Andrey Nartov is a famous domestic inventor and engineer who lived in the 18th century. He was a sculptor and mechanic, a member of the Academy of Sciences, the first on the planet to invent a screw-cutting lathe, which had a mechanized caliper and a set of interchangeable gears.
Inventor's biography
Andrey Nartov was born in 1693. He was born in Moscow. The exact date of his birth is not known for certain. Presumably, he came from townspeople.
In 1709 Andrey Nartov began working as a turner at the Moscow School of Navigational and Mathematical Sciences. He showed his talent already at that time, he was noticed by the first persons of the state. In 1712, Andrei Konstantinovich Nartov was even summoned to see Emperor Peter I. In St. Petersburg, after a meeting with the head of state, he was appointed to the palace turnery as a highly qualified specialist, a turner.
First developments
During this period, Andrey Nartov begins his first developments, builds several mechanizedmachines that are used to make works of applied art and obtain bas-reliefs by copying.
In 1718, Emperor Peter I sent him to improve his education abroad. Andrei Konstantinovich Nartov visits France, Holland, England, improves his turning skills, and also acquires various knowledge in the field of mathematics and mechanics from foreign specialists, which contributes to the development of his engineering ideas.
When the hero of our article returns to St. Petersburg, Tsar Peter instructs him to manage his own turnery, which Nartov expands, installs new machines, which are specially brought from Western Europe for this. Surprisingly, there was a close relationship between the turner and the emperor. Right in the turnery, which was located next to the emperor's chambers, Peter often set up his office.
In 1724, Andrei Nartov, whose biography is discussed in this article, presented to the emperor his own project of the Academy of Arts, which the head of state really liked, but they did not have time to implement it.
After the death of Peter
Peter I died in 1725. After that, Nartov was almost immediately removed from the court, his talents became useless.
In 1726 he was sent to the mint, back to Moscow. The institution at that time was in a neglected state, there was not even the most elementary and necessary equipment. Nartov managed to set up the production of new coins in the shortest possible time, and in 1733 a mechanism was created here to raise the Tsarbells.
Triumphal Pillar
After the death of Peter I, it was Nartov who was instructed to make a triumphal pillar, on which all the military successes of the emperor would be depicted. But he did not have time to finish this work.
When the academy of sciences handed over all the turning accessories, as well as the unfinished pillar of triumph, the head of the academy, Baron Korf, called Nartov from Moscow back to St. Petersburg, because he believed that only he could complete the implementation of this project. In 1735, Nartov arrived in the city on the Neva, began to lead locksmiths, as well as students of mechanical and turning business.
Engineer's Inventions
Among the inventions of Andrei Konstantinovich Nartov, a special place is occupied by a screw-cutting lathe, the design of which was still unknown to anyone on the planet. Nartov developed this project during Peter's lifetime in 1717. However, initially he was given insufficient attention, and over time, this invention was completely forgotten. As a result, a similar machine was practically reinvented by the British scientist Henry Maudsley in 1800.
At the same time, the hero of our article did not despair, he constantly presented new developments, knocked out money for the implementation of his projects, although it was not easy. In 1742, he even filed a complaint with Empress Elizabeth against the academy adviser Ivan Schumacher, with whom he had financial disagreements. As a result, Nartov managed to start an investigation, and he himself took the place of adviser.
Counselor of the Academy of Sciences
It is worth noting that the results of Nartov's work in this post turned out to be very ambiguous. He sought to improve the financial condition of the academy and put things in order, but at the same time he could not find a common language with the academicians. Because of this, he remained in this position for only a year and a half.
As many members of the academy of that time noted, Nartov knew nothing but turning, did not speak foreign languages, showing himself as an autocratic administrator. For example, he ordered to seal the archive in the office, which kept all the correspondence of academicians, and spoke rudely with the academicians themselves. It all ended with the fact that all academicians, led by Lomonosov, began to demand the return of Schumacher. And so it happened in 1744, and the Narts concentrated on cannon and artillery.
Artillery Department
The inventions of Andrei Konstantinovich Nartov in the Artillery Department were primarily associated with the creation of new machine tools and original fuses. He also developed a new way of casting guns, an original optical sight.
The significance of his work was so great that in 1746 a decree was even issued awarding him 5,000 rubles for the latest artillery inventions. In 1754, he was promoted to the rank of state councilor, having signed off several villages located in the Novgorod district.
Nartov died in St. Petersburg in 1756, he was 63 years old. After his death, it turned out that the inventor had huge debts, since he invested a lot of personal savings in his scientific and technical experiments, often because of this he got intodebts. He was buried on the eighth line of Vasilyevsky Island.
Nartov's work
Nartov is also known as a writer. In particular, the anecdotes and stories about Peter I published in 1885 were mostly borrowed from his notes. At the same time, many researchers note that in these notes he often exaggerated his role and importance, but they are valuable because they almost verbatim convey the speeches of the emperor.
all only according to the stories of his father. Maikov accompanied this edition with his own critical remarks, assessing the degree of reliability of each message.
It is also known that in 1755 the hero of our article finished working on a manuscript called "Theatrum Machinarium, or the Clear View of the Machines." This is a real encyclopedia of machine tool building, which collected almost everything that was known about this industry at that time. This book played a huge role in the development of domestic technology and science. Nartov sought to print this book in a large edition so that it would be available to everyone. First of all, novice mechanics, turners and designers. It contained meticulous and scrupulous descriptions of 34 original lathes and other machines. Nartov gave the most detailed drawings and accompanying explanations, compiledkinematic diagrams, made explanations, described in great detail all the tools and fixtures that might be needed when assembling such a machine.
Also, the hero of our article developed a detailed theoretical introduction, which de alt with many fundamental issues of practice and combination theory. In it, he formulated the need and importance of building machine models, which must be made in advance before full-fledged machines are put into production.
Nartov finished his work shortly before his death. His manuscripts were already collected by his son, who prepared the collection to present to Catherine II. The manuscript was transferred to the library at the court, but did not receive further progress. The priceless theoretical work of Nartov lay in the dark for two hundred years, his efforts were in vain. An important industrial breakthrough that Russia could have made based on his work has never been made.
Nartov's son became a writer and translator, one of the founders of the Free Economic Society.
