DHS Diecast Discussion Forum
Welcome Guest Search | Active Topics | Members | Log In

New Orleans Hard Rock Hotel collapse Options · View
JohnGalt
Posted: Friday, October 18, 2019 11:10:17 AM

Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member

Joined: 6/27/2007
Posts: 1,489
Location: St. Louis, Missouri, USA
I've been keeping an eye on this, first and foremost out of concern that the missing workers would be found alive. Also, the reasons for the collapse will be of great interest to me, once they are made available. I have my opinions, but without access to pertinent information, I'll have to see what the experts come up with. I hope it's more conclusive than the Notre Dame roof fire explanation.
Most urgently, I've been waiting to see how the tower crane situation gets addressed. A nice looking black LTM1450-8.1 was rushed to the site and built up with a jib, but it seems to have been taken down already. It's amazing that, after 5 days of engineers, including from Liebherr, and safety professionals, and an array of consultants, have come to the conclusion that the safest thing to do is a controlled demolition. I wish them all the success that they can plan for, and all the good luck that they can get.
modelmaniac
Posted: Friday, October 18, 2019 1:57:28 PM

Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member

Joined: 10/4/2005
Posts: 983
Location: england
Some initial news reports,said that the collapse happened,because the crane failed.You can clearly see that both cranes are still standing.One of them was lifting at the time and is now at a funny angle,due to the actual collapse.I think the cranes were in the lift shaft,so the building literally collapsed around them.Not a good thing to happen during any construction,especially in a major U.S city.I hope the reports will be totally truthful.
dain555
Posted: Friday, October 18, 2019 4:30:45 PM

Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member

Joined: 6/5/2007
Posts: 2,754
Location: Sarasota, Florida, USA
According to the reports I've seen they had just lifted a swimming pool to the top deck just before the collapse. I also saw pictures on the news of some bent supports under the section before the collapse.

Dain

I'm a kid at heart, so I will play with any model construction vehicle from 1:87 scale to 1:1 scale!!!!

Age is a state of time NOT a state of mind!!
JohnGalt
Posted: Sunday, October 20, 2019 5:21:30 PM

Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member

Joined: 6/27/2007
Posts: 1,489
Location: St. Louis, Missouri, USA
The cranes were not in the lift shaft; that is usually not a good idea, as it prevents construction of the machine room at the top of the shaft. It appears that temporary openings in the floor framing were created for the cranes. These would have provided lateral bracing points for the towers, until the collapse removed them. Without the lateral bracing, the cranes are unstable, and leaning.
I saw drone footage, and the recently-installed swimming pool can be seen still in its location. I don't think it was a factor in the collapse.
The structural drawings that were submitted with the building permit application are available online, and they appear consistent with what some workers are reporting: framing members are very small, spans for corrugated metal deck are very large, and the cantilevered slab edge details seem inadequate.
I'm watching a live feed on www.nola.com, for the demolition today. If the slewing brakes are not engaged, which they should not have been when the operators left the controls, once the counterweights start falling, they could pull the center of gravity in an unpredictable direction.
Weserhutte
Posted: Sunday, October 20, 2019 7:54:21 PM
Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member

Joined: 4/2/2005
Posts: 648
Location: America
That could have gone better...
WCollins
Posted: Sunday, October 20, 2019 8:16:08 PM

Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member

Joined: 3/30/2011
Posts: 556
Location: Healdsburg CA.
Weserhutte wrote:
That could have gone better...


Ain't that the truth. They took an already bad situation and made it worse.

-William
Jack of all trades, Master of none.
Miniature Construction Models
JohnGalt
Posted: Monday, October 21, 2019 2:44:52 PM

Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member

Joined: 6/27/2007
Posts: 1,489
Location: St. Louis, Missouri, USA
I can't wait to see how they dig that east crane out of the street.
dain555
Posted: Monday, October 21, 2019 2:53:34 PM

Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member

Joined: 6/5/2007
Posts: 2,754
Location: Sarasota, Florida, USA
I watched it live streamed and all I can say is "That definitely wasn't the Lawazzos (CDI)!!!" I'm not sure but I think they forgot to use charges on the lift cable and trolley cable of the cranes!! Went from big mess to a bigger mess in a couple seconds!!!

Dain

I'm a kid at heart, so I will play with any model construction vehicle from 1:87 scale to 1:1 scale!!!!

Age is a state of time NOT a state of mind!!
Diecastmania
Posted: Tuesday, November 05, 2019 3:06:53 AM

Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member

Joined: 3/19/2014
Posts: 94
Location: Boston, MA
dain555 wrote:
I watched it live streamed and all I can say is "That definitely wasn't the Lawazzos (CDI)!!!" I'm not sure but I think they forgot to use charges on the lift cable and trolley cable of the cranes!! Went from big mess to a bigger mess in a couple seconds!!!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0HJAFzT76Q Check this out, it was done by CDI (Loizeaux Group). There's a blurb in the description too.


