Her Secret is Patience

“Her Secret is Patience”, a unique steel and polyethylene sculpture nestled in Downtown Phoenix, is structured by two steel oval-shaped pipe rings with an average diameter of 100 feet and interconnected by galvanized steel cables.

The appearance of free-floating ring elements some 82 feet above ground supported by three cable-stayed steel pipe columns enthralls the viewer. The guy cables and the columns are adjoined by independent drilled concrete piers for vertical and lateral load stability. In addition to the rigging analysis, M3 provided the structural design for the foundation and steel superstructure of this magnificent Phoenician landmark.

The analysis of the steel structure involved the use of a non-linear analysis to account for the deformation of cables and the structure itself as well as the complex loading including, but not limited to, temperature and wind. Given the complexity of the project, a special set of programs developed in-house along with the use of finite element models, resulted in determination of the optimal size of connections and structural members.

Steel Structure and Concrete Foundation Engineering.

  • CLIENT City of Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture
  • YEAR 2009