The London Eye is a gigantic observation wheel (also know as Ferris wheel). It is situated on the bank of the River Thames in London (England). The London Eye is 135 metres tall. Each of 32 ovoid capsules weighs 10 tonnes and can carry maximum of 25 people.
The London Eye was formally opened on 31.12.2009 (called also as the Millennium Wheel), but for the public was opened later, on 9.3.2000 (because of technical problems). Very quickly the London Eye become a major landmark and a major tourist attraction in London as well.
32 sealed and air-conditioned capsules are attached to the external circumference of the wheel and they are rotated by electric motors. 25 people are free to walk around inside the capsule. The wheel rotates at 26 cm per second. One revolution of wheel takes about 30 minutes. It does not usually stop to take on or take off passengers. The rotation rate of London Eye is slow enough to allow passengers to walk on and off the moving capsules at ground level.
The Tussauds Group now owns 100% of the London Eye.
The rim of the Eye is supported by tensioned steel cables and resembles. It looks like a giant bike wheel. The wheel of London Eye was constructed in sections which were floated up the River Thames on barges and assembled lying flat on piled platforms in the river. Once the wheel was complete it was lifted into an upright position by a strand jack. It was first raised at 2 degrees per hour until it reached 65 degrees, then left in that position for a week while engineers prepared for the second phase of the lift.
The steel used on wheel was supplied from the UK and fabricated in The Netherlands, the cables came from Italy, the bearings came from Germany, the spindle and hub were cast in the Czech Republic and the capsules were made in France.