Quote:
On October the 12, 2019, a portion of the Hard Rock Hotel being built at the corner of Canal and North Rampart in New Orleans, Louisiana, collapsed causing damage to and removing support from the two (2) tower cranes serving the construction. Given the height and potential fall radius of those cranes, the City of New Orleans established a 16 square block Exclusion Zone around the Hard Rock site. Following inspection by the crane manufacturer Liebherr, and crane owner, Morrow Crane, they determined that the damaged cranes had structurally failed and could not safely be dismantled.

Controlled Demolition, Inc. (CDI) of Phoenix, Maryland, USA was called to the site on October 14th by Lemoine Disaster Recovery and DH Griffin to work with team member Thornton Tomasetti to develop an explosives plan to lower/stabilize the tower cranes to permit follow-on operations to move forward with greater safety.

CDI’s plan called for the counterweight of the Alpha Crane, closest to Canal Street, to be released with explosives to swing inward to fall within the Hard Rock footprint. The boom would be released and dropped to hook over the edge of the roof of the hotel to prevent the rotation of the counterweight from pulling the upper mast backward toward the newly renovated Saenger Theater across North Rampart Street. The Alpha crane mast was severed at mid-height and felled, per plan into the previously damaged Hard Rock upper structural steel construction for cautious subsequent removal using conventional demolition operations.

The Charlie Crane, to the north, was already inclined 8° to the northwest as a result of the original collapse and could not safely be drawn back into the building’s footprint. The counterweight was explosively felled to swing it inward, to impact within the Hard Rock footprint, before the mast and boom were felled to the northwest onto protective matting placed by DH Griffin over utilities in North Rampart Street.

Both cranes behaved, as expected during the explosives sequence. While the risk from the damaged cranes was reduced, per plan, reducing exposure to workers and the public as decisions are made on how to proceed with the Hard Rock Hotel structure, care will need to be taken by all parties/stakeholders given that site conditions remain dangerous.


- Joe
dain555
Posted: Tuesday, November 05, 2019 11:33:40 AM

Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member

Joined: 6/5/2007
Posts: 2,754
Location: Sarasota, Florida, USA
Joe, good read, it now explains why the cranes did what they did!! Thanks again for this, the LaWazzos at their best!!

Dain

I'm a kid at heart, so I will play with any model construction vehicle from 1:87 scale to 1:1 scale!!!!

Age is a state of time NOT a state of mind!!
Weserhutte
Posted: Tuesday, November 05, 2019 2:10:24 PM
Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member

Joined: 4/2/2005
Posts: 648
Location: America
10/21/2019

dain555 wrote:
I can say is "That definitely wasn't the Lawazzos (CDI)!!! Went from big mess to a bigger mess in a couple seconds!!!


11/05/2019

dain555 wrote:
Thanks again for this, the LaWazzos at their best!!
SDBOB
Posted: Tuesday, November 05, 2019 3:06:06 PM
Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member

Joined: 12/13/2005
Posts: 1,321
Location: Latrobe,Pa.
How did 'they're get explosives in place? If dangerous,someone has big ........
JohnGalt
Posted: Tuesday, November 05, 2019 3:42:34 PM

Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member

Joined: 6/27/2007
Posts: 1,489
Location: St. Louis, Missouri, USA
SDBOB wrote:
How did 'they're get explosives in place? If dangerous,someone has big ........


The explosives were placed by people in personnel baskets suspended from ground-based mobile cranes.
SDBOB
Posted: Tuesday, November 05, 2019 8:22:03 PM
Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member

Joined: 12/13/2005
Posts: 1,321
Location: Latrobe,Pa.
Thanks. I didnt see that. Tried to view on news and web what was going on.
JohnGalt
Posted: Wednesday, November 06, 2019 5:03:09 PM

Rank: Advanced Member
Groups: Member

Joined: 6/27/2007
Posts: 1,489
Location: St. Louis, Missouri, USA
Joe, thanks for the link and the excerpt.
Users browsing this topic
Guest


Forum Jump
You cannot post new topics in this forum.
You cannot reply to topics in this forum.
You cannot delete your posts in this forum.
You cannot edit your posts in this forum.
You cannot create polls in this forum.
You cannot vote in polls in this forum.

SoClean Theme Created by Jaben Cargman (Tiny Gecko)
Powered by Yet Another Forum.net version 1.9.1.8 (NET v2.0) - 3/29/2008
Copyright © 2003-2008 Yet Another Forum.net. All rights reserved.