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Article #56Re: WTC Towers: The Case For Controlled Demolition
From: The Man From Havana
Date: Fri, 07 Mar 2008 00:24
Date: Fri, 07 Mar 2008 00:24
167 lines
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7546 bytes
On Mar 7, 1:48 am, schoenfeld....@gmail.com wrote: > WTC Towers: The Case For Controlled Demolition > By Herman Schoenfeld > > In this article we show that "top-down" controlled demolition > accurately accounts for the collapse times of the World Trade Center > towers. A top-down controlled demolition can be simply characterized > as a "pancake collapse" of a building missing its support columns. > This demolition profile requires that the support columns holding a > floor be destroyed just before that floor is collided with by the > upper falling masses. The net effect is a pancake-style collapse at > near free fall speed. > > This model predicts a WTC 1 collapse time of 11.38 seconds, and a WTC > 2 collapse time of 9.48 seconds. Those times accurately match the > seismographic data of those events.1 Refer to equations (1.9) and > (1.10) for details. > > It should be noted that this model differs massively from a "natural > pancake collapse" in that the geometrical composition of the structure > is not considered (as it is physically destroyed). A natural pancake > collapse features a diminishing velocity rapidly approaching rest due > to the resistance offered by the columns and surrounding "steel mesh". > > DEMOLITION MODEL > > A top-down controlled demolition of a building is considered as > follows > > 1. An initial block of j floors commences to free fall. > > 2. The floor below the collapsing block has its support structures > disabled just prior the collision with the block. > > 3. The collapsing block merges with the momentarily levitating floor, > increases in mass, decreases in velocity (but preserves momentum), and > continues to free fall. > > 4. If not at ground floor, goto step 2. > > Let j be the number of floors in the initial set of collapsing floors. > Let N be the number of remaining floors to collapse. > Let h be the average floor height. > Let g be the gravitational field strength at ground-level. > Let T be the total collapse time. > > Using the elementary motion equation > > distance = (initial velocity) * time + 1/2 * acceleration * time^2 > > We solve for the time taken by the k'th floor to free fall the height > of one floor > > [1.1] t_k=(-u_k+(u_k^2+2gh))/g > > where u_k is the initial velocity of the k'th collapsing floor. > > The total collapse time is the sum of the N individual free fall times > > [1.2] T = sum(k=0)^N (-u_k+(u_k^2+2gh))/g > > Now the mass of the k'th floor at the point of collapse is the mass of > itself (m) plus the mass of all the floors collapsed before it (k-1)m > plus the mass on the initial collapsing block jm. > > [1.3] m_k=m+(k-1)m+jm =(j+k)m > > If we let u_k denote the initial velocity of the k'th collapsing > floor, the final velocity reached by that floor prior to collision > with its below floor is > > [1.4] v_k=SQRT(u_k^2+2gh) > > which follows from the elementary equation of motion > > (final velocity)^2 = (initial velocity)^2 + 2 * (acceleration) * > (distance) > > Conservation of momentum demands that the initial momentum of the k'th > floor equal the final momemtum of the (k-1)'th floor. > > [1.5] m_k u_k = m_(k-1) v_(k-1) > > Substituting (1.3) and (1.4) into (1.5) > [1.6] (j + k)m u_k= (j + k - 1)m SQRT(u_(k-1)^2+ 2gh) > > Solving for the initial velocity u_k > > [1.7] u_k=(j + k - 1)/(j + k) SQRT(u_(k-1)^2+2gh) > > Which is a recurrence equation with base value > > [1.8] u_0=0 > > The WTC towers were 417 meters tall and had 110 floors. Tower 1 began > collapsing on the 93rd floor. Making substitutions N=93, j=17 , g=9.8 > into (1.2) and (1.7) gives > > [1.9] WTC 1 Collapse Time = sum(k=0)^93 (-u_k+(u_k^2+74.28))/9.8 = > 11.38 sec > where > u_k=(16+ k)/(17+ k ) SQRT(u_(k-1)^2+74.28) ;/ u_0=0 > > Tower 2 began collapsing on the 77th floor. Making substitutions N=77, > j=33 , g=9.8 into (1.2) and (1.7) gives > > [1.10] WTC 2 Collapse Time =sum(k=0)^77 (-u_k+(u_k^2+74.28))/9.8 = > 9.48 sec > Where > u_k=(32+k)/(33+k) SQRT(u_(k-1)^2+74.28) ;/ u_0=0 > > REFERENCES > > "Seismic Waves Generated By Aircraft Impacts and Building Collapses at > World Trade Center ",http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/LCSN/Eq/20010911_WTC/WTC_LDEO_KIM.pdf > > APPENDIX A: HASKELL SIMULATION PROGRAM > > This function returns the gravitational field strength in SI units. > > > g :: Double > > g = 9.8 > > This function calculates the total time for a top-down demolition. > Parameters: > _H - the total height of building > _N - the number of floors in building > _J - the floor number which initiated the top-down cascade (the 0'th > floor being the ground floor) > > > cascadeTime :: Double -> Double -> Double -> Double > > cascadeTime _H _N _J = sum [ (- (u k) + sqrt( (u k)^2 + 2*g*h))/g | k<-[0..n]] > > where > > j = _N - _J > > n = _N - j > > h = _H/_N > > u 0 = 0 > > u k = (j + k - 1)/(j + k) * sqrt( (u (k-1))^2 + 2*g*h ) > > Simulates a top-down demolition of WTC 1 in SI units. > > > wtc1 :: Double > > wtc1 = cascadeTime 417 110 93 > > Simulates a top-down demolition of WTC 2 in SI units. > > > > > wtc2 :: Double > > wtc2 = cascadeTime 417 110 77- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - Who cares , get over it.
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X-Google-Thread: fa8c6,9ede6c4f32b3506f X-Google-Thread: 10a774,9ede6c4f32b3506f X-Google-Attributes: gidfa8c6,gid10a774,public,usenet X-Google-Language: ENGLISH,ASCII Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!g2news1.google.com!postnews.google.com!s19g2000prg.googlegroups.com!not-for-mail From: The Man From Havana <johnvonlaws@hotmail.com> Newsgroups: fr.comp.os.mac-os.x,aus.tv Subject: Re: WTC Towers: The Case For Controlled Demolition Date: Thu, 6 Mar 2008 16:24:36 -0800 (PST) Organization: http://groups.google.com Lines: 167 Message-ID: <48d4a5cd-f1dd-4253-9519-df94db3c0c6b@s19g2000prg.googlegroups.com> References: <8401aa79-5bc9-4c93-8e07-2af4393fb087@s8g2000prg.googlegroups.com> NNTP-Posting-Host: 203.48.130.67 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable X-Trace: posting.google.com 1204849477 26969 127.0.0.1 (7 Mar 2008 00:24:37 GMT) X-Complaints-To: groups-abuse@google.com NNTP-Posting-Date: Fri, 7 Mar 2008 00:24:37 +0000 (UTC) Complaints-To: groups-abuse@google.com Injection-Info: s19g2000prg.googlegroups.com; posting-host=203.48.130.67; posting-account=mwrYUwoAAABwnOipDbLKoGFKF_CgA62m User-Agent: G2/1.0 X-HTTP-UserAgent: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 7.0; Windows NT 5.1; .NET CLR 2.0.50727; .NET CLR 3.0.04506.30; InfoPath.1; .NET CLR 3.0.04506.648),gzip(gfe),gzip(gfe)