Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
NIST said:Based on field, laboratory, and analytical investigations, NBS concluded that:
1 . Collapse of the walkways occurred under the action of loads that were substantially less than the design loads specified by the Kansas City
Building Code.
2. The ultimate capacity of box beam-hanger rod connections can be predicted
on the basis of laboratory test results.
3. Under the action of the loads estimated to have been present on the
walkways at the time of collapse , all fourth floor box beam-hanger rod
connections were candidates for initiation of walkway collapse
.
4. Observed distortions of structural components strongly suggest that failure
of the walkway system initiated in the box beam-hanger rod connection at
location 9UE (east end of middle box beam in fourth floor walkway).
5. As constructed, the box beam-hanger rod connections, the fourth floor to
ceiling hanger rods, and the third floor walkway hanger rods did not
satisfy the design provisions of the Kansas City Building Code.
6. The change in hanger rod arrangement from a continuous rod to interrupted
rods essentially doubled the load to be transferred by the fourth floor
box beam-hanger rod connect ions
,
7. The box beam-hanger rod connection would not have satisfied the Kansas
City Building Code under the original hanger rod detail (continuous rod),
8. Under the original hanger rod arrangement (continuous rod) the box
bean-hanger rod connections as shown on the contract drawings would have
had the capacity to resist the loads estimated to have been acting at the
time of collapse
.
9. Neither the quality of workmanship nor the materials used in the walkway
system played a significant role in initiating the collapse
dold said:I haven't done any calcs or anything, but the structure seemed to be performing as intended until this particular connection failed, which was the exact connection that was changed during CA. Were there other parts of the structure that were found to be deficient?
Report said:Two factors contributed to the collapse: inadequacy of the original design for
the box beam-hanger rod connection, which was identical for all three walkways,
and a change in hanger rod arrangement during construction that essentially
doubled the load on the box beam-hanger rod connections at the fourth floor
walkway.....
...had the original hanger rod arrangement not been changed, the ultimate
capacity would have been approximately 60 percent of that expected under the
Kansas City Building Code. With this change in hanger rod arrangement, the
ultimate capacity of the walkways was so significantly reduced that, from the
day of construction, they had only minimal capacity to resist their own weight..