Location: Paris, France
Market: Building Refurbishment & Renovation
Product: Type AF Girder Clamp

Since its opening in 1889, the Eiffel Tower has welcomed an ever-growing number of tourists. Over the years contractors have restored and adapted the monument using Lindapter steel connections to accommodate the increase in visitors and their needs.

A renovation program was planned for 2012 which included new facilities on the first-floor such as new meeting rooms, exhibition spaces and restaurants. The contractor wanted a strong, reliable and quick method for connecting various steel sections to the original architectural steel without causing damage.

After speaking to Lindapter’s technical support team, the contractor took advantage of the free connection design service and quickly received 2D and 3D drawings of the proposed girder clamp solution which omitted the need for field drilling or welding, while preserving the original steel and its coatings.

The contractor used Type AF Girder Clamps with size 1” grade 5 / A325 bolts to secure the steel frame for the facilities back to the original structural steel. The Type AF high slip resistance clamps provided lateral adjustability during installation, which allowed the contractors to simply slide the sections into position before tightening with standard hand tools. This added further speed and convenience to the project and ensured minimum noise and disruption to the nearby tourists.

The Lindapter solution provided a fast installation and avoided costly field drilling or welding that would have also damaged the existing corrosion protection on the steel. The adjustability of the girder clamps also gave the contractor flexibility to overcome any field alignment issues. 

The girder clamps have independent technical accreditations, including the ICC-ES, CE mark and TÜV approvals. These accreditations verify the tensile and slip load capacities that led to a strong and reliable installation.

• High slip and tensile resistance capacities
• Quick and easy alignment of each connection
• No field drilling required
• HDG finish for high corrosion protection
• No damage to original steel