Multimedia Gallery
Protecting the Liberty Bell (Image 3)
Protecting the Liberty Bell (Image 3)
The massive water wheel at Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site provided the compressed air needed to raise the temperature of metal to its workable level when casting a new bell to replace the cracked Liberty Bell.
On Oct. 9, 2003, wireless sensors--developed with support from the National Science Foundation (NSF)--monitored stress on the Liberty Bell as it was moved to its new home at the National Park Service's Liberty Bell Center, located at 6th Street between Market and Chestnut Streets in Philadelphia. A Vermont company, MicroStrain, provided the gauges and monitoring system for free. The technology was developed in part with support from NSF's Small Business Innovation Research program.
To learn more about the Liberty Bell's move and history, see the NSF Special Report The Liberty Bell: Protecting an American Icon. (Date of Image: 2003) [One of several related images. See Next Image.]
Credit: Peter West, National Science Foundation
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