DIGITAL 3D RECONSTRUCTION OF AGUSTIN DE BETANCOURT'S HISTORICAL HERITAGE: THE MACHINE FOR CUTTING GRASS IN WATERWAYS

Agustin de Betancourt y Molina was one of the most distinguished engineers of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries with numerous contributions to various fields of engineering, including civil engineering. This research shows the process followed in the documentation of the cultural heritage of that Canary engineer, especially in the geometric documentation of a machine for cutting grass in waterways presented in England in 1795 after three years researching on theory of machines. The baseline information has been recovered from the Canary Orotava Foundation of History of Science who has spent years collecting information about the Project Betancourt, in particular, planimetric information as well as a small report on its operation and description of parts of machine. From this information, we have constructed a three dimensional (3D) model using CAD techniques with the use of Solid Edge ST7 parametric software, which has enabled the team to create the 3D model as well as different detail plans and exploded views.