Building collapse in Shanghai

[dgillette]

http://dcnonl.com/article/id34398

I'm struggling to figure out how the "dirt pile" would have caused the collapse, unless the piles/piers on the low side underwent bearing capacity failure, allowing the building to tilt past the tipping point. Pictures I've seen elsewhere show it on either concrete pipe piles (?) or hollow drilled piers (!?!). Consol due to dirt pile could have created downdrag, but that would seem to imply the piles were on the verge of bearing failure before the dirt pile was put there. Where it looks like the piles on the "high side" were pulled apart, I couldn't see much steel.

Anybody have any real data, beyond my speculation? (Facts without theory are trivia; theory without facts is b_______.)

I'll try to figure out how to post the photos this evening.

 

[hokie66]

dgillette,

There is some more speculation and discussion in the "Structural engineering other topics forum", along with a lot of photos, and also a sketch from a Chinese engineer, Ldog, which may or may not shed some light on the collapse.

 

[dgillette]

Thanks. Here's what I have.

 

[hokie66]

Yeah, they are some of the photos in the other thread. There is a lot of different opinion about those piles.

 

[dgillette]

The other thread is at

http://www.eng-tips.com/threadminder.cfm?pid=507&page=1.