeve. Further, this sleeve began to vibrate with the help of a pole connected to the mill wheel drives so that the flour spilled out of the bag, separating from the husk.
TANK
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The idea of a covered wagon-platform, attacking the enemy ranks at the head of the advancing troops, originated in the Middle Ages and was enthusiastically picked up in XIV century. Leonardo da Vinci designed a heavy wagon in the shape of a turtle, armed on all sides with cannons and armored. The problem of moving this platform was hoped to be solved with the help of sails, but instead, Leonardo proposed placing 8 people inside the car, setting it in motion using a transmission mechanism connected to the wheels. He even considered replacing people with horses, but the thought that animals might panic in such a cramped and noisy space dissuaded him.
Leonardo also mentioned platforms equipped with scythes that existed in ancient Rome and were improved by him: “These“ mowers ”were diverse and often caused great damage to both allies and enemies ... arrows from bows and crossbows, throwers of slings and all kinds of darts, pikes, stones, fire... All this, as well as drumming and screams, will frighten the horses, and they, throwing off the bridle, will suffer ... "
Drawings of carts with weapons are often found in Leonardo's manuscripts. Here is a cart with batons. With the help of a gear system, the mechanical movement of the wheels during their rotation is transmitted to a vertical axis connected to four outrigger batons. When rotated, the clubs hit the enemy cavalry.
DEVICE FOR PUSHING OPPONENT LADDERS
Leonardo developed many simple, but at the same time effective systems defense. For example, if the enemy tried to place ladders along the walls in order to climb them during the assault, then they could be repelled with a long rod hidden in the wall and retracted outward with a lever. The drawing, which shows a device for repelling enemy ladders, speaks for itself.
EXCAVATOR №1
Leonardo's excavators were designed more for lifting and transporting dug material than for digging per se. This made the work of the workers easier. There is a version according to which the excavators were developed for the project of diverting the river. Arno. It was supposed to dig a ditch 18 m wide and 6 m long. The drawings give an idea of the size of the machine and the channel that was to be dug. The multi-length boom crane was interesting because it could be used with multiple counterweights on two or more excavation levels. The crane booms rotated 180° and covered the entire width of the channel. The excavator was mounted on rails and, as the work progressed, moved forward using a screw mechanism on the central rail.
EXCAVATOR №2
During the period of war between Florence and Pisa, Leonardo received a request from the government of Florence regarding the possibility of diverting the course of the Arno river in order to flood the city of Pisa and thus force it to surrender. Leonardo devotes time to studying the Pisan territory with special attention to its hydrographic aspects,
Two drawings of an excavator found in the Atlantic Code can also be attributed to participation in the project (CodiceAtlantico). The two sheets indicate the different functioning of the two gigantic mechanisms: in this way, Leonardo could emphasize the superiority of the proposed mechanism (excavator No. 1) compared to the traditional one (excavator No. 2, shown in the figure).
According to the version of other scientists, the project of a new excavator can be attributed to the research of the Master, carried out in the first years of the beginning XVI century with the aim of deepening and expanding the Arno River to transform it into a navigable one.
1. Leonardo encrypted a lot so that his ideas would be revealed gradually, as humanity “ripened” to them. The inventor wrote with his left hand and incredibly small letters, and even from right to left. But this is not enough - he turned all the letters in a mirror image. He spoke in riddles, sprinkled with metaphorical prophecies, loved to compose puzzles. Leonardo did not sign his works, but they have identification marks. For example, if you peer into the paintings, you can find a symbolic bird taking off. Apparently, there are quite a few such signs, so one or another of his offspring are suddenly discovered through the centuries. As was the case with the Benois Madonna, which for a long time as a home icon was taken with itinerant actors.
2. Leonardo invented the scattering principle (or sfumato). The objects on his canvases do not have clear boundaries: everything, as in life, is blurry, penetrates one into another, which means it breathes, lives, awakens fantasy. The Italian advised one to practice this scattering, looking at spots on the walls arising from dampness, ashes, clouds or dirt. He deliberately smoked the room where he worked in order to look for images in clubs. Thanks to the sfumato effect, a flickering smile of the Gioconda appeared, when, depending on the focus of the gaze, it seems to the viewer that the heroine of the picture either smiles gently or grins predatorily. The second miracle of Mona Lisa is that she is “alive”. Over the centuries, her smile changes, the corners of her lips rise higher. In the same way, the Master mixed the knowledge of different sciences, so his inventions find more and more applications over time. From the treatise on light and shadow come the beginnings of the sciences of penetrating power, oscillatory motion, and the propagation of waves. All of his 120 books have scattered (sfumato) around the world and are gradually being revealed to humanity.
3. Leonardo preferred the method of analogy to all others. Approximation of analogy is an advantage over the accuracy of a syllogism, when a third inevitably follows from two conclusions. But one thing. But the more bizarre the analogy, the further the conclusions from it extend. Take at least the famous illustration of the Master, proving the proportionality of the human body. With outstretched arms and spread legs, the figure of a man fits into a circle. And with closed legs and raised arms - in a square, while forming a cross. This "mill" gave impetus to a number of different thoughts. The Florentine turned out to be the only one from whom the projects of churches came, when the altar is placed in the middle (the navel of a person), and the worshipers are evenly around. This church plan in the form of an octahedron served as another invention of genius - a ball bearing.
4. Leonardo liked to use the rule of contraposta - opposition of opposites. Contrapost creates movement. When making a sculpture of a giant horse in Corte Vecchio, the artist placed the legs of the horse in contraposta, which created the illusion of a special free ride. Everyone who saw the statue involuntarily changed their gait to a more relaxed one.
5. Leonardo was never in a hurry to finish a work, because incompleteness is an obligatory quality of life. To finish means to kill! The slowness of the creator was the talk of the town, he could make two or three strokes and leave the city for many days, for example, to improve the valleys of Lombardy or create an apparatus for walking on water. Almost every one of his significant works is "work in progress". Many were spoiled by water, fire, barbaric treatment, but the artist did not correct them. The Master had a special composition, with the help of which he seemed to specially make “windows of incompleteness” on the finished picture. Apparently, in this way he left a place where life itself could intervene, correct something.
