🌍 The Eiffel Tower: A Major Turning Point of the Engineering World❗

Before the Eiffel Tower was built, the engineering world had a "great discovery" that became the basis for almost all structural work today, the Beam Theory.

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📌 Beam Theory was invented by two famous mathematician-engineers Leonhard Euler and Daniel Bernoulli (the one associated with the mathematical constant e, that's it).

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This theory, although complex, uses both differentials and integrals, can explain and calculate difficult things of structure, such as:

🔹 Bending Stress

🔹 beam deflection (Deflection)

🔹 the deflection of the pole (Buckling)

This discovery opens the door to a "theoretical" understanding of structure, but it is interesting...

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Despite the Beam Theory, great structures built, such as the Brooklyn Bridge or lighthouses of that era, do not reference detailed theoretical calculations.

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Most engineers use simple common sense calculations and then "safety allowance," called Safety Factor, such as 3 times 4 times, to ensure that bridges or structures do not collapse.

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👷🏻‍♂️ For example, Thomas Telford, a famous bridge engineer of the era, outlined the principle that cables should be at least three times as strong as the ultimate Tensile Strength, which is more of an "experienced" concept than a real theoretical equation.

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Until nearly 150 years later, the world saw the construction of the Eiffel Tower, completely different from the previous structure.

The Eiffel Tower was the first large-scale structure to be designed and built "on a serious scientific calculation basis." Over 72 engineers and scientists, together, used both Beam Theory and other scientific theories to design the towering steel structure in the middle of Paris.

This is a turning point in the engineering world, because for the first time, "theory" and "practice" were linked together.

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And why is it important ⁉️

That 150-year period is the path of transition from experienced engineering to theoretical engineering. It is a collision between practical engineering, which relies on real experience, and Theoretical Engineering, which uses advanced mathematics and physics.

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And the result is the "Eiffel Tower" that has become a symbol of both art, architecture and the greatness of engineering to this day. 🌍✨

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# Eiffel Tower # blog # Engineering # Engineering