Car : CodeX Atlanticus folio 812 R(Da Vinci - Self Propelled Cart)
A Brief History
Behind the Design
Hello Everyone,
So my story goes like this,
I love cars and they always fascinated me since childhood.when I was a child,Leonardo da vinci inspires me because he was very inventive.He made drawing for his inventions in the notebooks.He made cool inventions like parachute,the helicopter and more.
"The human species thinks in metaphors and learns through stories".
Principle
A motor car without the motor!
The machine is drawn on page 812r of the Codex Atlanticus with other devices.the "engine" is hidden inside the car,where a coiled spring stopped by mechanical brake transfers motion to gears that move the wheels on the sides.Another system of gears allows for constant speed,with a clockwork-like mechanism.Secondary levers act on two big wheels to steer the robot or move stage props,like puppets to be carried on stage.
"Drawing is based upon perspective,which is nothing else than a thorough knowledge of the function of the eye".
Mechanism
Da Vinci's cart uses the principles of clockwork and the age old use of winding power into bowed wood with rope to move it along, neither being cutting edge technology for the time.The idea of using it in a cart and the calculations needed to use the power without damage to the vehicle itself were much more important and scientific.
The flexible rods are made using the command “make it flexible”. This command introduces a new environment that uses the finite element method to represent the solid. So a rigid body can be converted to a flexible body. The flexible rods, in the machine, have the function to reduce the kinetic energy transmitted by the spring to the wheels, so that the acceleration is attenuated and more regular. This is called “escapement system”. Leonardo designed the first self-propelled vehicle known in history.
Gear Train Super Element feature, which allows for the definition of a series of gears assembled in one or more stages. The user can specify parameters for two or several gears in each of the stages: the complete gear train is then automatically created with accurate geometry, assembly constraints and contact force elements in order to transmit rotational motion in the desired way.
He establishes his project with two views: one plan view, representing springs,gears, crossbows, etc.,and another in perspective,where he adds the idea of a possible steering system.Consisting of a small supplementary wheel coupled to its rear part and a stem accessible from above the vehicle,it would act as a steering wheel to be oriented at convenience, or through previous programming. For the latter, he used “eccentrics” in different ways,incorporated into the rotary axes.
The two rods have different functions: the one controls the steering angle, the another one is designed to generate motion useful for further applications.It is directly linked to the swing arm through a bracket joint: when the rod rotates, the rear wheel steers.The rotation of the rod depends on its contact with the cams and on the force provided by the spring, which is attached to the tip of the rod and to the chassis: its scope is to maintain the rod in contact with the cams. While the cams are equally spaced and rotating, the rod remains in contact with them changing its orientation regularly: as a result of this, also the wheel changes its orientation and the vehicle steers regularly, characterized by an alternating motion.
Finally, it incorporates a wooden stem that acts as a general brake by remote control, acting on the teeth of the gears or horizontal wheels, preventing movement towards the rear vertical wheels, ensuring that power is not transmitted to the wheels even in the event that the springs are loaded.
The front wheels’ motion is transmitted by a pin transmission system, which connects the front wheels to the gears, that lie on two orthogonal planes. This kind of system is realized modeling two sets of pins, one consisting of 23 pins, the other consisting of 9 pins: they move together to the front wheel and to the second gear wheel respectively.
A ring acting on the stem and through a rope removed it from a distance, allowing the vehicle to move. In the lower part of the manuscript, the supplementary part that acted as an initial brake operated from a distance by means of a rope is represented.It featured programmable steering & a brake that could be released at distance by an operator which a hidden rope,it was designed to operate as a robot and could travel for about 40 meters.The vehicle didn't have a seat.
The Experts
A spring-propelled car that Leonardo da vinci conceived five centuries ago could have paved the way for the Mars rovers,researchers say.Researchers took eight months to translate one of da vinci's drawings to build a one-third scale wooden model of the early car.
"The model has revealed a wonderful complexity that now is very clear". Looking at it carefully, it does resemble the spirit space vehicle on Mars.
AR Capture
Augmented Reality
Presently,one hardly sees an individual without a smartphone and it has been reported that over 80% of the population own smartphones with the internet.As in the case of students,they tend to understand a concept with more ease if they can visualize it in reality,like in the form of 3D Model or on similar lines.AR has made its mark in the automotive industry by lending the car designers a helping hands.
Material Used
Wood (The frame and many of the car's clockwork-like mechanisms, such as cogs, were made from five different types of wood.The biggest problem was to find a wood for the cogs, because that had to be hard and resistant.The finished vehicle contains five sorts of wood and "mechanisms of extraordinary refinement")
Components
Cam,Gear,Winding unit,Rack and Pinion Steering,Crossbows,Chassis.
Software Used
CATIA Version 5.20 Dassault System's
See the all Possible View & Animation (Da Vinci's Design - Self Propelled Cart)
Rendering and Augmented Reality View
DMU Kinematics Animation
Working Animation
Final Design (3DXML)
3D Printing the Model
As you can see in the video shared above, all the parts of the assembly are of simple geometry and can be 3d printed without any issues.The components are pre-coloured in various shades of brown, though a coat of paint - wood or tan, or similar - could be applied.The self-propelled cart is a simple of some 25 plastic components, a couple made of metal, plus the pre-assembled clockwork motor. The scale is a bit problematic, but - assuming the design was intended to be built at full-size - my best estimate is you are looking at about 1:12 scale.
