Use of Visual Imagery for the NIST World Trade Center Investigation.
Use of Visual Imagery for the NIST World Trade Center
Investigation.
(107 K)
Pitts, W. M.; Butler, K. M.; Junker, V.
Chemical and Physical Processes in Combustion.
Technical Meeting, 2005. Proceedings. Combustion
Institute/Eastern States Section. November 13-15, 2005,
Orlando, FL, 23-26 pp, 2005.
Keywords:
combustion; World Trade Center; fire investigations;
visual imagery; fireballs; aircraft impact; damage; fire
behavior; fire spread; high rise buildings
Abstract:
The attack on the World Trade Center (WTC) in New York
City on September 11, 2001 by terrorists flying hijacked
commercial aircraft into the two towers (WTC 1 and WTC
2) was among the worst building disasters in the history
of the United States. In response, Congress requested
that the National Institute of Standards and Technology
(NIST) investigate the technical causes for the
disaster. NIST publicly announced its Building and Fire
Safety Investigation of the World Trade Center Disaster
on August 21, 2002. On October 1, 2002, the National
Construction Safety Team Act was passed by Congress, and
the Investigation was carried out under the authority
provided by this act. A draft copy of the final report
dealing with the WTC towers was released for public
comment on June 23, 2005. It consists of an overall
summary report, eight project reports, and 34 supporting
technical reports totaling over 10,000 pages. The final
version will be available in late September or early
October. Complete versions are available on the
Investigation website at wtc.nist.gov. The eight
projects that made
up the Towers Investigation dealt with applicable
building codes, baseline building performance and
aircraft impact, analysis of structural steel, active
fire protection, thermal environment, structural
collapse mechanisms, occupant egress, and emergency
response.
Building and Fire Research Laboratory
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Gaithersburg, MD 20899