Analysis of Eiffel Tower - Case Study Example

EIFFEL TOWER Name Institution Date Eiffel Tower Introduction The construction of Eiffel Tower began in 1887 as an arch to the1889 world trade fair. The tower is located in Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It has made history over the years. After its construction, it was the tallest building in the world. However, due top the emergence of other buildings it is no longer the tallest building in the world. However, it is still the tallest building in Paris, France. The tower continues to attract tourists from allover the world and it is also considered as the global cultural icon of France. It was named after Eiffel Gustave who played an active role in its construction (Harvie, 2006). His engineering company was responsible for the construction of the tower. The tower has also made history as being the most visited monument in the world with the visitors paying for the visits. On the other hand, the tower has some level and it also has a restaurant and hence the high rate of visitor attraction. It is also important to note that the construction of the tower lasted for about four decades due to the challenges that were faced during its construction. The paper thus discusses the Engineering concepts of Eiffel Tower. Eiffel Tower (Jonnes, 2009). Design Details of the Tower The design of the tower was carried out with a lot of caution as it was set to be come the tallest building in the world at the time. The tower has a height of 324 meters which is an equivalent of 1063 feet. This was the original design during the constriction of the towers. However in 1957, an additional antenna was added on top of the tower and hence increasing its height. This was for the purposes of ensuring that the tower continued to hold the record of the tallest building in the world. For the purposes of accessing the tower, it is divided into three levels. The third level is the highest that is allowed for the visitors and the members of the public. It stands at a height of 279.11 meters which is an equivalent of 915.7 feet. The roof of the tower is located at a height of 300.65 meters. This is an equivalent of 986 feet. The access to the tower is through the use of lifts, elevators and stairs for the first level which is common among most of the visitors (Jonnes, 2009). The total number of lifts in the tower is nine while the floor count is three due to the three levels. The total height of the tower can be compared to an 81 storey building. This has played an important role in the classification of the tower as a complex building. The design details for the tower at the time made it the tallest building in the world. It thus led to challenges during its construction as some of the critics did not believe that the project would be successful. The Design of Eiffel Tower (Chanson, 2009). (Chanson, 2009). Construction and structural details The construction of the tower began in the year 1887. It was during this time that the foundation of the tower was established. The type of foundation used for the construction of the tower was the pile foundation. This is because the foundation had to support a lot of weight. Heavy reinforcements were also placed on the foundation for the purpose of strengthening it. The legs for the tower rested on a concrete slab which was equally reinforced for the purposes of strengthening it. On the southern and eastern part of the tower, the legs rest on a slab which is 2 meters which is equivalent to 2.2 feet. The western and northern side of the tower is closer to the river. This led to the use of a pile foundation. A pile foundation is usually common in areas with clay type of soil. The piles were 15 meters long or 49 feet long with a diameter of 6 meters or 20 feet. The piles were driven to a depth of 22 meters which is an equivalent of 72 feet. The concrete slabs that were supported by the piles were 6 meters thick which an equivalent of 20 feet thick is (Chanson, 2009). The construction was done with an aid of heavy machinery. Compaction was also done on the slabs which also required heavy reinforcements. Steel bars of different diameters were used during the construction of the foundation. The footing of the tower was anchored on stonework and secured by bolts. The length of the bolts was 7.5 meters which is an equivalent of 25 feet. The diameter of the bolts on the other hand was 10 cm which is an equivalent of 4 inches. (Mehta, Patel, &, Gao, 2000). The iron work was complex during the construction process. This is because the riveting of the iron had to be done on certain angles only in relation to the specification of the design. It is also important to note that the drawings that were used during the construction were multifaceted. This is because of the use of about 1700 general drawings, 3629 detailed drawings and 18, 038 details of different parts that were used during the construction process. Two and a half million rivets were used for the purpose of joining the metal parts during the construction process. Insitu drilling of the metal parts was not done and all the parts were drilled in the factory. This contributed to some wastage as some of the metals parts did not meet the specifications and were not used. During the construction process, safety measures were put in place. This was achieved through the use of guard rails, screens and moveable staggings. It is through the safety measures used that the project only experienced one death during the constriction. This is despite a large number of people being involved in the construction. It is also unlike other major projects which experience a high number of deaths due to accidents during the construction process (Lakos, et al, 2006). However, some critics were concerned about the use of timber scaffolds which are usually prone to breakages and hence accidents. This