On 29/06/2006, at 9:18 PM, Gibson Jonathan wrote:
I do believe the soft-butter theory could have some merit and look forward to real studies we can sink teeth into and chew properly. As I understand it Underwriters Labs put the original steel, and debris samples, under 2,000° for several hours without deformity
I take it you mean 2000F, around 1100C. You can heat steel to that temperature, it will not melt or deform. What it does do is become about half as strong, and will bend, stretch and fail if it's structural. Not to forget that a lot of the central support had just had a plane fly into it.
I have yet to see a model - or even discussion - on how such metal is a renowned heat wick and just how this would have mitigated total systemic collapse... unless the argument is that this apparently minimal heat was X-ferred down the entire skeleton structure... leading to the "Soft Butter" support member lack of resistance that allowed the entire building to fall at damn-near free-fall speeds - all at once.
It didn't collapse all at once. It was jackhammered floor by floor. it only needed the top 1/4 of the building to start collapsing to crush the rest.
I'm amazed that this is at all mysterious. Charlie_______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
