Failures of Berlin Freedom Bell since 1966

• In 1950 the 10 tons “Freedom Bell” was donated to the city of West Berlin.
• In 1966 the clapper hanger and in 1979 the clapper broke down.
• Fatigue failures of different bell components were detected.
• Advices for repair and reconstruction were worked out.

On October 24th 1950 the “Freedom Bell” rung for the first time in the tower of the former West Berlin town hall. One year after the Berlin blockade and at a first climax of the “Cold War”, the “American National Committee for a Free Europe” donated the bell to the city of West Berlin. The bronze bell has a weight of about 10 tons. Its clapper has a length of 2.40 m and a weight of nearly 1 ton. In 1966 the hanging of the clapper and in 1979 the clapper of the bell broke down. Both failures were found to be caused by fatigue fracture. In 1974, a crack in the bell body was detected. After years of periodic monitoring using non-destructive testing, the crack was closed in 2001.