Assembling the Leonardo Bridge is fun and requires patience and teamwork. According to legend, at least two people can assemble such a bridge and only if there is mutual understanding between them. Ready to check out?

1. So, we have with you:
1) river banks - a wooden plane with holes;
2) logs - instead of them we use a set of 24 sticks;
3) and of course the hands, and most importantly the head.

2. Insert the first four "logs" into the holes. We will collect the bridge from one "bank" in the direction of the other.

3. We put on the "shore" the first transverse stick from the outside of the supports.

4. Each next step is a sequential installation of two longitudinal and one transverse sticks at the same time. This is where you need your head, hands, and team spirit! While one of you gently holds the already assembled part of the bridge under tension, the other prepares and installs each new section of three parts. After installing and fixing it, the first one intercepts (accepts) a new section. The operation is repeated. Make sure that none of the longitudinal parts come out of engagement!

5. The final stage: we install the last transverse stick on the opposite "bank" behind the supports, which will fix the entire structure.

If you managed to assemble the bridge on the third try - boldly give yourself an "five" for dexterity and coherence!

And ... please don't worry. Most likely, you will have to repeat the process more than once until you understand all the nuances and can practice a little. But what a pleasure it is to get a complete solid self-supporting structure!

Assembly sequence of the Leonardo bridge

Step-by-step video tutorial for assembling the Leoanardo Bridge

Animation of the assembly process of the Leonardo Bridge

Aphorisms and sayings of Leonardo da Vinci

I prefer death to weariness. I never get tired of serving others.

Ask for advice from someone who knows how to win victories over himself.

In nature, everything is wisely thought out and arranged, everyone must do his own thing, and in this wisdom is the highest justice of life.

Nature has taken care of everything in such a way that everywhere you find something to learn.

If you are patient and diligent, then the seeds of knowledge sown will certainly give good shoots. The root of learning is bitter, but the fruit is sweet.

He who strives to the stars does not turn around.

You can only love what you know.

Leonardo da Vinci rightfully occupies one of the first places among the inventors of all ages and peoples. He was able to predict and predetermine the course of many inventions and thought in such a way that it was at odds with the then generally accepted norms and approaches. In this article, you will find out what Leonardo da Vinci invented. We will try to give the entire list of Leonardo's inventions and as much as possible reveal the principles and essence of the work of his mechanisms.

Read also:

• Leonardo da Vinci's Inventions - Part 1

Leonardo da Vinci gained fame during his lifetime, but world fame and fame came to him centuries later, when his notes and records were found in the 19th century. His papers contained sketches and sketches of amazing inventions and mechanisms. He divided many of his works into special "codes", and the total volume of his works is about 13 thousand pages. The main obstacle to the implementation of his ideas was the low technological and scientific level of the Middle Ages. In the XX century, many of his inventions were repeated, if not in real size, then in the form of models and small copies, although there were often daredevils and enthusiasts who were ready to repeat everything exactly as the great inventor Leonardo da Vinci described.

AIRCRAFTS

Leonardo da Vinci was practically obsessed with dreams of flying machines and the possibility of flying, because no machine is capable of causing that quivering admiration and surprise as a machine that can soar in the air like a bird.

In his notes, one could come across the thought “watch the fish swim, and you will learn the secret of flight”. Leonardo managed to make an intellectual breakthrough. He realized that water behaves like air, so he gained applied knowledge of how to create lift and showed an extraordinary understanding of the subject that amazes specialists to this day.

One of the interesting concepts encountered in the work of the genius is the prototype of a helicopter or propeller driven vertical aircraft.

Around the sketch is a description of the da Vinci propeller (helicon). The cover of the screw had to be iron as thick as a thread. The height should be about 5 meters, and the radius of the propeller should be about 2 meters. The apparatus was to be driven by the muscular strength of four people.

In the video below, four enthusiastic engineers, a historian and a light airplane specialist tried to develop the idea of ​​the Leonardo helicopter and try to make it fly, although they were allowed to use a number of modern technologies and materials. As a result, it turned out that such a design has a number of serious drawbacks, the main one of which was the lack of thrust necessary for flight, so the enthusiasts went for significant modifications, but whether they succeeded or not, find out from the video.

