Studies of gearing
M, let's take a chain, with rings made from a single piece. This chain can be connected and disconnected without breaking the rings. It may seem impossible in reality yet it is feasible.
Drawing water for the Castle.
Madrid I and II, Madrid, Biblioteca Nacional.
These two notebooks bound in red leather contain around 300 sheets. They were brought to Spain in 1590 by Pompeo Leoni before falling into the hands of Don Juan de Espina who bequeathed them to the King of Spain. After lying neglected in the royal library for 130 years, they were eventually rediscovered in 1966. They mainly cover mechanics and geometry.
Ms. Madrid I, f. 10 r, Madrid, Biblioteca nacional.
Leonardo designed chains for pulling heavy loads or drawing water from a well, in the place of ropes. The links took were of widely varying shape. Some could be undone without being opened. However, Leonardo did not appear to suggest that chains could transmit movement.
