NYC-WTC_000152373

z o Engineers Seek to Test Steel ■<

o co § Before It Is Melted for Reuse '2 o o By JAMES GLANZ ing engineers to perform such ex­ ■D c CT and KENNETH CHANG aminations, his first priority was o' tn The huge steel columns and beams clearing the site so that human re­ ■D KJ O of the World Trade Center are being mains might be recovered. 3. o "Our focus right now is moving oo tjauled off to be melted and recycled 91 before engineers can inspect the steel out to see if we can find bodies O alive or dead,” Mr. Holden said. o twisted metal, which they say could o Some of the steel is already being c hold important clues on how to build 3 safer skyscrapers in the future. cut up for recycling at the two firms CD The city has signed a contract that that were awarded contracts: Hugo allows two New Jersey firms to recy­ Neu Schnitzer East in Jersey City cle the estimated .310,000 tons of steel and Metal Management of Newark. from the trade center site, including “We thought they were going to be some 90,000 tons from each tower. held for at least a while until we Kenneth Holden, commissioner of the department of design and con­ could get to them,” said Dr. W. Gene Corley, senior vice president of Con­ ^^342- TiiWo struction, said the deal would help to struction Technologies Laboratories recoup at least a tiny part of the in Skokie, Ill., and the leader of a 12- original value of the towers and to member team from the civil engi­ .dispose of the wreckage in an envi­ neering society that would like to ronmentally responsible way. He study the wreckage. “If they’re recy­ could not provide an estimate for the cling all of it, that would make it .value of the steel. Ultimately the more difficult.” money would probably go to the Port Dr. Corley said it was most impor­ Authority of New York and New Jer­ tant to set aside the parts of build­ sey, which owned the buildings. ings that were near the spots where . But some engineers, including a the airplanes slammed into them. • team assembled by the American How the girders bent could tell the • Society of Civil Engineers, say that engineers which part of the buildings examination of the steel could allow failed first. Microscopic analysis of ed interest in other quarters. Yester­ math of the attack, phone lines run­ them to piece together the precise the steel could tell them how hot the day Police Commissioner Bernard ning to the city’s command center ■chain of events that led to the col­ fires burned. Taken together, such B. Kerik confirmed a report in The near ground zero were often not lapse of the buildings. information could yield insights on New !York Post that investigators working properly and city officials ■ “If we don’t collect the unbeliev­ how to construct buildings that are were!looking into accusations that had to deal with more Immediate ably valuable data, it will be a second more resistant to attack. organized crime figures, in the con­ crises. Mr. Rossberg said he faxed tragedy,” said Dr. Abolhassan As- “These failures occurred very fusion after the attack, had carted the request again yesterday. taneh-Asl, professor of structural en- quickly, and some of the evidence for away as, much as 250 tons of scrap “We’re trying not to be intrusive, •gineering at the University of Cali­ this is contained in those columns metai to yards in New Jersey and on certainly,’’ he said, adding that there fornia at Berkeley and a member of and beams,” said Dr. Richard J. Long;Island. Mr. Kerik said the met­ were “a number of issues that are the engineering society’s team. Dr. Fragaszy, program director in civil al had been recovered. In any case, taking much greater priority.” •Astaneh-Asl is also the recipient of and mechanical systems at the Na­ such Small amounts of steel are un­ one of eight grants awarded yester­ tional Science Foundation. likely to have a significant Impact on Still, some engineers said that the day by the National Science Founda- The two recycling firms said that the recycling operation or on any analysis effort should not hamper ition to investigate the disaster. they would be willing to accommo­ engineering inspections, should they recovery work and that if it were not Commissioner Holden said that date the inspections if they could be eventually take place. undertaken soon, important informa­ while agents from the Federal Bu­ done quickly, but that they were not James A. Rossberg, director of the tion would be destroyed. reau of Investigation and the office of aware of the project, civil engineering society’s Structural Late yesterday, Mr. Holden said the city medical examiner did in­ “If they want representative sam­ Engineering Institute, said he had that the request from the society had spect the steel for crime scene clues ples, I think that’s fine,” said Bob tried to contact the city this week finally reached him. “I just got hand­ and human remains, no engineering Kelman, senior vice president and about the possibility of doing the ed a letter literally 60 seconds ago,” examinations were faking place. general manager of Hugo Neu inspections. Mr. Holden said at 5:40 p.in. He said Mr. Holden said that while he Schnitzer. “We’d be happy to assist.” But Mr. Holden said he had not he would consider the request over would probably not object to allow- The trade center steel has attract­ received that request. In the after- the weekend.