Which Leonardo da Vinci machine used a screw mechanism to lift water?

Leonardo da Vinci studied and designed machines based on the Archimedes’ screw to lift water.

An Archimedes’ screw consists of a helical surface inside a tube or around a shaft. When the screw turns, water is carried upward in the spaces formed by the helix. Leonardo explored screw-based water-lifting mechanisms in his engineering studies and produced drawings that show how the principle could be applied.

The underlying invention was ancient and is traditionally associated with Archimedes, who is commonly dated to the third century BCE. Leonardo therefore did not originate the basic water screw, but he investigated its geometry and mechanical uses as part of his broader study of pumps and hydraulic machines.

This device is different from Leonardo’s linked-bucket water pump. A bucket chain raises water in separate containers, while the screw moves water continuously along a spiral path.