THE JEEPthe Sumerian chariot to Willys

based on a study of Flavio and Ferruccio Russo

UTILITARIAN COMMISSIONFIVA

Director: Renato Pujatti

2600 b.C. Ur flag

The precious heirloom tells us the image of many Chariots, warships and four wheels,towed by two pairs of ‘onegri’. absurd to imagine any contemporary civil use, lackingthe goods to transport and less passengers than ever, even the idea of the road did notexist.

1800 b.C. The chariot of the Egyptians

The chariots spread rapidly in lowland areas of the Near East, in particular in Mesopotamia andSyria, then Egypt, too.Due to their high cost, originally were reserved for monarchs and the aristocratic class, more asymbol of power that war machine itself.the chariot of the Egyptians

1000 b.C. The chariot of the Hittites and Assyrian

FIn this case were the Hittites to promote the mutation: deploying thousands of chariots, eachwith three men aboard, all built so basically standardized with bronze wheels with four or sixspokes and with wood and wicker crate stiffened with metal straps. The Assyrians, in turn, broughtfurther refinement by adopting the partially metal casing coated with leather and even thinnerrims covered with leather with studs also shot peened.

1000 b.C. The tracks in Malta rock

To reduce the resistance of the wheels, but above all to allow it during the transport of large loads,at the dawn of history, were engraved in the rock long furrows parallel pairs. These rails,rudimental properly definable binary wheel engraved guided devices. Imagine the stimulusinventive and the next evolution is quite simple, starting with the observation of the furrows leftby the wheels of a chariot in the mud that, once solidified, it turned into guides that forced otherwheels to follow the same path.

1000 b.C. Other tracks in Malta rock

1000 b.C. Tracks in Malta rock

In the case of Malta, their network reaches 150 miles. The infrastructure you have toplace between the third and second millennium BC, coinciding with the megalitismo,which on the island boasts a primary sacred architecture without any analogy. Theguide-wheel ruts, the so-called cart-ruts, require the presence of a suitable to bedrockincision furrows.

II-I sec. b.C. Trackc of Pompei

A large monolithic blocks of Pompeii located across the road are, in fact, similarfurrows currently attributed to wheel rims. In fact were carefully recorded precisely toavoid the wheels of must: a modest wheel system of undoubted utility Wizard.

I-IV sec. b.C. Romans chariots

In maximum wide line, as mentioned earlier, the Romans were great builders ofwagons but good improvers. A fundamental distinction between the transport ofpersons from that of merchandises or objects, solids or liquids that were. The type offour-wheeled human transport opens with a range of wagons intended for the carriageof medium and large distance, which could be a private type, in this case a kind offorerunner to bus or coach, or the public, as well. Their definition was broad and large‘carruca’ categorization could be subdivided into two basic arrangements, taxdeductible iconic and literary sources.

I-IV sec. a.C. ‘carruca’ for daytime travellers

The first construction was reserved to ordinary travelers, and in this case oftenbelonged to the character that they needed. Structurally resembles a carriage of the16th century, with a rear door and side Windows, tends to roll. Possibly inside therewere two opposing sofas on which could take place five or six people.

I-IV sec. a.C. ‘carruca’ for night travellers

The safety of the Roman administration allowed to travel at night. The chariot wasentirely covered by a heavy tarpaulin, Batiste, held together by ropes and studs,outside, and an interior iron frame.

Inside instead of seats narrow berths in two orthree orders superimposed.The real news is still elastic suspensions,constituted by straps holding the platform betweena bronze pillar and the other.

I-IV sec. a.C. ‘Redha’ the fast traveller vagon

Unlike previous the ‘Rheda’, whose name certifies the Gallic origin, was a vehicle forquick and comfortable travel. It is often depicted pulled by two pairs of horses.

The seats seem to be arranged as in our carsexcept for the Coachman whose cassette is inplace. The low-relief shows with certainty thepresence of a small hammer braking device.

As mentioned the type of four-wheeled wagons for transporting goods and foodstuffsnot only boasted many differentiations but also real news, ever built up to that point,not having had the need. In addition to agricultural transport wagons with high andmassive platforms, with or without the banks, for the transport of inert in the yards

I-IV sec. a.C. The tanks for the transport of goods

or heavy stones from the quarries, all withpeculiar connotations, makes its appearance anew wagon, aimed at transport of liquids.

I-IV sec. a.C. Brakes, Bearings, Suspension

Brakes SuspensionBearings

IV sec. b.C. – IV sec. a.C. The ‘helepolis’ self propelled

The concept of self propelled debuts with the ‘helepolis’, in the 4th century b.C This isambulatory towers used in sieges. Initially, became deadly when the internalpowerplants were introduced that allowed the enemy walls, without having to exposethe defensive shot.

