Students Create a Device to Analyze the Fragile Ankles of Michelangelo’s 'David'

Michelangelo's David, arguably the most renowned Renaissance sculpture in the world, still holds up at 514 years old. However, like any aging artwork, it faces challenges. In this case, the statue’s posture is the issue—over time, it has gradually tilted forward, putting strain on its ankles, which have begun to crack. If this continues, in a few hundred years, David may fall entirely.

At Yale University, engineering students alongside the Institute for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage are investigating how gravity impacts the statue, with hopes of finding a way to prevent its eventual collapse.

The students developed a device known as the Force Relay Exertion Machine to replicate the gravitational stress on David's ankles over time. They created step-like models to simulate the angle and pressure on the statue's ankles, using materials such as concrete, clay, and others to observe how various substances withstand the forces. These models were placed inside the machine, where pressure was applied until the artificial ankles fractured. This allowed the team to measure the amount of force and duration needed to cause the ankles to crack.

Although the students did not resolve David's ankle problem during their half-semester study, the machine they built continues to be utilized by the Institute for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage in other materials science classes.

You can see how the machine functions by watching the video below.