The plane of Leonardo da Vinci

The inventor did not sit for long with the idea of ​​a helicopter and decided to go further, trying to create a prototype of an airplane. Here birds were the source of knowledge.

Below in the picture are drawings of the wings, as well as sketches of a hang glider, which, after being built in our time, turned out to be quite workable.

Although his invention cannot be fully called an airplane, the name flapper or ornithopter is best suited for it, that is, an air vehicle that is lifted into the air due to the reaction of air with its planes (wings), to which the flapping motion is transmitted by means of muscular effort, like in birds

Leonardo carefully began calculating and he began with the ducks. He measured the length of a duck wing, after which it turned out that the length of the wing is equal to the square root of its weight. Based on such premises, Leonardo decided that in order to lift his flywheel with a man on board (which reached about 136 kilograms) into the air, it would be necessary to create bird-like wings 12 meters long.

An interesting fact about a hang glider. In Assasin's Creed 2, the protagonist uses da Vinci's flying machine (hang glider) to fly from one end of the city of Venice to the other.

And if you are a fan of the Bruce Willis films, then you may remember that in the movie "Hudson Hawk" they mention da Vinci's hang glider and parachute. And the protagonist even flew on da Vinci's hang glider.

Parachute Leonardo da Vinci

Of course, Leonardo did not invent his parachute in order to save himself in the event of an aircraft falling, it was also an aircraft that would allow a smooth descent from a great height. Below is a sketch of the parachute, its calculations and design.

The inventor's parachute has the shape of a pyramid covered with dense fabric. The base of the pyramid was about 7 meters 20 cm long.

It is interesting that it was in Russia that the inventor Kotelnikov will bring da Vinci's parachute to mind, making the first-ever knapsack parachute that can be attached to the pilot's back and used for ejection.

In 2000, a parachutist from England, Andrian Nicholas, decided to test Leonardo's invention in the form in which he invented it, replacing only the material in it, realizing that flax would not withstand such a load. The first attempt failed, so he had to use a reserve parachute. True, in 2008 already Swiss Olivier Tepp managed to achieve success. He abandoned the rigid structure of the parachute and jumped from a height of 650 meters. The naturalist claims that the descent itself turned out to be safe, but it is impossible to control such a parachute.

INVENTIONS FROM THE FIELD OF ARCHITECTURE AND CONSTRUCTION

In the field of architecture and construction, Leonardo also achieved an impressive knowledge. He investigated the strength and resistance of materials, discovered a number of fundamental principles, was able to understand how best to move various objects.

Leonardo investigated the force required to lift bodies of different masses. To lift a heavy object along an inclined plane, the idea of ​​using a system of screws, winches and capstans was considered.

Crane for lifting long objects

The base of the beam or post rests on a special platform with a pair of wheels, which is pulled by a horizontal rope from below. The force that must be applied to pull the horizontal rope always remains constant, and the movement of the pole occurs in a straight line.

Leonardo invented a system of wheels and hammers for lifting loads. The work of the system is similar to the work of hammer blows during minting, only this all happens on a special cogwheel. Three hammers with a special wedge inserted between the pins hit the wheel, rotating it and the drum where the weight is attached.

Mobile crane and screw hoist

A tall crane is shown in the sketch on the right. As you might guess, it was intended for the construction of tall buildings and structures (towers, domes, bell towers, and so on). The crane was placed on a special trolley that moved along the guide rope, which stretched over the crane.

The screw elevator is shown in the sketch on the left and was intended for installing columns and lifting other heavy objects. The structure is a huge screw that is driven by the force of four people. It is clear that in this case the height and general design of such a lift limits the possibilities of its use.

Sketch of a crane on a trolley and a screw hoist

Ring platform crane

This crane is very similar to modern cranes in its functionality and was used by builders at the end of the 14th century. This lift allows you to move heavy objects around you. For his work, it was necessary to involve two workers. The first was on the lower platform and, with the help of a drum, lifted heavy objects, and on the upper platform there was a second worker and, with the help of the steering wheel, rotated the hoist around its axis. The crane also had wheels that allowed it to be moved. Such cranes were used during Leonardo's time to erect pillars and columns, build high walls, church domes, roofs and more. Since the machines were made of wood, they were usually burned after use.

