Fast Eddie sent me this book with the proviso I pass it along when finished. I’ll be honest – I find the writing so tedious and poorly presented, I couldn’t finish it. But I read about a third. If anything, I’ve been reminded of the importance of redundancy in building construction. I’ve often been accused of “over-building” things, and the book shows why that’s a good thing.
Anyhow, if you’re interested, email me with a mailing address, and I’ll pass the book along to you.
Any takers?
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Replies
Wow, with such a stellar review, who could resist? :-)
But I'd love to take a look at it anyway. I'll send you a PM and when I'm done with it (doesn't sound like it will take long), I'll pass it on. Thanks.
Sorry, I didn't mean to discourage anyone! Its a good book - just rather dryly presented. Really, it ought to be required reading for anyone dealing with structural aspects of the trade, because on the jobsite, in the heat of the battle, its easy to forget how important the little details are to the big picture. But when enough little details are neglected or overlooked to add up to a building failure, it stands as a glaring testimony to the devil being in the details!
Redundancy is when there are built in double-checks, design features that take over carrying the load when another feature in the structure fails, and time and again, its the lack of redundancy that causes buildings to fall. One reason this is important is because of the limitations of engineering. Modern engineering is a wonderful thing, but the world we live in is full of unexpected contingencies that couldn't have been foreseen in order to be entered into the equation. The best cure for unforeseen contingencies is redundancy. Overbuild.
I got your address. You'll enjoy the book. And you can thank Fast Eddie for it! View Image my website
With everything I have going on it will take me a month or two to read the book. I'd rather just buy my own copy from Amazon. Do you think it's worth buying?
Who are you people? And why am I strapped to the bed?
Used copies starting at about $5 - sure its worth it! View Image my website
Do it got pixturs?
you gotta think of it as readign his lectures and not fine writing. Each chapter is a days lecture in his class.
Each of you should write your name inside the cover before you send it on.
Work for the greatest vital intensity - the greatest solidity and aesthetic reality. Finally, eliminate everything non-essential. Reduce to the absolute essence. ~ F.C. Trucksess
Too bad the guys who designed the WTC didn't read that book....
Dinosaur
How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not broughtlow by this? For thine evil pales before that whichfoolish men call Justice....
Kinda hard for me to believe those buildings fell solely from the aircraft hit/fire. I know what a planned demolition looks like, and I saw the way the buildings imploded. Reading this book only gave me further cause to wonder.View Image my website
The most convincing theory I have heard is that they fell because the steel skeleton was protected with modern gee-whiz spray-on insulation of some sort...rather than the traditional firebrick masonry that was used in 7WTC (which also burned, but did not collapse).
The towers' skeletons melted.
Last I heard, the archies were suing the engineers who were suing the contractors who were suing the suppliers and vice versa in all directions simultaneously. There's gonna be a whole generation of lawyers growing up and retiring on that one case....
Dinosaur
How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not broughtlow by this? For thine evil pales before that whichfoolish men call Justice....
Its even harder to believe that anyone would implode the building just for kicks. Since there are two "hard to believes", I'll just believe that the plane did us in....since I saw clips of it happening on the tube.
.........Because...That IS the only two options.Either the planes took it down, all by their lonesome...Or someone imploded the building "just for kicks"...It's all fun and games, until someone puts an eye out..You are always welcome at Quittintime
We did a study on the WTC structure as part of my steel structures class in engineering school. (The Professor had a whole week devoted to it, because it was a ground breakingly unique and innovative design.) I also had, a couple of weeks of study on structural demolition, in a class I took on blasting and demolition. And, I was also was an ICBO certified structural certified fireproofing inspector at that time. So, for an engineer who doesn't specialize in steel structures, I am pretty knowledgeable.
I watched the impact of the second plane live on the news, in the break room at work, with three other engineers. One of us had heard the news flash about the first plane on the radio on the commute in. So, we had turned on the TV to get more details.
