The Significance of Al-Jazari's Four-Bucket Water Lifting Machine in the History of Engineering and Science

Abstract

The developments in the field of engineering have an eclectic structure. During ancient times, the works carried out at the School of Mechanical Engineering in Alexandria were transmitted to the Islamic world through translations at the House of Wisdom (Bayt al-Hikmah). Following this process, engineering studies became the focus of research in the Islamic world, both from theoretical and practical perspectives. Prominent researchers in this context include the Banu Musa brothers (9th century), Al-Farabi (875-950), Al-Hazini (1100s), and Al-Jazari (13th century). The renowned Turkish philosopher Al-Farabi conducted research on air and vacuum, expressing his views in the treatise "Risale li-Ebi Nasr al-Farabi fi’l-Hala" (On Vacuum). Al-Hazini's book "Mizanu’l Hikme" (The Balance of Wisdom) sheds light on the concept of balance, with Hazini turning the water balance into an extraordinary equilibrium device and creating a balance called "Mizânü'l-Câmî" (The Collector).The Banu Musa brothers presented valuable machine and mechanical system designs in their work "Kitab al-Hiyal" (The Book of Ingenious Devices). Al-Jazari, born in 1153 in Cizre, served as the chief engineer of the Artuklu palace for 32 years. During this time, he designed many mechanical and automation-based systems. Upon examining the designs in Al-Jazari's book "Kitab-ül Cami Beyn-el-İl ve'l-Amel el-Nâfi fi Sınaât el Hiyel," it becomes apparent that he elevated the designs made before him to a completely different level. Some of today's engineering designs can trace their origins to the drawings found in this book. In this study, the design features of Al-Jazari's 4-bucket water-lifting machine are examined, and its value in contemporary engineering is explored. Al-Jazari designed a mechanical timer to ensure the continuity of water flow in his design. This timer allowed each bucket to discharge water one after the other, maintaining a continuous flow of water. He achieved this through a shaft with quarter-toothed gears. This design can be considered the precursor to the eccentric and crankshafts found in modern internal combustion engines. The eccentric shaft controls the mechanical timing of valves in engines, while crankshafts ensure the continuous transmission of the force generated by four pistons in a four-stroke engine over a quarter of the cycle to the flywheel gear.