is considering the height of the tower. Adjustments were also done on the legs of the tower during the construction for the purposes of aligning it. The stability of a building is an important aspect of engineering. This is for the purposes of avoiding failure which leads to the collapse of the building. The structure of such magnitude can cause a lot of destruction incase of collapse. It is also important to note various factors contribute to the failure of a structure. Due to the height of the structure, wind is one of the factors that may cause the failure of a building. It is for this reason that measures were put in place to deal with the forces of he wind. The lower part of the structure was well designed to counter the wind forces. This has greatly contributed to the structure being wind resistance. On the other hand, the counter balancing the forces at each point of the structure has also contributed to its ability to resist the wind forces. Materials used for the construction of the tower The use of different types of materials was important during the construction of the tower. Wrought iron is one of the material s that dominated the construction of the tower. It was mainly used for the construction of the ironwork of the tower. It is also estimated that 7,300 tonnes of wrought iron was used during the construction of the tower. This is a high amount of material used for the construction of a single structure. The total weight of the structure is however 10,000 tonnes. This includes the non-metal components that were used during the construction of the tower. Thermal considerations were also important during the construction of the structure and hence the use of the wrought iron. This is because the expansion and contraction of the metal would occur depending on the temperatures. Concrete is also a material that was used during the construction of the tower. This was mainly for the construction of the slab and the foundation. The class of concrete used during the construction was dependant on the specifications. On the other hand, it is also important to note that stones were used during the construction process of the tower. This was also at the foundation and the footing of the tower. Timber is also a material used during the construction. However, it was only used on a small portion of the structure. The main application of timber was during the construction and it was used for making the scaffolds. The materials used during the construction of the tower were mainly composed of a large amount of iron. The Uniqueness of the Structure The tower is quite unique and hence its significance in France and the entire world. The ability of the structure to become the tallest building in the world is one of the uniqueness. This is considering that it was constructed mainly using iron. On the other hand, it is also important to note that the main material used for the construction of the tower was wrought iron. The use of about 7300 tonnes of wrought iron for the construction of the building is also unique. This is considering that no other structure has such record of using such high amount of iron. It is also important to note that melting the iron will result to a 125 square meter base of a structure with 6 centimeters in height. This is an indication that a huge amount of iron was used during the construction of the stricture. Paying visitors always frequent the structure in large numbers. This is also unique as no other monument holds such a record. The number of visitors also keeps increasing each year and hence the popularity of the building. It is also important to note that high standards of safety were observed during the construction of the building. Unlike most of the major projects, there was only one death reported during the construction of the tower. The design of the tower was also quite complex as compared to the other structures. This is because the use of thousands of drawings was evident during the construction process. It is also important to note that each and every specification was keenly followed ad hence the stability of the structure despite the many years that it has stood. The structure is thus considered unique and of national importance in France (Letcher, 2003). Conclusion In conclusion, it is evident that the tower is of great important to France. The design details of the building are also complex in nature and different from other structures around the world. It is also evident that the construction of the structure took a lot of time. This is because the structure was total completed after almost four decades. The use of complex drawings is also an important aspect of the building. The uniqueness of the structure is also evident in terms of history and the engineering aspects. It is also evident that the structure has placed a mark in history as it became the tallest building in the world after its completion. On the other hand, it has also placed a mark in terms of engineering and construction for using a large amount of iron during its construction. It is thus evident that the tower will continue to attract visitors in the future at a higher level. The high number of visitors each year is also an indication that the structure forms a great part of history. References Chanson, H. (2009). Hydraulic Engineering Legends Listed on the Eiffel Tower, Great Rivers History, Reston: ASCE-EWRI Publication. Jonnes, J. (2009). Eiffel's Tower. New York: Viking publications. Letcher, P. (2003). Eccentric France. Bradt Travel Guides. p. 105. Harvie, D. (2006). Eiffel: The Genius Who Reinvented Himself Stroud, Gloucestershire: Sutton. Lakos, N. et al. (2006). Frommer's Europe. 9th ed. Frommer's. p. 318.  Mehta A. Patel, H. &, Gao T. (2000). Analysis of Eiffel Tower. Retrieved on August 16, 2013 from < http://www.moen.cee.vt.edu/postedfiles/CEE4404posters2009.pdf > Read More

