What Leonardo da Vinci machine was designed to lift water with a rotating screw?

Leonardo da Vinci studied and designed versions of Archimedes’ screw for lifting water.

An Archimedes’ screw consists of a helical surface inside a tube or wrapped around a central shaft. As the screw rotates, water is carried upward along the spiral. Leonardo’s notebooks contain studies of screw-based water-lifting machines, including designs that show his interest in improving their construction and operation.

The device was not invented by Leonardo. It is traditionally associated with the Greek mathematician and engineer Archimedes, who lived in the third century BCE. Leonardo’s importance is that he analyzed and illustrated the mechanism during the Renaissance, when engineers used such machines for drainage, irrigation, and other practical work.

The screw’s angle, diameter, rotation speed, and fit affect how efficiently it moves water. This machine should not be confused with a water wheel, which uses moving water to produce rotation. In an Archimedes’ screw, rotation is used to transport water upward.