Abstract

HELENE, P.; PACHECO, J.  and  COUTO, D.. Fire and collapse of the Wilton Paes de Almeida building in São Paulo, Brazil. Lessons learned. Rev. ALCONPAT [online]. 2020, vol.10, n.1, pp.114-131.  Epub May 16, 2022. ISSN 2007-6835.  https://doi.org/10.21041/ra.v10i1.419.

The objective of this work was to make a diagnosis that explains the mechanism of collapse, in just 80 minutes, of the Wilton Paes de Almeida building, which was surprising for the engineering of structural concrete. Previous fires, such as that of the Andraus Building, the Joelma and the Great Avenue, withstood more than 4 hours of fire without collapsing and are currently in use. To understand this unusual collapse, an experimental investigation of the characteristics and properties of the concrete and the reinforcement used in that structure was carried out, based on a "hypothetical structural project" that considered the actual characteristics of the materials used. Based on the diagnosis, recommendations were established so that cases like this do not recur.

Keywords : collapse; Wilton Paes de Almeida building; diagnosis.

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