This is because the foundation had to support a lot of weight. Heavy reinforcements were also placed on the foundation for the purpose of strengthening it. The legs for the tower rested on a concrete slab which was equally reinforced for the purposes of strengthening it. On the southern and eastern part of the tower, the legs rest on a slab which is 2 meters which is equivalent to 2.2 feet. The western and northern side of the tower is closer to the river. This led to the use of a pile foundation.

A pile foundation is usually common in areas with clay type of soil. The piles were 15 meters long or 49 feet long with a diameter of 6 meters or 20 feet. The piles were driven to a depth of 22 meters which is an equivalent of 72 feet. The concrete slabs that were supported by the piles were 6 meters thick which an equivalent of 20 feet thick is (Chanson, 2009). The construction was done with an aid of heavy machinery. Compaction was also done on the slabs which also required heavy reinforcements.

Steel bars of different diameters were used during the construction of the foundation. The footing of the tower was anchored on stonework and secured by bolts. The length of the bolts was 7.5 meters which is an equivalent of 25 feet. The diameter of the bolts on the other hand was 10 cm which is an equivalent of 4 inches. (Mehta, Patel, &, Gao, 2000). The iron work was complex during the construction process. This is because the riveting of the iron had to be done on certain angles only in relation to the specification of the design.

It is also important to note that the drawings that were used during the construction were multifaceted. This is because of the use of about 1700 general drawings, 3629 detailed drawings and 18, 038 details of different parts that were used during the construction process. Two and a half million rivets were used for the purpose of joining the metal parts during the construction process. Insitu drilling of the metal parts was not done and all the parts were drilled in the factory. This contributed to some wastage as some of the metals parts did not meet the specifications and were not used.

During the construction process, safety measures were put in place. This was achieved through the use of guard rails, screens and moveable staggings. It is through the safety measures used that the project only experienced one death during the constriction. This is despite a large number of people being involved in the construction. It is also unlike other major projects which experience a high number of deaths due to accidents during the construction process (Lakos, et al, 2006). However, some critics were concerned about the use of timber scaffolds which are usually prone to breakages and hence accidents.

This is considering the height of the tower. Adjustments were also done on the legs of the tower during the construction for the purposes of aligning it. The stability of a building is an important aspect of engineering. This is for the purposes of avoiding failure which leads to the collapse of the building. The structure of such magnitude can cause a lot of destruction incase of collapse. It is also important to note various factors contribute to the failure of a structure. Due to the height of the structure, wind is one of the factors that may cause the failure of a building.

It is for this reason that measures were put in place to deal with the forces of he wind. The lower part of the structure was well designed to counter the wind forces. This has greatly contributed to the structure being wind resistance. On the other hand, the counter balancing the forces at each point of the structure has also contributed to its ability to resist the wind forces. Materials used for the construction of the tower The use of different types of materials was important during the construction of the tower.

Wrought iron is one of the material s that dominated the construction of the tower. It was mainly used for the construction of the ironwork of the tower.

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