Assessment of Structural Steel From the World Trade Center Towers. Part I: Recovery and Identification of Critical Structural Elements

Published

October 2, 2006

Author(s)

Stephen W. Banovic, Timothy J. Foecke, Frank W. Gayle

Abstract

In response to the events of September 11, 2001, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) conducted a 3 year, $16 M investigation of the World Trade Center (WTC) disaster. A primary goal of the WTC investigation was to explore the building materials and construction and the technical conditions that contributed to the outcome of the tragedy. This series of papers describes facets of the investigation involving the recovery and identification efforts of the structural components and the evaluation of the steel with regard to damage and degradation as a result of the events of the day. The present paper covers unique aspects concerning the recovery of the structural elements and their subsequent identification with respect to their original as-built locations within the towers. A total of 236 pieces of WTC steel were cataloged, including several exterior and core columns from the impact and fire floors of WTC 1 and WTC 2.

Citation

Journal of Failure Analysis and Prevention

Pub Type

Journals

Keywords

identification, recovery, structural steel, World Trade Center Towers

Citation

Banovic, S. , Foecke, T. and Gayle, F. (2006), Assessment of Structural Steel From the World Trade Center Towers. Part I: Recovery and Identification of Critical Structural Elements, Journal of Failure Analysis and Prevention (Accessed October 9, 2025)