CONTROLLING THE DEMOLITION OF EXISTING STRUCTURES: AN APPROACH TO ANALYZE THE COLLAPSE OF THE WORLD TRADE CENTER NORTH TOWER WTC1

Large buildings, tall chimneys, smokestacks, and increasingly some smaller structures may be destroyed by building implosion using explosives . Imploding a building is very fast and an expert can ensure that the building falls into its own footprint, so as not to damage neighboring structures. Implosion techniques can be applied on masonry structures, reinforced concrete structures, steel structures, and composite structures. On the contrary of the true implosion, building implosion techniques do not rely on the difference between internal and external pressure to collapse a structure. Instead, the technique weakens or remove s critical supports so that the building can no longer withstand the force of gravity and falls under its own weight.