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News Release 06-099

Protecting the Liberty Bell

The Liberty Bell in the Liberty Bell Center.

The Liberty Bell in the Liberty Bell Center.


July 3, 2006

This material is available primarily for archival purposes. Telephone numbers or other contact information may be out of date; please see current contact information at media contacts.

On July 4th, many Americans will travel hundreds of miles to visit the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. But at this time in 2003, the bell was getting ready for its own trip--roughly 200 yards from its existing location into a new museum. Moving the 250-year-old bell over even that short a distance, however, might have caused a catastrophic break. NSF-supported engineers proved critical to keeping the icon safe.

A long, hairline fracture extends from the Liberty Bell's famous crack, and the National Park Service was worried that the fracture could split open during the stresses of the move. But they wouldn't know unless they could find a way to measure accurately extremely tiny movements in the metal as the 2,000-pound bell was raised. Engineer Steve Arms and his colleagues from MicroStrain, Inc. in Williston, Vt., had developed tiny, wireless motion sensors with the help of NSF funding, and the bell's handlers realized that the devices would be perfect for warning of dangerous motion along the crack on moving day.

During a test lift, as the famous bell was gingerly lifted a few inches off its mount, the engineers used customized versions of their sensors to carefully measure strain on the metal, information that the team then used to monitor the bell closely as it eventually, and safely, made its journey on Oct. 8 to its present home at the new Liberty Bell Center.

-NSF-

Media Contacts
Joshua A. Chamot, NSF, (703) 292-7730, email: jchamot@nsf.gov
Jane Cowley, Independence National Historical Park, (215) 597-0060, email: Jane_Cowley@nps.gov

Program Contacts
Kesh S. Narayanan, NSF, (703) 292-7076, email: knarayan@nsf.gov

The U.S. National Science Foundation propels the nation forward by advancing fundamental research in all fields of science and engineering. NSF supports research and people by providing facilities, instruments and funding to support their ingenuity and sustain the U.S. as a global leader in research and innovation. With a fiscal year 2023 budget of $9.5 billion, NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives more than 40,000 competitive proposals and makes about 11,000 new awards. Those awards include support for cooperative research with industry, Arctic and Antarctic research and operations, and U.S. participation in international scientific efforts.

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