Planning of the construction of the Eiffel tower

This document is the copy of the book "The tower of 300m" that Gustave Eiffel wrote in 1900 to detail the different stages of the construction of his tower, but also to provide the technical data, the scientific experiments that were made, in short, to give a little all the information on this tower.

The construction schedule is more succinct than what is indicated in the timeline of events, that's normal, it's gives only the construction steps, with milestones and technical data related to these milestones. But it gives a good idea of these milestones, precisely. The figures below are taken from the weekly reports submitted by the yard service.

Calendar of the Eiffel Tower

Beginning of the assembly: 1st of July, 1887
End of the assembly of the first 4 panels: December 4, 1887
Installed weight: 1,313,298 Kg
Average per month: 208 tonnes
Raised height: 47.90 m
Average per month : 9,58 m

Beginning of the assembly of the horizontal beams: December 18, 1887
End of assembly of the 1^st floor March 1888
Duration: 3 months and a half
Completion of the first platform: 1^st April 1888
Mounted weight: 1,790,792 Kg
Average per month: 312 tonnes
Climbing height: 14,20 m
Average per month: 14,05 m

Beginning of the assembly above the first floor: 1^st April 1888
End of assembly of 2nd floor: August 14, 1888
Installation time: 4 months and a half
Assembled weight: 1,850,000 Kg
Average per month: 410 tonnes
Raised height: 58.10 m
Average per month: 12,01 m

Decorative arches were erected from May 7th to August 31st, and most of the time is in this period.

Beginning of the assembly above the second floor: August 14, 1888
End of the assembly of the intermediate platform: November 30, 1888
Installation time: 3 months and a half
Mounted weight: 1,115,000 Kg
Average per month: 320 tonnes
Climbing height: 80.20 m
Average per month: 22,01 m

Basements were erected (164,492 Kg) from September to January 1889, and three quarters of this total was occupied during this period.

Beginning of the assembly above the intermediate platform: November 30, 1888
End of the assembly of the 3^rd floor: February 24, 1889
Installation time: 3 months
Assembled weight: 725,000 Kg
Average per month: 242 tons
Raised height: 80.42 m
Average per month: 26,80 m

Beginning of the assembly above the 3rd floor: February 24, 1889
Arrival at the summit: March 31, 1889
Installation time: 1 month and a half
End of editing: April 15, 1889
Assembled weight: 345 496 Kg
Average per month: 230 tons
Rise height: 21.38 m
Average per month: 10,23 m

The assembly of the irons of the stack 3 (42 831 Kg) was done during this period.

In summary this assembly included selui the superstructure itself, for a weight of 6 911 802 Kg, plus the parts we put outside the superstructure, namely:

Beams of cylinders Otis: 50 463 Kg
Battery basements: 161 492 Kg
Frame of the stack 3: 42 831 Kg
What makes us a total of 203 780 Kg to add

The assembled total is therefore 7,175,588 kg. This assembly lasted from the 1st of July, 1887, to the 15th of April, 1889, that is to say, twenty-one and a half months, with an average of 334 tons per month. The diagram above, figure 123, indicates the course of this assembly, which, a little slow at first, then walked with the greatest regularity, but less rapidly nevertheless towards the top, because of the greater exiguity of the plates. mounting forms. The weight above does not include the one of the cast iron supports, which is 165 628 kg, nor that of the mechanical organs of the elevators, which amounts to:

For the elevator Otis: 311 tons climbed from January 5 to June 13, 1889
For the Roux-Combaluzier lift: 397 tonnes mounted on 19 January or 8 June 1889
Tolal: 708 tons

The elevator Édoux was assembled by the assemblers of the manufacturer. The installation of machines and pumps was made from February 11, 1889 to April 10. As for the partial duration of the main operations of the assembly of the superstructure, it was the following: