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  • Collapse WTC Towers

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    kevinverstraete
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    The Twin Towers collapsed due to fires caused by the jet fuel from the planes. The fires were too intense for the sprinkler systems and caused the outer steel columns to lose strength and buckle. When the upper floors fell onto the lower ones, the lower floors could not support the extra weight and also failed, causing a domino effect that led the upper sections of each tower to collapse onto themselves within 10 seconds. The tube-like construction of the towers, which was over 95% empty space, lacked sufficient lateral strength to withstand the vertical collapse, resulting in the buildings imploding downward in a free-fall manner.

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    Collapse WTC Towers

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    The Twin Towers collapsed due to fires caused by the jet fuel from the planes. The fires were too intense for the sprinkler systems and caused the outer steel columns to lose strength and buckle. When the upper floors fell onto the lower ones, the lower floors could not support the extra weight and also failed, causing a domino effect that led the upper sections of each tower to collapse onto themselves within 10 seconds. The tube-like construction of the towers, which was over 95% empty space, lacked sufficient lateral strength to withstand the vertical collapse, resulting in the buildings imploding downward in a free-fall manner.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    12 views5 pages

    Collapse WTC Towers

    Uploaded by

    kevinverstraete
    The Twin Towers collapsed due to fires caused by the jet fuel from the planes. The fires were too intense for the sprinkler systems and caused the outer steel columns to lose strength and buckle. When the upper floors fell onto the lower ones, the lower floors could not support the extra weight and also failed, causing a domino effect that led the upper sections of each tower to collapse onto themselves within 10 seconds. The tube-like construction of the towers, which was over 95% empty space, lacked sufficient lateral strength to withstand the vertical collapse, resulting in the buildings imploding downward in a free-fall manner.

    Copyright:

    Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    of 5

    Collapse of the Twin Towers

    Design
    Large cantilever vertical column
    Wind load is dominating

    Tube construction
    Combination of inner (core) and outer (perimeter) steel columns Web joists connecting the core and perimeter at each story Reinforced concrete floor of 10 cm preventing buckling of outer columns Ideal bracing system for wind loads Lightweight High redundancy

    Fire caused by the jet fuel - Temperature


    Fire was too big for sprinklers Loss of steel strength

    Non-uniform temperatures (thermal expansion)

    Buckling of the outer steel columns


    3

    Collapse of the upper floors


    Stories above impact region (ten floors: 45,000 t) fell downwards Floors were not designed for these loads Underlying floors fail and let the outer columns buckle Domino effect (10 seconds)

    Vertical collapse
    Building was not solid
    Tube construction is 95% air

    Lateral load was too small to move the center of gravity


    Airplane impact is only 1/3 of design wind impact load

    Free-fall collapse
    Insufficient time to attain lateral velocity

    Imploding onto itself

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