Military Engineering

having been made bombproof or having been constructed underground (whether in manmade excavations or in caves) [34].

solved with a masonry vault of 4 feet (0.324 m) width of Spanish "vara" [36]. Subsequently, in the El Architecto Perfecto en el Arte Militar (1700), the thickness is

Mathematico (1693), attributed to José Chafrion (1653–1698) in the Libro de Arte Militar, XI Treatise [38], constructions similar to the Vauban's constructions exist. This vault is solid and is built with lime masonry, which differs from Sebastián

practical application of masonry mechanics for the construction of gunpowder warehouses. He determined the abutment for a canon vault and for a tiers-point pointed arch. In a table, he synthesized the dimension of the pieds droits, in ratio with its curve and localization [32]. The importance of these strategic elements obligates Bélidor to dedicate the entirety of Chapter IX of the Book IV of La science des ingénieurs dans la conduite des travaux de fortification et architecture civile (1729) (Figure 2) to the construction of gunpowder warehouses. In Book II, Chap. III, Proposition V, Bélidor presented that the curve must be given to a vault in order not only to keep up its weight throughout but also to keep itself in equilibrium [33].

As a result, its curve would have the shape of a catenary. Thus, for military

references are Vauban (1681) and Bélidor texts [40].

constructions, Bélidor determined up to five different types of vaults: semicircular, third-tip pointed, elliptical (drawn as a segmental arch), plane, and (the derived

The work of Bélidor is translated into English by John Müller (1699–1784) and published under the title A Treatise Containing the Elementary Part of Fortification, Regular and Irregular. For the use of the Royal Academy of Artillery at Woolwich (1755) in Part. III, Sect. XIX, of this translation is entitled Of Powder-Magazines [39]. This text is also translated into Spanish by the Mathematics Academy Professor Miguel Sánchez Taramas in Barcelona (1769) under the title Tratado de fortificación, ó Arte de construir los edificios militares, y civiles (1729) (Figure 3) for the use of the pupils of the mathematics school. For the construction of gunpowder warehouses, their

Élémens de Fortification (1739) by Guillaume Le Blond (1704–1781) is another influential text. With regard to the construction of gunpowder magazines, Le Blond raises Problem II: Tracer de rempart et le parapet [41]. Lastly, we would like to highlight Principios de Fortificación (1772), a treatise by Pedro de Lucuze (1692–1779) for the academy. With regard to the construction model, in Chapter XIX (entitled Edificios Principales), he defines the main characteristics that a building must have robustness, convenience, and symmetry. He draws a distinction between two types of structures according to their robustness: a simple model and a bombproof model. Bombproof structures need a sufficiently thick vault built with stone or brick or a cushioning system consisting of a wooden framework covered with earth [42].

3. Morphologies of gunpowder magazine projects (1715–1798)

view, a distinction is made between the following three morphologies:

Gunpowder magazine projects made by the Spanish military engineers of the eighteenth century are based on previous military architecture treatises. Therefore, most of these ancillary constructions are built bombproof by shielding the roof. A distinction is made between two types of designs: vaults and wooden structures. The latter are protected by elastic components capable of cushioning the impact of a pyroballistic weapon. From a morphological point of view, gunpowder magazines can be classified depending on their protecting enclosures. From a formal point of

In Nouveau cours de Mathématique (1725), Bernard Forest de Bélidor considered a

increased from 12 to even 14 feet [37]. In the Escuela de Palas ò sea Curso

Scientific Knowledge of Spanish Military Engineers in the Seventeenth Century

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.87060

Fernández's vault.

forms of the) catenary.

33

The principal work of reference is Maniere de fortifier selon la methode de Monsieur de Vauban, of Sébastien Le Prestre Vauban (1633–1707), edited by the abbot Du Fay in 1681. The morphology of the gunpowder warehouses with a double enclosure is defined in that treatise, together with the design of its roofing [35].

In the Spanish treatise El Ingeniero Primera Parte, de la Moderna Architectura Militar (1687), by Sebastián Fernández de Medrano (1646–1705), that question is

Scientific Knowledge of Spanish Military Engineers in the Seventeenth Century DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.87060

solved with a masonry vault of 4 feet (0.324 m) width of Spanish "vara" [36]. Subsequently, in the El Architecto Perfecto en el Arte Militar (1700), the thickness is increased from 12 to even 14 feet [37]. In the Escuela de Palas ò sea Curso Mathematico (1693), attributed to José Chafrion (1653–1698) in the Libro de Arte Militar, XI Treatise [38], constructions similar to the Vauban's constructions exist. This vault is solid and is built with lime masonry, which differs from Sebastián Fernández's vault.

In Nouveau cours de Mathématique (1725), Bernard Forest de Bélidor considered a practical application of masonry mechanics for the construction of gunpowder warehouses. He determined the abutment for a canon vault and for a tiers-point pointed arch. In a table, he synthesized the dimension of the pieds droits, in ratio with its curve and localization [32]. The importance of these strategic elements obligates Bélidor to dedicate the entirety of Chapter IX of the Book IV of La science des ingénieurs dans la conduite des travaux de fortification et architecture civile (1729) (Figure 2) to the construction of gunpowder warehouses. In Book II, Chap. III, Proposition V, Bélidor presented that the curve must be given to a vault in order not only to keep up its weight throughout but also to keep itself in equilibrium [33]. As a result, its curve would have the shape of a catenary. Thus, for military constructions, Bélidor determined up to five different types of vaults: semicircular, third-tip pointed, elliptical (drawn as a segmental arch), plane, and (the derived forms of the) catenary.

The work of Bélidor is translated into English by John Müller (1699–1784) and published under the title A Treatise Containing the Elementary Part of Fortification, Regular and Irregular. For the use of the Royal Academy of Artillery at Woolwich (1755) in Part. III, Sect. XIX, of this translation is entitled Of Powder-Magazines [39]. This text is also translated into Spanish by the Mathematics Academy Professor Miguel Sánchez Taramas in Barcelona (1769) under the title Tratado de fortificación, ó Arte de construir los edificios militares, y civiles (1729) (Figure 3) for the use of the pupils of the mathematics school. For the construction of gunpowder warehouses, their references are Vauban (1681) and Bélidor texts [40].

Élémens de Fortification (1739) by Guillaume Le Blond (1704–1781) is another influential text. With regard to the construction of gunpowder magazines, Le Blond raises Problem II: Tracer de rempart et le parapet [41]. Lastly, we would like to highlight Principios de Fortificación (1772), a treatise by Pedro de Lucuze (1692–1779) for the academy. With regard to the construction model, in Chapter XIX (entitled Edificios Principales), he defines the main characteristics that a building must have robustness, convenience, and symmetry. He draws a distinction between two types of structures according to their robustness: a simple model and a bombproof model. Bombproof structures need a sufficiently thick vault built with stone or brick or a cushioning system consisting of a wooden framework covered with earth [42].
