Online Exhibits > Leonardo and the Engineers of the Renaissance > Models

Ball bearing for cone-tipped vertical axle

Dimensions: 77x47x47 cm
Materials: durmast, metal
Constructor: Muséo Techni, Montréal
Date: 1987

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Working model after Leonardo da Vinci, Madrid Ms. I (BNM), fol. 101v

A cone-tipped axle rotates between three spheres in a nearly hemispheric support. Leonardo notes that "3 balls under the spindle are better than 4, because 3 balls are of necessity always touched and equally moved by the spindle. Using 4 there would be the danger that one of them is left untouched, awaiting the opportunity to produce friction."

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