Hyatt‐Regency Walkway Collapse: Design Alternates
Publication: Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 109, Issue 5
Abstract
The 1981 failure of walkways in a Kansas City hotel occurred because of inadequate connections between hanger rods and bridge beams. This paper briefly reviews the collapse and examines means of strengthening the connections, such as had been suggested in the aftermath. The additions of a heavy washer plate and of an end plate are analyzed by approximate plasticdesign methods, and the results of simple tests on replicas are reported. Generally, good agreement among analytical implications, experimental results, actual loads, and conclusions by the National Bureau of Standards was found. The various indications of capacity are compared.
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References
1.
“Hotel Disaster Triggers Probes,” Engineering News Record, Vol. 207, No. 4, July 23, 1981.
2.
“Hyatt Walkway Design Switched,” Engineering News Record, Vol. 207, No. 5, July 30, 1981.
3.
“Investigation of the Kansas City Hyatt Regency Walkways Collapse,” NBS1R82‐2465, U.S. Department of Commerce, National Bureau of Standards, Washington, D.C., Feb., 1982.
4.
Manual of Steel Construction, 8th ed., American Institute of Steel Construction, New York, N.Y., 1980.
5.
Metric Structural Steel Design Data, Canadian Institute of Steel Construction, Willowdale, Ontario, 1979.
6.
Uniform Building Code, 1976 edition, International Conference of Building Officials, Whittier, Calif., 1976.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 109 • Issue 5 • May 1983
Pages: 1226 - 1234
Copyright
Copyright © 1983 ASCE.
History
Published online: May 1, 1983
Published in print: May 1983
Authors
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