Experiments on the Strength and Bending of Beams
Three horizontal beams on supports test how strength scales with length
The sheet is headed 'experiments with iron wires and small links' and develops a rule for how the deflection of a beam depends on its length. A diagram of three horizontal beams resting on supports (the spans labelled b a, c d and e f and marked 8, 16 and 32) accompanies the argument that a beam of half the length is twice as strong, so it sags the same fraction of its length only under double the load. Fainter mechanical sketches lower on the sheet are not covered by the transcription.
On this page
Deflection scales with length: halving the span doubles the strength
If beam a b sags one-eighth of its length under a weight of 8, then c d, being half as long and (Leonardo believes) of doubled strength, needs at least 16 before it sags one-eighth, and e f, half of c d again, needs 32. He warns that c d under double a b's load will not sag one-eighth but exactly one-sixteenth.
Experiments with iron wires and links
A heading announces the theme of the page: trials made with iron wires and small rings or links. The mechanical figures that follow put such tests of strength and load on paper.