The Arch was created in 1980 by Moore and is a six metre tall sculpture modelled on sheep collar bones joined together.

A project exploring the use of rock engineering techniques for cultural heritage conservation hopes that the piece could be resurrected at its original site on the banks of the Serpentine Lake.

"Rock engineering techniques are usually used for stabilisation of tunnels and rock slopes," said Dr John Harrison of Imperial College, "but the basic concepts of understanding how rock behaves when it is subjected to loads are immediately applicable to stone sculptures."

"We can now apply this knowledge to preserving some of the nation’s most important and historic artworks."

The piece was originally dismantled over concerns that it was structurally unsound -- the team needed to find out why that was the case.

As well as experts from Imperial College, assistance was also sought from Tate Galleries and Glasgow School of Art.

"We were delighted when the Henry Moore Foundation invited us to study the Arch as a subject for our research," said Dr Angela Geary from the Glasgow School of Art.

"It was a huge practical challenge, but it was very exciting and motivating to be working on such a significant real-world problem."

Rock samples were taken for testing and and laser scans of the dismantled stone blocks were used to generate 3D computer models of the sculpture for analysis.

The team concluded that the unusual shape, the poor location of the structural joints holding the blocks together, and the use of brittle travertine stone all combine to make it unsteady.

Solutions for these problems include attaching the rock legs and top section together with fibreglass and placing the structure on a base of reinforced concrete.

"The outcome is a positive one for everyone involved, and our aim is now to expand across a wide range of artefacts from armoury to pottery and painting," said Derek Pullen, Head of Sculpture Conservation at Tate Galleries.

"Our methods could remove much of the guesswork from planning conservation treatment and could become an indispensable tool in the care of collections."