The Archimedes Project...

[GravityMechanic]

The Archimedes Project deals with numerous treatises on mechanics as well as other forms of documentation of mechanical knowledge and practices. The project traces mechanical knowledge and its development across a large historical time span which may be divided into the following two periods.

Medieval mechanics is characterized by the transformation of mechanics into a science of balances and weights based on the law of the lever and using the techniques of ancient mathematics. The Arab and Latin Middle Ages produced an extensive mechanical literature focused, however, on a relatively small range of subjects.

Preclassical mechanics grew out of the challenges of Renaissance technology. The development of preclassical mechanical knowledge ranges from the sketches of Renaissance engineers such as Leonardo da Vinci to the mature works of Galileo Galilee. In contrast to the preceding periods it deals with an increasingly large number of subjects, among them the inclined plane, the pendulum, the stability of matter, the spring, etc.

The project allows you access to the digital texts of sixty nine authors starting with Achillini, Alessandro 1545 and ending with Wolff, Christian von 1734.

The database of machine drawings is part of a research project from the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Berlin. The database of machine drawings provides convenient access to a representative selection of early modern machine drawings and second, it presents each drawing in a frame of categories, which allow the selection to be searched under a broad spectrum of questions and viewpoints. Among the many hundreds of machines drawings available for study on the database there are five labelled Undetermined Transmission Mechanism 1500 – 1526 A.D. I believe these five machine drawings possibly show some of the earliest recorded designs for gravity motors! To view the machine drawings just click on the links below.

Drawing No. 1

Drawing No. 2

Drawing No. 3

Drawing No. 4

Drawing No. 5

I hope you have found this post informative. If you have any relevant information to share on this topic then please take a moment to send your comments via a post reply, private message or e-mail. You are also welcome to telephone me on +44 114 360 8831 or via Skype for a talk about this post, any other forum topics or initiatives for promoting collaboration to help turn ideas into reality. Telephone anytime, I am usually in, if I am out on an errand just leave a message on my voicemail and I will get back to you as soon as I return. I look forward to hearing from you.

~Brian~

[AB Hammer]

GravityMechanic

Welcome and thanks for the post, it is very interesting. The Archimedes designs allot of us have thought the same but what was scary to me is, the second one is similar to my first to use hammers, minus the leavers but you can see the holes.