I sec. a.C. Heron self propeller cart

From battlefields at leisure, the step wasshort. Heron invented a cart driven by agravity engine that used to generate themotion, a reservoir of millet that was securedby a rope, to a series of postponements andthen the axis between the two wheels.

I sec. b.C. - I sec. a.C. Differential, Chain and ‘Odometer’

The period of year zero, we back the origins of the differential (finding of Antikitera), flatmesh chain (invented by Dionysius of Alexandria for the automatic catapult) and‘odometer’ (Heron's invention once described by Vitruvius)

IV sec. a.C. - XIII sec. a.C. The medieval technological crisis

The levels and achievements already granted by technology in General and that of thewagons in casting, obviously not dissolved but for a very long time had no longer tomaterialize. In antiquity, attempts were not lacking, more or less equally to adapt thewind powered their ships to tanks, using perhaps the special sail. In the work of Guidoda Vigevano, written in Latin, a reference to summary though a chariot driven by thewind.

XV – XVI sec. Leonardo and the Others

The Turkish conquest of Constantinople in 1453, it dissipates in the Western world, thehand-written and kept there, the latest evidence of ancient techniques. Leonardo andhis contemporaries are, therefore, in a position to buy, paper weight, works ofinestimable value, attempting to interpret, despite inadequate knowledge of classicallanguages. The result codes are full of sketches of gadgets that show all the same limit:the motor! Described in the codes, not pictured, is the emblem of the lost ancientknowledge.

The internal combustion engine

In 1682 a device called the steam machine de Marly, built for Louis XIV, fed the fountainsof Versailles. Maybe it was a power of about seventy horses, but short-lived for thecurrent inability to manage maintenance. The question of a less accurate device found afew years later, in 1690, Huygens's interest who proposed some of his risky experimentswith a machine to create a vacuum, operating as an internal combustion engine,powered though, and here was the danger, gun powder. The results were so disastrousas to quickly resume the development of steam appliances.

XVII sec.

I sec. – XVIII sec. The stream engine

But also for the steam engine you must return to the usual Heron, who understood andmade the first turbines. The best known of these was the ‘heolipila’ or ball of Aeolus, Godof the winds. The idea of converting the steam strength into something more than asimple toy went back several times throughout history. Leonardo we tried with the‘architronico’, a kind of steam Cannon which the great artist, who claimed to have beeninspired by Archimedes. Denis Papin, a disciple of Huygens, was the first to enunciate thebasic conception of the steam engine, after the famous pressure cooker.

XIX sec. The internal combustion engine

It was only thanks to a real leap of faith, and to perform it was a religious, eventuallydeveloping an internal combustion engine had a positive outcome. In 1854 themathematician father Barsanti and Matteucci physicist built and patented the firstinternal combustion engine.

XX sec. The ‘car’

In the late 19th century the coach without horses was finally a reality: with easy definitionis called car. In the early ' 900, in addition to demonstrations of speed you started thoselong-distance hiking on paths of any nature that those machines were very modest onethat facilitates connotation: their considerable height above the ground. Italian claimswere not lacking as the triumph on the Beijing-Paris route of about 16,000 kilometres,almost all in out of the way. Itala with its 40 hp, led by Prince Borghese arrived first after60 days of hard effort, definitely worthy of the best off-roading.

XX sec. The Willys jeep

With the second world war, thanks to the now acquired perception of military potential ofthe vehicle it attempted to enhance the performance of movement on any surface, or off-road vehicles. The real news came from the United States that during June 1940, beingnow coming to work in Europe, in a special meeting of the Technical Committee, launcheda contest to build a car-vehicle with special technical features. After a series of technicaland bureaucratic requirements, challenges and changes, dawned the Willys that won thebuilding of military tactical reconnaissance jeeps, General Pur – GP pronounced Jeep!

XX sec. The Willys jeep

2 crew + 2 passengers3.33 m length1.575 m widthHeight 1.83 with the top, reduced to 1.32 mWeight unladen 1.105 tWillys engine 442 4-cylinder side valve (2.199 l)54 power (40 kW) at 3700 rpm hp20.46 power-to-weight ratio kg/HP4 x 4 wheel driveRigid leaf spring suspension bridgeSpeed 60 mph

THE JEEPthe Sumerian chariot to Willys

based on a study of Flavio and Ferruccio Russo

UTILITARIAN COMMISSIONFIVA

Director: Renato Pujatti