Some Misunderstandings Related to WTC Collapse Analysis

[Albert Doyle]

1. In order for the floors to instigate the collapse they would have needed to collapse at least three floors before leaving the columns unsupported enough for buckling of the columns to even be possible.

I believe the scientific interface in question is the floor support for the first floor pad under the initial collapse area. If the top 12 floors of the North Tower drove downward in a ram effect the actual scientific formula involved would be the mass and force of this section vs the resistance of the floor supports and core and outer skirt columns beneath it. I don't think you understand that with this initiating force the first floor pad would possess enough force to start the process. The floors didn't initiate the collapse, as far as I know, the buckling of the damaged section allowing the full weight of the top section to fall on it did. Or perhaps the lack of load capacity of the columns slowly allowed the outer frame skirt to bulge (this was seen on video) releasing those floors and starting the process.

2. If the three floors had collapsed before the columns buckled we would have seen huge amounts of smoke and dust coming out of the windows before the roofline fell. We don't and three stories if 36 feet of height so this would not have been something easy to miss. So the floors did not instigate the collapse.

I think you are creating a false premise here. You are forgetting that there was probably huge damage to the inner core columns in the strike area. If we exclude the CD theory then the behavior of the collapse suggests the fire weakened and mechanically damaged strike area gave way initiating the collapse (KISS). Any chance the South Tower tilted towards the impacted side while falling because this shows the lack of column integrity was responsible for the collapse? The design of the tower was such that once this mass-ramming initial event impacted the intact tower structure below it it was enough to set-off the cascading floor dynamic.

So Jeffrey's floors first theory does not hold up to scrutiny and it is no different than saying the moon is made of green cheese.

What actually happened is the core went down first and pulled the perimeter columns inward causing them to buckle and fail and smoke and dust came out of one story 9the 98th) across the building as the roofline started going down.

I think this is a gross oversimplification that works by theory instead of observing the actual conditions in the buildings. While you tell us the fires were light and staircases intact you forget victims above the impact zone in the South Tower told of hellish conditions and blocked stairways. Video shows fires so hot and smokey in the North Tower that no rooftop rescues could be done. Molten metal flowed from the South Tower.

Your theory fails to consider that the core columns were so damaged in the impact area that their failure was enough to initiate the event.

By the way, there's a You-Tube that shows a seriously bowed floor truss from heat and stress damage.