MIAMI — Video released by a team of federal investigators shows more evidence of extensive corrosion and overcrowded concrete reinforcement in a Miami-area condominium that collapsed in June, killing 98 people.
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Video released by investigators shows densely packed steel reinforcement in various sections of the building, along with extensive corrosion where one column met the building's foundation. |
The images show beams, walls and columns that appear to be
overcrowded with steel reinforcement, which suggests
potential weaknesses, she explained.
What Led To The Florida Condo Collapse? Here's What We
Know So Far
"There is no reason there should be that kind of bar
congestion," Lehman said.
The risk posed by "congested" vertical rebar in columns
would have been even worse in spots where the rebar
overlapped, which is known as "lap splice" regions, Abieyuwa
Aghayere, a Drexel University engineering researcher who
also reviewed the video, told the newspaper.
While it's already congested with rebar, at the splice
regions, it would have been "even further congested,"
Aghayere told the Herald.
He said he was struck by how "powdery" and white the
concrete in columns appeared in the newly released video.
Stone-like aggregates used to strengthen concrete during
construction typically remain visible but they were not in
the images from the collapse site.
"The white color just stuns me," Aghayere told the
newspaper. He added that instead of seeing aggregate
material mixed into the concrete, "it's just homogenous,"
which is likely indication of saltwater damage.
He said it is impossible to tell from just the images
whether the concrete used in original construction was
weaker than the designs called for, or whether the apparent
weakness was due to damage over time.
"It doesn't look like normal concrete to me. What's going
on?" Aghayere said.