Excavators Leonardo da Vinci

Today, hardly anyone can be surprised with an excavator, but few people think about how they were invented. There is a point of view that prototypes of excavators were used in ancient Egypt in the construction of canals and deepening of river beds, but the truly conceptual model of an excavator was, of course, invented by the great Leonardo da Vinci.

Excavators of the Renaissance, of course, did not differ in special automation and needed manual labor of workers, but they greatly facilitated it, because now it was easier for workers to move the excavated soil. The sketches of the excavators give us a rough idea of ​​how huge the machines were at the time. The excavator used the principle of movement of a monorail, that is, it moved along one rail, while blocking the entire width of the channel, and the booms of its cranes could rotate 180 ° at the same time.

Fortress tower and double spiral staircase

In the picture you can see a sketch of a part of the fortress. To the left of the fortress tower, a sketch of a spiral staircase is made, which is an important component of the tower. The staircase design is similar to the well-known Archimedes screw. If you take a closer look at the stairs, you will notice that it is double and its parts do not intersect, that is, you and your friend can go up or down the different spirals of the staircase and not know about each other. Thus, you can go down on one side and ascend on the other. without interfering with each other. This is an extremely useful property during the time of war. Each part, respectively, has its own entrance and exit. There are no steps added in the sketch, but the actual staircase does.

The staircase, invented by Leonardo, was built after his death in 1519 in France inside the Chambord castle, which served as the royal residence. There are 77 staircases in Chambord, there are spiral staircases, but only a double spiral staircase, made according to da Vinci's sketches, has become an interesting attraction.

A maze building with many stairs, entrances and exits

Leonardo also contemplated more sophisticated staircase architectural concepts. In this case, it is a real maze! This building has 4 entrances and 4 staircases, which spiral one above the other, twisting around the central column in the form of a square pillar .. Leonardo perfectly knew how to find harmonic structures, combining geometric features of space, lines, shapes and materials, creating as a result holistic self-sufficient the buildings.

Sliding (swing) bridge

Sketch of the swing bridge by Leonardo da Vinci

Another bridge, which, unfortunately, remained only a project, is a bridge capable of passing ships sailing along the river. Its main difference from modern lift-off bridges is its ability to pivot like a door. This effect is achieved due to the system of capstans, hinges, winches and counterweights, where one end of the bridge is fixed on a special rotating mechanism, and the other end is slightly raised for turning.

Self-supporting ("mobile") bridge

This bridge is the answer to the question: "how can you quickly build a full-fledged crossing from improvised means?" Moreover, the answer is extremely beautiful and original.

Sketch of a self-supporting bridge by Leonardo da Vinci

This bridge forms an arch, that is, it is arched, and the assembly itself does not need nails or ropes. The distribution of the load in the bridge structure occurs due to the mutual expansion and pressure of the elements on each other. You can assemble such a bridge in any place where trees grow, and they grow almost everywhere.

The purpose of the bridge was military and was necessary for the mobile and covert transfer of troops. Leonardo suggested that such a bridge could be built by a small group of soldiers using the trees growing nearby. Leonardo himself called his bridge "Reliability".

Suspension bridge

This type of bridge was another example of a mobile collapsible bridge that soldiers could assemble using ropes and winches. Such a bridge was quickly assembled and dismantled after itself during the offensive and retreat of troops.

As in many other projects of Leonardno da Vinci, the principles of stress, statics and resistance of materials are used here. The device of this bridge is similar to the device of suspension bridges, where, in the same way, the main bearing elements are made of winches and ropes and do not need additional supports.

This bridge, created 500 years ago, could have served as a good military device during the Second World War. Later, engineers of the following centuries came to the conclusion that such a bridge design was optimal, and the principles used in the suspension bridge are applied in many modern bridges.

Bridge for the Turkish Sultan

In 1502-1503, Sultan Bayezid II began to look for projects to build a bridge over the Golden Horn Bay. Leonardo proposed to the Sultan an interesting project of the bridge, which was supposed to build a bridge 240 meters long and 24 meters wide, which looked at the same time something grandiose. It is also interesting to note that another project was proposed by Michelangelo. True, none of the projects managed to be implemented in practice.

