Location
New York, New York
Date
13 Apr 2004 - 17 Apr 2004
Abstract
Stabilisation of the Leaning Tower of Pisa was achieved by means of an innovative method of soil extraction which induced a small reduction in inclination not visible to the casual onlooker. Its implementation has required advanced computer modelling, large-scale development trials, an exceptional level of continuous monitoring and daily communication to maintain control. Recently a number of historical examples have been found of the application of soil extraction to straightening leaning buildings – the earliest being 1832. Contemporary accounts of the work bring out interesting and important similarities and serve as reminders of the inventiveness and resourcefulness of engineers long before modern soil mechanics came into being.
Department(s)
Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering
Meeting Name
5th Conference of the International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering
Publisher
University of Missouri--Rolla
Document Version
Final Version
Rights
© 2004 University of Missouri--Rolla, All rights reserved.
Creative Commons Licensing
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Document Type
Article - Conference proceedings
File Type
text
Language
English
Recommended Citation
Burland, J. B., "The Leaning Tower of Pisa Revisited" (2004). International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering. 3.
https://scholarsmine.mst.edu/icchge/5icchge/session00f/3
The Leaning Tower of Pisa Revisited
New York, New York
Stabilisation of the Leaning Tower of Pisa was achieved by means of an innovative method of soil extraction which induced a small reduction in inclination not visible to the casual onlooker. Its implementation has required advanced computer modelling, large-scale development trials, an exceptional level of continuous monitoring and daily communication to maintain control. Recently a number of historical examples have been found of the application of soil extraction to straightening leaning buildings – the earliest being 1832. Contemporary accounts of the work bring out interesting and important similarities and serve as reminders of the inventiveness and resourcefulness of engineers long before modern soil mechanics came into being.
