2026-09-19T21:35:34Zhttps://dspace.mit.edu/server/oai/requestoai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/1232162026-06-06T00:48:33Zcom_1721.1_7582com_1721.1_7581col_1721.1_131023
John A. Ochsendorf.
Bast, Karly Maria.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
a-tu---
2019-12-13T18:52:28Z
2019-12-13T18:52:28Z
2019
2019
https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/123216
1129457325
Thesis: M. Eng., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2019
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages [47]).
This thesis investigates the feasibility of a masonry arch bridge proposed by Leonardo da Vinci (1452 -1519). Leonardo wrote a proposal in 1502-1503 for a masonry bridge spanning over the Golden Horn in present-day Istanbul, Turkey. The design was a response to an invitation by the Sultan Bayezid II (1447-1512) to construct a bridge connecting Galata and Istanbul. Had Leonardo's design been constructed, at a span of roughly 280 meters, it would have been the one of the longest spans in the pre-Industrial world. This thesis examines Leonardo's proposal. assesses the proposed location and geometry, and determines the feasibility of the design through a structural analysis. As the proposed bridge is a masonry structure, the most critical structural factors include geometric stability and the response to support displacements. Both of these factors are tested through analytical means and a 3D physical model supported by moveable abutments. The combination of the initial stability, the kinematic mechanism under spreading supports, and the geotechnical conditions demonstrates the bridge's feasibility.
by Karly Maria Bast.
M.Eng.
M.Eng. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
46, 1 unnumbered pages
eng
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
MIT theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed, downloaded, or printed from this source but further reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission.
http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582
Civil and Environmental Engineering.
Feasibility study of Leonardo da Vinci's bridge proposal over the Golden Horn in Istanbul
Thesis
application/pdf
2019-12-13T18:52:26Z
Publication
Master
CivEng
unknown
unknown
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<Abstract>This thesis investigates the feasibility of a masonry arch bridge proposed by Leonardo da Vinci (1452 -1519). Leonardo wrote a proposal in 1502-1503 for a masonry bridge spanning over the Golden Horn in present-day Istanbul, Turkey. The design was a response to an invitation by the Sultan Bayezid II (1447-1512) to construct a bridge connecting Galata and Istanbul. Had Leonardo's design been constructed, at a span of roughly 280 meters, it would have been the one of the longest spans in the pre-Industrial world. This thesis examines Leonardo's proposal. assesses the proposed location and geometry, and determines the feasibility of the design through a structural analysis. As the proposed bridge is a masonry structure, the most critical structural factors include geometric stability and the response to support displacements. Both of these factors are tested through analytical means and a 3D physical model supported by moveable abutments. The combination of the initial stability, the kinematic mechanism under spreading supports, and the geotechnical conditions demonstrates the bridge's feasibility.</Abstract>
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