After 500 years, Norway became interested in the concept of the bridge. In 2001, a small copy of the da Vinci Bridge was built near Oslo in the small town of As. Architects and builders tried not to deviate from the master's drawings, but in some places they used modern materials and technologies.

City of the future Leonardo da Vinci

In 1484-1485, a plague broke out in Milan, from which about 50 thousand people died. Leonardo da Vinci suggested that unsanitary conditions, dirt and overpopulation were the cause of the plague, so he proposed to Duke Ludovico Sforza to build a new city, devoid of all these problems. Leonardo's project would now remind us of the various attempts of science fiction writers to portray a utopian city in which there are no problems, where technology is the solution.

Outline of the streets of the ideal city of the future Leonardo da Vinci

According to the plan of the great genius, the city consisted of 10 districts, where 30,000 people were supposed to live, while each district and house in it was provided with an individual water supply, and the width of the streets had to be at least equal to the average height of the horse (much later the State Council of London reported that the data proportions are ideal and all streets in London should be brought in accordance with them). At the same time, the city was multi-tiered. The tiers were connected by stairs and passages. The upper tier was occupied by influential and wealthy representatives of society, and the lower tier was the city for merchants and the provision of various kinds of services.

The city could become the greatest achievement of architectural thought of its time and could realize many of the technical achievements of the great inventor. one should not really think that the city was a continuous mechanism, first of all Leonardo focused on convenience, practicality and hygiene. The squares and streets were conceived to be extremely spacious, which did not correspond to the then medieval ideas.

An important point was the system of water canals connecting the entire city. Through a complex hydraulics system, water entered every city building. Da Vinci believed that this would help to get rid of an unsanitary lifestyle and reduce the occurrence of plague and other diseases to a minimum.

Ludovico Sforza considered this project adventurous and refused to implement it. At the very end of his life, Leonardo tried to present this project to King Francis I of France, but the project, unfortunately, did not interest anyone and remained unrealized.

WATER MECHANISMS AND DEVICES

Leonardo created many sketches for water devices, water manipulation devices, various plumbing and fountains, and irrigation machines. Leonardo loved water so much that he did everything that somehow came into contact with water.

Advanced Archimedes screw

The ancient Greeks, represented by Archimedes, long ago invented a device that allows water to be raised through mechanics, rather than manual labor. Such a mechanism was invented around 287-222 BC. Leonardo da Vinci improved the Archimedes mechanism. He carefully considered the various relationships between the axis tilt angle and the required number of spirals in order to select the optimal parameters. Thanks to improvements, the propeller mechanism began to deliver more water with less losses.

In the sketch, the screw is shown on the left. It is a tube, a tightly wrapped tube. The water rises through the tube and goes upstairs from a special bathtub. By rotating the handle, the water will pour out in a continuous stream.

The Archimedes screw is still used today for irrigating farmland, and the principles of the screw are at the heart of many industrial pumping stations and pumps.

Water wheel

Leonardo tried to find the most optimal way to use the power and energy of water using various systems of wheels. He studied fluid dynamics and eventually invented the waterwheel, which is shown in the sketch below. Special bowls were made in the wheel, which scooped water from the lower container and poured it into the upper one.

This wheel was used to clean the channels and deepen the bottom. Sitting on a raft and having four blades, the waterwheel was manually driven and collected silt. The silt was laid down on a raft, which was fastened between two boats. The wheel also moved along the vertical axis, which made it possible to adjust the depth of scooping the wheel.

Water wheel with buckets

Leonardo proposed an interesting way of delivering water in a city setting. For this, a system of buckets and chains was used, on which the buckets were attached. Interestingly, a person was not required to operate the mechanism, since all the work was done by the river through a water wheel.

Gate for airlock

The inventor has improved the sluice gate system. Now it was possible to control the amount of water in such a way as to equalize the pressure on both sides of the sluice gates, which made it easier to work with them. For this, Leonardo made a small gate with a bolt in the large gate.

Leonardo also invented a canal with a system of locks, allowing ships to continue navigating even on slopes. The gate system made it possible to control the water level so that ships could pass through the water without difficulty.

Breathing apparatus under water

Leonardo was so fond of water that he came up with instructions for diving, designed and described a diving suit.

