Atomic power - A lightweight version of Liebherr's LR 1350/1 crane has been used to help renovate the World Expo structure - the Atomium in Brussels

摘要

When the Atomium was erected for the 1958 World Fair in Brussels, Belgium, the plan was to dismantle the structure - a billion-fold enlargement of an iron molecule - six months later. But the people of Brussels could not bring themselves to dismantle this symbol of their city, by now famous worldwide. Forty-eight years later, however, the Atomium needs an overhaul. At the beginning of this year, a Liebherr LR 1350/1-LN crawler crane was stationed at the 102m high Atomium by Belgian crane and heavy transport specialist Sarens, and renovation work has now started at the topmost sphere. The plan is to replace the entire outer skin of the 18m-thick globe with corrosion-resistant steel plates.