The Architronito: Archimedes' steam cannon
Longitudinal section, furnace and firing sequence, and a field carriage
The sheet presents the "architronito," described in the text as a machine of fine copper, an invention attributed to Archimedes, that hurls iron balls with great din and fury. A third of the tube sits amid burning coals until red-hot, then the screw valve d above the water vessel a b c is closed at the top, unstopping it below so the water floods the heated part and flashes to vapour, driving out the ball. Drawings show a longitudinal section of the barrel, the furnace with the water vessel, and, at the foot of the page, a two-wheeled carriage for carrying the engines into the field.
On this page
The architronito, a copper steam cannon
The text calls the architronito a machine of fine copper, an invention of Archimedes, that hurls iron balls with great din and fury. A third of the instrument is held amid a great quantity of burning coals until it is heated red-hot.
Water flashed to steam drives the ball
Closing the screw d above the water vessel a b c unstops it below, so all its water descends into the red-hot part and at once turns into so much vapour that it seems a marvel. The text claims this drove a ball weighing one talent a distance of 61 stadia.
The iron c n and the water vessel a b c
The iron c n is to be set in the middle of the plate fixed beneath it, so that the water can fall all at once around that axle. The screw valve d governs release of water from the vessel a b c.
Carrying the engines into the field
At the foot of the page a complete weapon is mounted on a wheeled carriage, labelled with coal and water. The note explains how the architronitos are carried into the field.