Stability of the World Trade Center Twin Towers Structural Frame in Multiple Floor Fires
Publication: Journal of Engineering Mechanics
Volume 131, Issue 6
Abstract
This technical note presents the results from a nonlinear finite element analysis of a very simple two dimensional model of the World Trade Center Twin-Towers structural frame subjected to fire. The analysis was carried out for a large range of fire scenarios and was reported in detail in a recently published paper. The paper further investigates the results of this analysis to obtain the details of the collapse mechanism found. An interesting series of events leading progressively to overall collapse are discovered and described in detail. The main reason for the failure is found to be the low membrane capacity in compression of the composite steel truss and concrete deck slab floor system.
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Acknowledgments
The writer is grateful to Dr. Jose Torero and Mr. Yun Chi Chung for their assistance in this paper.
Reference
European Committee for Standardisation (CEN). (1993). “Design of steel structures.” Eurocode 3, ENV1993-1-2, Brussels.
Federal Emergency Management Association (FEMA). (2002). “World Trade Center building performance study: Data collection, preliminary observations, and recommendations.” Technical Rep. No. FEMA 403, Washington, D.C.
Timoshenko, S. P., and Gere, J. M. (1961). “Elastic buckling of bars and frames.” Theory of elastic stability, McGraw–Hill, New York, 59–61.
Usmani, A. S., Chung, Y. C., and Torero, J. L. (2003). “How did the WTC towers collapse? A new theory.” Fire Saf. J., 38, 501–533.
Usmani, A. S., Rotter, J. M., Lamont, S., Sanad, A. M., and Gillie, M. (2001). “Fundamental principles of structural behaviour under thermal effects.” Fire Saf. J., 36, 721–744.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Engineering Mechanics
Volume 131 • Issue 6 • June 2005
Pages: 654 - 657
Copyright
© 2005 ASCE.
History
Received: Oct 22, 2003
Accepted: Jun 11, 2004
Published online: Jun 1, 2005
Published in print: Jun 2005
Notes
Note. Associate Editor: Hayder A. Rasheed
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