Antifriction Device: Wheel-and-Axle Bearing
A low-friction roller assembly in which the wheel turns as one with its axle
The upper part of the sheet works out an antifriction device: an octagonal element set within a square frame with radial arms, sketched above a horizontal wheel-and-axle roller. Leonardo notes that the wheel turns as a single unit with its axle because the two are joined, and that the load rests upon the wheels set at the points b and c. It is a compact study of how to carry weight on a rotating shaft while reducing friction.
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Wheel and axle joined so they turn together
The wheel turns together with its axle because the two are joined, and the load rests upon the wheels a n set at the points b and c. The roller therefore carries weight while rotating as one piece.
Antifriction detail marked n, a
A separate detail of the antifriction device is picked out with the letters n and a. It isolates the part of the mechanism meant to reduce resistance as the shaft turns.