I took one look, of the first shot, of the second impact, and knew almost immediately, that the buildings were coming down, and said so. Two, of the guys were arguing that it couldn't, and my boss was asking me if I was sure. I'd just finished telling him, I was 90% sure that the towers were going to come down, and if they were damned lucky the buildings would pancake, and not topple, when the first tower went down.
In my humble, but fairly well educated opinion, the world witnessed a very well engineered demolition of two buildings that morning. The terrorists knew exactly what they were doing. They had done a complete and thorough analysis of the structure, and designed a simple, brute force demotion plan.
The impact sites were at just the right height to have enough load above to provide "free" energy to push the collapse, yet high enough to make it difficult for the fire suppression system to fight the fire. The flights were selected to assure that the planes had full fuel loads, which provided sufficient fuels to overwhelm the capacities of the fire suppression system. The unique structural design, also made the structures uniquely susceptible to the mode of attack they developed.
I was not surprised that the towers collapsed. I was impressed that they stayed upright as long as they did. I am still impressed that, quite serendipitously, the unique structure acted to contain the collapse into a pancake collapse, instead of toppling sideways, which would have been far more destructive.
Edited 11/4/2009 3:17 am ET by Jigs-n-fixtures
the world witnessed a very well engineered demolition of two buildings that morning
yupView Image my website
I got the book. Thanks. I haven't looked at it yet, but I'll get to it soon.
unless a building falls down on 'ya!View Image my website
Well then, I better read really fast... like at least 32 ft/sec/sec.
I read it and really enjoyed it. I'd recommend it.
If that is the one by Mario Salvadori, he also wrote Why Buildings Stand Up which is a really good primer on basic building structure.
You mean sometimes after they fall down, they stand back up again? Cool!
Iwould like to read it. Warren Black ,3324 Mardis Road, Orlando,FL 32808-3016. E-maqil is [email protected].
Thanks for offering it.
Warren - Don beat you to it. View Image my website
I never finished the book, but I got a lot farther than 1/3. I think I read the first page of every story and then skipped it if it was not intresting. Too bad you didn't get further, some of the later stories were about bridges, with equally eye=opening "oh no, how could they have missed that" moments. Of course, that involves 20-20 hindsight.
"Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
Did you read the story about the bridge in ... I think ... upstate NY ... Scolarie Creek? ... that collapsed because the river scoured the soil under the piers? If that's the one I'm thinking about, the bridge inspector went back and made changes to his inspection report to try to cover himself.
"Put your creed in your deed." Emerson
"When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it." T. Roosevelt
I finished the book. It was a fairly easy read especially since I skimmed over some of the details (like some of the math) once I understood the basic idea being addressed.
You asked to read it next so I need your address. I also sent you an email.
Book is on its way. I wrote my name, and the others before me on the cover. I hope that doesn't bother anyone. If so, Grier suggested it.
Thanks for the book. I'll passs it along as soon as get it read.
I wrote my name, and the others before me on the cover. I hope that doesn't bother anyone.
I thought it was a good idea myself, but I just wasn't bold enough to do it. I'm glad you did. And if anyone doesn't like the idea, I'll blame Grier right along with you :-)
Thats allright Don, I wrote your name in it.
UNBELIEVABLE!!! I have both "why buildings stand up" and "why buildings fall down" and I thought they both read like novels. Maybe I'm just crazy. If I didn't already own it, I'd certainly take you up on the offer.
I sat down and read the book in about 4 or 5 hours. Then spent the next 3 days looking over parts that really interested me.
Actually, building 7 did collapse, but late in the afternoon. Any other day, that would have been big news, but on 9-11 it got overshadowed. It burned all day because they couldn't get water to in after the towers came down. The way it was designed around and over a pre-existing ConEd substation contributed to the collapse, according to a show on one of those cable channels, TLC, Discovery, History, something like that.
They interviewed Leslie Robertson, who designed the structures. At that time, they planned for a direct hit from a 707 jet on landing, with not much fuel left. They also changed to a non-asbestos fireproofing spray during construction, and both planes hit in that area. What brought the towers down was much bigger planes with full fuel loads.
They also did a TV show of this book on one of those cable channels.
-- J.S.