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Basildon Test Report

Findings (continued)

End B - (anchors cut)

Photograph B5

This shows a stage where the supporting wall is being removed. It can be seen that the first floor has slipped down at the side nearest the camera and the end first floor wall panels and the side walls have started to rotate.

btd11a.jpg (44936 bytes)

 

Photograph B6

The first floor is failing rapidly as the excavator bucket attempts to remove the remaining supports and the side walls have commenced buckling at first floor level.

btd11b.jpg (45365 bytes)

 

Photograph B7

As the failure progresses rapidly the roof breaks up and fails following the first floor down. Note the first floor centre wall panel is sandwiched between the roof and floor and the end is falling as a whole.

btd12a.jpg (45045 bytes)

 

Photograph B8

The roof continues to follow the first floor in free fall.

btd12b.jpg (46104 bytes)

 

Photographs B9/11

Complete collapse of the end of the building.

btd13a.jpg (45636 bytes)

btd13b.jpg (41436 bytes)

 

Photograph B36

Fragmented side walls had been contained by the safety scaffolding.

btd14.jpg (51417 bytes)

 

Summary of Findings

Apart from the rate of collapse being far greater at End B, there are a number of key differences in the sequence of events between the failure of Ends A and B these are:-

  1. The roof structure at End A remained intact spanning laterally the width of the building throughout the collapse until the supporting side walls became unstable due mainly to impact from debris loading. Even at this point the roof collapsed as a continuous unit.
  2. The roof structure at End B fragmented at an early stage of the test and followed immediately the failure of the first floor. Both roof and floor came down in free fall together.
  3. The side walls at End A only buckled significantly when the first floor failure was complete and debris loading from the wall exerted its maximum lateral thrust. (Photo A12).
    At End B a similar degree of buckling to the side walls was present by the time the first floor had moved down approximately 300mm (Photo B6).
  4. The lateral spread of debris was greater at End B than at End A and the construction immediately behind the collapsed portion of End B was vertically cracked indicating that lateral load had been transmitted back through the structure.

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