Construction Law

The World Trade Center Collapse Still Being Debated By Engineers and Scientists

By John P. Ahlers

A summary of some the technical areas in dispute as to what caused the World Trade Center to collapse on September 11, 2001 is set forth in this article. The National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) and its building trade and scientific allies are one side of the debate and its equally credentialed science, profession and licensed critics (building and structural engineers, architects, physicists, chemists) on the other side, put forth their cases in these theories compiled from NIST's official report. In addition to complex engineer explanations, very convincing arguments are made that the collapse could only have occurred due to explosives having been "planted" in the building before the airplanes struck the towers. Incendiary "super thermite," evidence of explosives and the iron-rich microspheres that can only derive from high pressure, high temperature explosives have allegedly been discovered in the buildings rubble. This article provides an interesting recap of the raging debate: Whether the high-rise steel building collapsed in such a manner without the use of explosives? At issue seems to be NIST's competence and willingness to examine all the evidence.

To read the article click here

Full post as published by Construction Law Blog on October 11, 2009 (boomark / email).