Questions Raised Over Steel Roof Struts Probe says steel tubes, not columns, are likely trigger for Paris airport’s concourse collapse 7/12/2004
External tubular steel struts puncturing the shell-like concrete roof of Paris Charles de Gaulle Airports newest concourse likely triggered the May 23 collapse, say preliminary findings of a French government probe released last week. But investigators have yet to explain why the structures behavior changed suddenly on a Sunday morning, 30 months after its construction. The collapse killed four people.
The lower number of struts in play reduced the bending strength of part of the 650-meter-long shell, causing it to break in flexure, suspect investigators. However, a conclusive explanation is unlikely before the end of this year, says Jean-Armand Calgaro, one of four experts on the government commission. The commission, appointed two days after the collapse and led by senior civil engineer Jean Berthier, was not asked to apportion blame.