Mechanical Properties

· Many of the tests developed have their modern counterparts.
· The experiments by Leonardo da Vinci shown opposite involve the deflection of cantilever structures and tensile tests on ropes or cables.
· What was lacking was the mathematical language that could translate these observations into a systematic understanding of material properties.
· This understanding started with the work of Hooke, Young, and others in 1660.

From: Leonardo da Vinci, Codex Atlanticus (circa 1490)