AGES Genius is Timeless Catapult Instruction manual 8+
Contents • About Leonardo Da Vinci P.1 • Da Vinci’s Notebooks P.4 • Catapult P.6 • Types of Siege Engines P.6 • Da Vinci And Catapults P.7 • Catapults In Later Use P.10 • Components P.11 • How To Assemble P.12 • How to Operate the Catapult P.16 • Da Vinci Series Kit P.
(April 15, 1452 - May 2, 1519) “Iron rusts from disuse; stagnant water loses its purity and in cold weather becomes frozen; even so does inaction sap the vigor of the mind.” Leonardo Leonardo da Vinci was born April 15, 1452 in Vinci, Italy. Da Vinci was an artist, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, sculptor, architect, botanist, musician and writer.
strengthen the Moor’s position in battles. The letter hinted at inventions that included portable lightweight bridges and improved designs for bombards, mortars, catapults, covered assault vehicles and weapons. The Moor eventually became Da Vinci’s patron and kept him busy with everything from designing a heating system to painting portraits, to overseeing production of cannons and even decorating the vaulted ceilings in his castle.
Da Vinci later took positions with King Louis XII and Pope Leo X and ultimately with the King of France, Francis I. It was the King who offered Da Vinci the title, Premier Painter and Engineer and Architect of the King. Francis I valued Da Vinci’s great mind and his sole function was to engage in conversations about Renaissance culture and art with the benevolent royal.
Da Vinci’s Notebooks Da Vinci’s notebooks are now more than 500 years old. They are not bound the way a typical book would be today, but rather comprised of loose sheets of paper gathered into collections and wrapped with fabric. Paper was scarce in Da Vinci’s time, so he used every available space in a page for drawings, observations, even recipes and shopping lists, making them somewhat difficult to interpret.
Several common themes recur in the now fragile notebooks: Nature, Technology (including gears, cogwheels, screws and pulleys), aviation and vision, to name a few. Upon the death of Leonardo Da Vinci, the notebooks were given to his long-time friend, Count Francesco Melzi. Melzi did not fully comprehend the value of the information and published only a portion of the volumes. He placed the notebooks in his home where they were viewed by guests who sometimes took pages with them as souvenirs.
Catapults To understand siege weapons, it is important to discover the way battles were fought during Da Vinci’s time. Sieges were commonplace and occurred when an army surrounded an enemy castle with the intent of forcing surrender. This method potentially took time since a castle under siege could hold out for months or even years, as long as they had adequate provisions and supplies. Invading armies needed new siege engines to speed up the process.
The Catapult In the early middle ages, catapults were used to hurl objects directly at the castle walls. The catapult was a heavy siege engine and used a lot of resources to build. It was typically built in the attacking armies homeland and then transported to the location of the siege. The Trebuchet In the late middle ages the trebuchet came to the forefront as the weapon of choice for siege warfare. It was easier to build and could hurl larger objects for further distances.
platform from which to drop the counterweight. The counterweight is pulled by gravity and rotates the beam, which then pulls the sling. The guide chute leads the sling through the frame and supports the enclosed projectile until acceleration is sufficient to hold it. The sling accelerates and holds the projectile until released. Da Vinci designed a fixed counterweight Trebuchet with the counterweight rigidly attached the beam.
Springald on a Swivel Mounting Da Vinci’s drawing of an existing device, the framed torsion weapon, is called a Springald. The inward-facing bow arms are clearly drawn, as are the torsion bundles that power the device. This machine is a bolt thrower, and the tip of the bolt can be seen projecting forward of the frame at the right. Springald on a Swivel Mounting Leonardo has modified the arms and bundles to show two modest bundles holding a square structure connected to four arms in a cross.
Catapults In Later Use World War I The last large scale military use of catapults was during the trench warfare. During the early stages of the war, catapults were used to throw hand grenades into enemy trenches. Grenades were eventually replaced by small mortars. Aircraft Catapult Aircraft catapults are used to launch planes from land bases and sea carriers when the takeoff runway is too short for a powered takeoff. Catapult devices are often used to launch airplanes from aircraft carriers.
1 How to Assemble A 2 E B 3 C D 1 4 2 G 12
How to Assemble 5 6 Lock F 7 H 13
How to Assemble 8 I J 9 K L 10 14 L
How to Operate the Catapult 1 2 SS E PR 3 16
The scientific genius of Leonardo Da Vinci is brought to life through articulated models offered by Edu-Science. The inventions that inspired these snap-together replicas are taken from the pages of Da Vinci’s priceless and awe-inspiring notebooks. Edu-Science Da Vinci Series Kits Mechanical Drum Leonardo da Vinci’s mechanical drum was designed as a cart equipped with an amply sized drum. When pulled by its handle, the gears turn the two lateral drums, which are fitted with pegs.
Swing Bridge The Swing Bridge was a portable, lightweight bridge intended to span a body of water for armies to cross, and then quickly disassemble in order to tow away. Equipped with a rope and wheels, the lightweight bridge was designed for easy transport. DV003 Printing Press Leonardo da Vinci studied the Guttenberg printing press and finely-tuned it for greater efficiency.
Paddleboat In Da Vinci’s time, nautical expedition was the most expedient method of communicating with the world and his design for a boat with large wheel-shaped paddles that would propel it through water offered a faster and easier method of water transportation. DV008 Self-Propelled Cart Da Vinci’s self-propelled cart was the first to be capable of moving without being pushed or pulled manually.
Notes
Interpretation of the original Leonardo da Vinci’s design/ copyright by Leonardo 3 - www.leonardo3.
