There are concerns that the Eiffel Tower, considered a symbol of Paris, France, may experience a deformation of about 20 cm due to the heat wave.
The French daily Le Parisien reported this on the 30th (local time). The steel structure of the Eiffel Tower bends slightly from various angles throughout the day due to the movement of the sun, and it is explained that the degree of deformation may increase during the heat wave.
Bertrand Lemoyne, a French historian and architect, explained in a past interview with a media outlet that the deformation of the Eiffel Tower occurs because "one side exposed to the sun expands, while the other side in the shade contracts," adding that "the part facing the sun expands more, causing the tower to bend."
He noted that "this is subtle and gradual to the point of being difficult to perceive," adding that when night falls and temperatures drop, the tower returns to its original position.
He cited thermal expansion as the cause of this phenomenon, explaining that when pressure is constant, the volume of an object increases as temperature rises and decreases when the temperature falls.
The media noted that the Eiffel Tower, made of steel, which is very sensitive to heat, can shrink by up to 10 cm in winter, opposite to the summer.