Divers, according to Leonardo's logic, should have taken part in anchoring the vessel. Divers in such a suit could breathe using the air they found in the underwater bell. Also, the costumes had glass masks that made it possible to see under water. Also, the suit had an improved breathing tube, which was used by divers in more ancient times. The hose is made of reed and the joints are secured with a waterproof cloth. The hose itself has a spring insert, which allows the hose to increase its strength (after all, there is a lot of water pressure at the bottom), and also makes it more flexible.

In 2002, professional diver Jacques Cosens set up an experiment and made a diver's suit according to Leonardo's drawings, made from pigskin and with bamboo tubes and an air dome. Experience has shown that the design is imperfect and the experiment had only partial success.

Last invention

The webbed glove that Leonardo invented would now be called flippers. It allowed you to stay afloat and increased the distance that a person could swim in the sea.

Five long sticks made of wood continued the structure of the human skeleton along the phalanges of the fingers and were interconnected by membranes, like in waterfowl. Modern fins are based on exactly the same principle.

The invention of water skiing

The inventor tried to solve the problem of overcoming long shallow water by soldiers and came to the conclusion that it is possible to use a skin previously filled with air (leather bags), attaching this skin to the feet of people.

If the volume of the bag is sufficient, then it will be able to withstand the weight of a person. Leonardo also intended to use a timber bar, which had increased buoyancy. The soldiers must take two special processions in their hands. to control balance and move forward.

Leonardo's idea was unsuccessful, but a similar principle formed the basis of water skiing.

Lifebuoy

If you translate the inscription, which is located at the bottom of the picture, then you can read "How to save lives in the event of a storm or shipwreck." This simple invention is nothing more than a lifeline that allows a person to stay above the water level and not drown. The circle was supposed to be made of light oak bark, which could be found everywhere in the Mediterranean.

Wheel boat

In the Middle Ages, seas and rivers remained convenient and optimal transport routes. Milan or Florence were vitally dependent on maritime traffic and the availability of fast and safe water transportation.

Leonardo created a sketch of a boat with a paddle wheel with blades. The four blades are similar in shape to the fins of waterfowl. The man twisted the pedals with two feet, thereby rotating the wheel. The principle of reciprocation made the wheel turn counterclockwise, so the boat began to move forward.

Leonardo boat model

In the video below you can see in more detail the device of a boat with wheels:

Five centuries ago, in 1502, Leonardo da Vinci proposed the original construction of the bridge to the Turkish Sultan Bayezid II, but the project was not implemented. Leonardo's notebook of that time contains the following entry: “The bridge from Pera to Constantinople is 40 cubits wide, 70 cubits high from the water, 600 cubits long, that is, 400 over the sea and 200 on land; it forms its own foundations by itself. " Leonardo was a master of self-supporting bridges. We will try to reproduce one of his designs.

Among Leonardo's drawings, there is a sketch of a bridge of unusual construction. Now it is no longer possible to determine whether he was the prototype of a certain project or one of the master's puzzles. Or maybe he just came up with a beautiful idea that he left for you ... It is only known for certain that the structure can be assembled, that it is very interesting and will be an excellent test of your ingenuity. And also the ability to work together: it will not be easy to build a bridge alone.

1. So we have:

• river banks - any rigid plane will do. You can take thick cardboard and stick the first pillars of the bridge into the plasticine smeared with the cardboard.
• logs - instead of them, you can use a set of 24 identical pencils (it is better to have a dozen more in stock, they will come in handy) or something similar;
• and of course the hands, and most importantly the head.

2. We take a plane and drill two pairs of holes (these will be our "shores") at a distance slightly less than the length of two pencils from each other. The distance between the holes on each "bank" should be slightly more than half the length of the pencil. The holes can be drilled vertically, but it will be easier to assemble if you make a slight slope towards the opposite “bank”.

3. Insert the first four pencils into the holes. We will collect the bridge from one "bank" in the direction of the other. We put the first transverse pencil on the "shore" from the outside of the supports.

4. Each next step is the sequential installation of two longitudinal and one transverse pencils at the same time. This is where you need your head, hands, and team spirit!

While one of you gently holds the already assembled part of the bridge under tension, the other prepares and installs each new section of three parts. After installing and fixing it, the first one intercepts (accepts) a new section. The operation is repeated. Make sure that none of the longitudinal parts come out of engagement!

