Science tower to be re-opened

Published on Thursday 2 May 2002 01:00

THE fault-plagued Glasgow Science Centre tower could be re-opened within weeks following an operation to remove a faulty bearing that led to it sinking half an inch.

The 400ft tower, which is Scotland’s tallest structure, will be jacked up next week to free the thrust bearing at the tip of its conical base, which is thought to have become corroded from water leaks.

Science centre officials hope the repairs will enable them to re-open the 10 million tower by the end of the month. It has been closed since the fault was discovered in February.

A team from Caley Ocean Systems, which built the tower’s 1 million root cone will use hydraulic equipment to raise the 500 tonne structure – the weight of 11 fully-laden juggernauts – by three-quarters of an inch (20mm).

The tower’s base will be rested on a metal slab while the spherical bearing, the size of a standard car tyre, is examined. A custom-built replacement bearing will not be substituted until the cause of the fault is found.

However, the attraction could be re-opened to the public pending the completion of repairs, although the lifts would not operate in winds of more than 40mph to avoid discomfort to passengers.

Lifting gear costing 25,000 has been custom-built for the operation. The bearing was not expected to need replacing for another three years.

David Cooper, the managing director of East Kilbride-based Caley, said the work would go ahead next week if winds remained calm.

The tower, which is the only structure of its type to rotate in the wind, has had its turning mechanism disengaged since the bearing fault was discovered.

It is locked in position, facing into the prevailing south-westerly wind.

A series of faults, including problems with the glass lifts, have kept the tower shut for half the time since the centre at Pacific Quay on the Clyde opened last June.

Only 19,000 people have visited the structure, compared to 420,000 admissions to the centre.

The tower remained closed during the science centre’s official opening by the Queen last July and its own planned official launch by Alex Mosson, Glasgow’s Lord Provost, last October.

David Grimmer, a spokesman for the centre, said preparations for the repair since the fault was discovered had been a complex operation, involving a range of different experts.

He said: “The tower is a unique structure and the bearing replacement promises to be a fascinating engineering procedure.

“While we didn’t want to be doing it this soon, a procedure is in place for this work to be done, and we look forward to carrying it out successfully.”