Some Misunderstandings Related to WTC Collapse Analysis

[Tony Szamboti]

There is no question that given enough momentum the collapses could self-propagate. However, it needs time to develop momentum so this ROOSD can't occur immediately. The assistance would have occurred at the beginning of the collapse and for the first ten stories or so. That is what can't be explained naturally, with the columns not being involved, the rapid horizontal propagation across the initiating story, and the high acceleration through the first story and so forth.

But don't you understand, Mr Szamboti, that by saying that you are mixing your claims? To me your admission of self-propagation is tantamount to admitting the robust waterfall dust bursts you see at 4:20 are from ROOSD (which they are). Don't you understand that your side is claiming that huge cascade of bursting material coursing down the sides of the South Tower was from explosives charges set in sequence designed to collapse the tower?

Apparently the top section's impact and mass was enough to disintegrate the inner core. This was probably aided by ROOSD as the additional lateral dynamics assisted in this process. However there is no doubt that a seamless bursting dust cascade occurs down the sides of the South Tower. The timing of that bursting cascade would be nearly impossible to synchronize with the top section if it were done by manual activation. The eye can see very easily that the event occurs as one process. There is no detectable transition from ten stories or so of explosives inducing self-propagation to ROOSD. The eye doesn't lie. There's no rate change. Nor is there any perceptible change in the dust bursts.

The reason your ten stories or so of demolition assistance is wrong is because the timing of the dust bursts is such that it happens in perfect sequence with the driving of the top section into the bottom. The first few stories of dust burst occur after a slight delay which is significant of a type of deceleration absorption that obviously results in floor collapse and its ensuing dust cascade. Obviously what was being absorbed for that brief moment was the piling wreckage of the top section landing on the bottom.

By the way, where do you draw the line on the North Tower? How many stories of explosives assistance occurred there before Chandler was pointing things out that would be too low on the building and into the self-propagation zone you yourself admit to?

I am hardly mixing anything. The problems those advocating natural collapse scenarios for the North Tower have is that they cannot explain

- the rapid horizontal propagation
- the rapid acceleration through the first story
- why the columns were never involved in resisting the collapse.

I have said there would have been charges on the corners of the perimeters and at certain places lower in the structure, in addition to the first ten stories, to ensure continued and complete collapse.

You have no argument to get the collapse started to begin with, you can't explain the lack of column involvement in resisting the collapse from the start, and your "we don't hear enough explosive noise" is quite flawed as I have shown.