How_It_Works_Issue_99_2017
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DID YOU KNOW? Bill Gates bought one of da Vinci’s notebooks for $30.8mn (£25mn), making it the most expensive book ever!<br />
The bombard<br />
Another weapon that da<br />
Vinci depicts in his<br />
notebook is a bombard<br />
that launched<br />
fragmenting ammunition.<br />
Rain of metal<br />
Once it was fired, the cannonballs would<br />
seperate into several pieces, raining down<br />
lethal shards of metal on enemy infantry.<br />
Wheels<br />
Despite including studs<br />
on the wheels to add<br />
friction, it is likely the<br />
armoured car would<br />
have got stuck in boggy<br />
and uneven ground.<br />
Machine gun<br />
A multi-barrelled weapon that<br />
could unleash rapid-fire projectiles<br />
at hordes of enemy soldiers<br />
Cannons were important in Renaissance-era artillery. Da<br />
Vinci aimed to add maneuverability and extra firepower with<br />
his concept of a multi-barrelled war machine that could fire<br />
a dozen cannonballs at once. With wheels on its side, the<br />
portable muzzle-loaded cannon had a rotating body with up<br />
to three revolving rows of guns. One could fire while the<br />
other two cooled and were reloaded. The recoil would have<br />
been fierce, so the machine was equipped with a support<br />
bulkhead that held the main body in place. In one of da<br />
Vinci’s sketches, the barrels are arranged in a fan shape to<br />
give the weapon a wider firing range.<br />
Recoil<br />
The cannon was<br />
encased in a wooden<br />
structure to hold it in<br />
place. Although it was<br />
heavy, accurate firing<br />
was not difficult.<br />
Springald<br />
A cannon intended to eliminate<br />
specific targets from the battlefield<br />
The springald was an artillery device that existed before da Vinci, but<br />
like many of his other creations, he built upon the idea. His version had<br />
the ability to fire in many directions both horizontally and vertically. An<br />
elevating arc moved the springald up and down, and when the desired<br />
height was achieved, it was held in place by a cylindrical peg. <strong>It</strong> could<br />
then be aimed to the left and the right. Iron and stone cannonballs, and<br />
even metal-tipped arrows were fired from the breech-loaded cannon.<br />
Protection<br />
An angled wooden slope would have<br />
protected the men operating the cannon.<br />
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