5. The final stage: we set the last transverse pencil on the opposite "bank" behind the supports, which will fix the entire structure.

Today everyone, young and old, knows the name of the famous artist, scientist, architect and engineer - Leonardo da Vinci. Even in the cinema, his name is not uncommon. Da Vinci immortalized himself for many centuries, and many people give their inventions exactly his name. So, in Norway, a huge Leonardo da Vinci bridge appeared, and thousands of people from all over the world come to walk along it.

Leonardo da Vinci Bridge. Start

In fact, the Leonardo da Vinci Bridge began to be built during the artist's lifetime. It was he who, in 1501, developed the project of a 240-meter bridge, which was supposed to cross the bay called the "Golden Horn". This bay is part of the Bosphorus Strait and divides Istanbul (formerly Constantinople) into two parts. At that time, this project was seen as an artist's fantasy. The fact is that in those years it was simply not realistic to build something like that. Only after 300 years will technology and capabilities be able to build such a thing.

It took almost 500 years before the sketch in the corner of the erased sheet of the notebook was brought to life. At one of the exhibitions, the Norwegian artist saw this very idea of ​​the famous Leonardo da Vinci. Vebjorn Sand decided to build a da Vinci dream.

In 1996, this project was used in the construction of a new road junction in Oslo. After only 5 years, a large pedestrian bridge appeared over the E-18 highway, which connects the cities of Oslo and Stockholm. It is located today near the city of Os.

The bridge itself is unique. The total length is about 110 meters. In the center of the bridge, the span is 40 meters, and on the sides - no more than 10 m. This bridge can be attributed to those architectural monuments that, although built recently, have a centuries-old interesting history. Today, the Leonardo da Vinci Bridge is visited and loved by both tourists and residents of Norway.

In Istanbul, a new bridge will be built over the Golden Horn in the near future. The author of the project ... Leonardo da Vinci. Five centuries ago, in 1502, he proposed the original construction of the bridge to the Turkish Sultan Bayazet II, but the project was not implemented. Leonardo's notebook of that time contains the following entry: “The bridge from Pera to Constantinople is 40 cubits wide, 70 cubits high from the water, 600 cubits long, that is, 400 over the sea and 200 on land; it forms its own foundations by itself. " Leonardo was a master of self-supporting bridges. We will try to reproduce one of his designs.

Among Leonardo's drawings, there is a sketch of a bridge of unusual construction. Now it is no longer possible to determine whether he was the prototype of a certain project or one of the master's puzzles. Or maybe he just came up with a beautiful idea that he left for you ... It is only known for certain that the structure can be assembled, that it is very interesting and will be an excellent test of your ingenuity. And also the ability to work together: it will not be easy to build a bridge alone.

1. So, we have: 1) river banks - any rigid plane will do; 2) logs - instead of them, you can use a set of 24 identical pencils (it is better to have a dozen more in stock, they will come in handy) or something similar; 3) and of course the hands, and most importantly the head.

2. Take a plane and drill two pairs of holes (these will be our "shores") at a distance slightly less than the length of two pencils from each other. The distance between the holes on each "bank" should be slightly more than half the length of the pencil. The holes can be drilled vertically, but it will be easier to assemble if you make a slight slope towards the opposite “bank”.

3. Insert the first four pencils into the holes. We will collect the bridge from one "bank" in the direction of the other.

4. Put the first transverse pencil on the "shore" from the outside of the supports.

5. Each next step is a sequential installation of two longitudinal and one transverse pencils at the same time. This is where you need your head, hands, and team spirit! While one of you gently holds the already assembled part of the bridge under tension, the other prepares and installs each new section of three parts. After installing and fixing it, the first one intercepts (accepts) a new section. The operation is repeated. Make sure that none of the longitudinal parts come out of engagement!

6. The final stage: we set the last transverse pencil on the opposite "bank" behind the supports, which will fix the entire structure.

If you managed to assemble the bridge on the third try - boldly give yourself an "five" for dexterity and coherence!

P. S. Now look at the already assembled bridge from a slightly different angle. Isn't the nest coiled in the same way? What about the wattle fence? And the basket? Truly, there is nothing new under the sun! Thanks to Leonardo that he knew how to see ...

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