The Eiffel Tower is in motion. During a storm, the heavy iron structure will swing due to wind resistance. It can even move if the weather is bad enough. The tower has been known to strike objects with its armature.
It all started in 1887 when Georges-Eugène Étienne was given the task of designing an attraction for the Paris World's Fair. He proposed a giant steel arch with a telescope attached to it so that visitors could get a view of the city. His idea was adopted by the International Exhibition Commission and they soon after hired him to design the French pavilion for the world's fair. Although this project was supposed to be done in two years, Étienne never stopped working on it and finally finished three years later. He called this new attraction "La Tour de l'Électricité" (Electricity Tower).
When the World's Fair closed, the government decided to keep the tower as an eternal tribute to science and technology. They also agreed to add more features to it year by year so it wouldn't become outdated compared to other attractions at the fair. In 1900, Étienne died before he could see how much money he had made from the tour but his son took over the company now known as AEG (the builder of the Eiffel Tower).
Not only is the Eiffel Tower a famous piece of architecture, but it is also a symbol of renewable energy. They can also collect wind from every direction, providing a total of 10,000 kWh each year—enough to power the first level of the tower...
The Eiffel Tower's distinctive shape is based on fundamental physics, and it is constructed such that the maximum torque provided by the wind is balanced by the torque caused by the tower's weight. We parametrize the wind pressure and recreate the tower's form. The tower's designer, Gustave Eiffel, used this principle to create a structure that would not collapse under its own weight or due to high winds.
The Eiffel Tower is composed of iron beams that are tied together with wire. The strength of the structure depends on how much wire is used to tie the beams together. A beam that is not tied down will tend to want to go in any direction given enough wind force. By tying all the beams together, the force on each beam is equal, so they all point in the same direction and the tower stands strong against the wind.
Torque is the twisting force that causes objects to rotate. If you look at a rope hanging from a tree and someone tries to lift it up, you will see that it resists being lifted. This is because there is a torque involved - the lifting person wants to pull the rope up, but instead it fights back and allows the tree to remain upright.
Torques can be positive or negative. If I try to lift your arm up then it is positive torque, while if you try to lift my arm up then it is negative torque.
As a result, the curve of the tower showed two exponentials: a lower base section that provides more resistance to wind forces, implying that the tower will only wobble at a maximum of 6-7 cm in the wind. Over 18,000 pieces were manufactured in the Eiffel workshops in Levallois and assembled on-site by 132 people. The tower took less than five years to build.
The Eiffel Tower is an iron skeleton with wood planks used to construct its platform. It was designed by Gustave Eiffel for the World's Fair in Paris and it was opened in 1889. The main purpose of this tower is to be a beautiful monument for the city of Paris - there are no other buildings around it which would cover it up like a roof does. So the tower has no practical use except as a viewing point.
In conclusion, the Eiffel Tower was built in Levallois because the site was suitable and there was enough work for everyone involved. It was also one of the first large-scale industrial projects in France after they got over their colonial addiction. And last but not least, it was the best way to display the beauty of Paris at night.
Wind resistance calculations influenced the Eiffel Tower's shape; its broad base provides the stability required for a skyscraper more than 300 meters tall. More than 120 million tourists from all around the globe have gazed at the Eiffel Tower since its erection. It has become one of the most recognizable structures in the world.
The basic formula for calculating wind resistance is Q=½*flv^2, where "Q" is the air drag coefficient of a body, "flv" is its speed in miles per hour and the constant "½" applies to objects that are not streamlined (such as airplanes). The Eiffel Tower's designer, Gustave Eiffel, used this formula to determine how long it would take the tower to collapse under its own weight if it were made of straw instead of steel. He found that if left unchecked, the wind would blow it down after about 20 minutes! So he added iron bars to give it strength.
The tower was completed in 1889, but because its height exceeded what was then considered the maximum limit for human engineering, Gustave Eiffel designed it with an open platform at its top intended for another tower to be built upon it. This idea was never executed, but the platform is still there today as a viewing area called the Champ de Mars or Champagne Square. A statue of a woman stands on it, her outstretched arms embracing the earth beneath her.
Heat generates an increase in volume, which causes the Eiffel Tower to rise a few inches. As a result of its growth, the tower tilts slightly away from the sun. The sun only shines on one of the four sides of the Eiffel Tower, producing an imbalance with the other three stable sides, leading the Eiffel Tower to tilt. This is called solar induction.
The Eiffel Tower has been known to sway back and forth due to wind speed or even traffic noise. But it is the effect of the sun's heat that causes it to lean towards the sun. The exact amount of tilt is difficult to determine because the tower is so tall but estimates range from 5 degrees to 30 degrees as it rises toward the sky at about 109 feet per minute.
In addition to this effect, rain or snow falling on the Eiffel Tower creates a hydrostatic force that acts downward, causing the tower to lean further away from the sun. Over time this repeated effect may cause the tower to lose some of its original angle of inclination towards the sun. However, since it was built to be a landmark for Paris it is believed that it would not be reasonable to just build it backwards-ready for sunlight. Instead, the engineers probably took into account how much it would tilt over time and designed the tower to remain sensitive to this influence but not weakened by it.
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