alienentity
Illuminator
- Joined
- Feb 21, 2009
- Messages
- 4,325
GB, you can compute what will happen to a structure when you tip it if you analyze it as a bridge. I did a basic analysis for the twin towers, and they utterly lacked the strength to be able to be laid on their sides without collapse. Very few buildings in fact can be tipped without disintegration. They are designed such that the major force is always in a single direction, and depend on compression and gravity to hold together. And for that they depend on substantial vertical alignment.
Go past a certain point and they have no strength left and the disarticulated segments just free fall. We clearly see that in the twin towers, too.
WTC-7 was a bit different, but what happened is that the heat from the unfought fires expanded truss members until they pushed key bits out of that substantial vertical alignment and it fell from the inside out.
That's a really nice, concise explanation of the failure to tip. Thank you.