Purdue News

PURDUE RADIO NEWSLINE

RADIO SCRIPT

July 31, 1990

Dear Broadcast Editor:

Two Purdue civil-engineering professors are lending expertise to efforts to save the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Gerald Leonards was appointed by Italy's Ministry of Public Works to serve on a commission charged with keeping the tower from toppling. Milton Harr is a member of a University of Rome research committee also studying solutions.

Leonards and Harr talk about efforts to save the famous landmark for this PURDUE RADIO NEWSLINE. Their comments are available on the NEWSLINE at 317-494-2087 between 10 a.m. today (7/31) and 5 p.m. Thursday (8/2). The recording includes a 43-second wrap plus three actualities. The wrap follows:

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REPORTER

Two Purdue civil-engineering professors are part of international groups formed to help save the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Gerald Leonards sits on an Italian government commission charged with stabilizing the tilting tower. Milton Harr works with a research committee searching for innovative solutions. Leonards says the southerly tilt of the tower since the 13th century is due to the inability of a section of the underlying soft clay to support the tower.

LEONARDS

A remedial measure depends upon the mechanism you conceive as causing the tilting and for this reason my approach is different than other people have taken.

REPORTER

Leonards believes the tower's continued tilting is due to creep of the underlying clay. He argues against the theory that the lean is due to variations in the compression of the clay. The commission will choose a plan of action by year's end.

This is Beth Simmons, West Lafayette.

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In the first actuality, Harr says the tower should be stabilized. It's 12 seconds long and the outcue is "back a bit."

In the second actuality, Leonards says the tower's rate of lean is constant, while it should be reducing with time for the condition to be stable. It ends with "increase in strength," and it's 19 seconds long.

The final actuality runs 22 seconds. In it Leonards outlines the commission's timetable. The outcue is "reaching a conclusion."

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Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu