Failure Analysis of a Collapsed Roof

Abstract

A portion of the roof of a single story building collapsed during a thunder storm. A failure analysis was conducted to determine whether this structural failure was due to improper design, substandard construction materials, faulty erection, or extreme weather conditions. The failure analysis consisted of an onsite inspection, macrofractographic examination of the fractures where the girders were welded to the columns, macrofractographic examination of the fractured trusses, metallographic examination of the girder and truss materials, chemical analysis of the low-carbon steel girder and truss materials, and mechanical testing of the truss material. It was concluded that substandard structural components in combination with faulty construction was responsible for this service failure.