Uploaded November 2019 | Updated September 2026, 3 days ago
In 2016 a 70 meters long steel-truss pedestrian bridge has collapsed. We have simulated what happened. The bridge had an unusual design with the center of gravity lying outside of its own footprint. Increasing temperatures induced internal stresses that couldn't be compensated by the bearings. As a result the bolts of the bearings holding the bridge in place have been sheared off. Without any further restraint to the uplift load the bridge had to topple and collapse.
The half-completed pedestrian bridge to connect the KL Eco City to The Gardens shopping mall in Mid Valley City failed on Nov 29, killing one construction worker. We have been investigating this case by means of computer simulation to reproduce and visualize the collapse dynamics. Our virtual collapse simulations are based on real physics and represent the reality to a high degree.
Credits & Links:
Virtual Validation Corporation:
Kai Kostack,
kostackstudio@gmx.de
&
Dipl. Arch ETH Oliver Walter,
oliver.walter@kolumbus.fi
Software:
Laurea University of Applied Sciences LUAS, Finland
Kai Kostack, Oliver Walter
Blender: blender.org
Add-on: github.com/KaiKostack/bullet-constraints-builder
In 2016 a 70 meters long steel-truss pedestrian bridge has collapsed. We have simulated what happened. The bridge had an unusual design with the center of gravity lying outside of its own footprint. Increasing temperatures induced internal stresses that couldn't be compensated by the bearings. As a result the bolts of the bearings holding the bridge in place have been sheared off. Without any further restraint to the uplift load the bridge had to topple and collapse.
The half-completed pedestrian bridge to connect the KL Eco City to The Gardens shopping mall in Mid Valley City failed on Nov 29, killing one construction worker. We have been investigating this case by means of computer simulation to reproduce and visualize the collapse dynamics. Our virtual collapse simulations are based on real physics and represent the reality to a high degree.
Credits & Links:
Virtual Validation Corporation:
Kai Kostack,
kostackstudio@gmx.de
&
Dipl. Arch ETH Oliver Walter,
oliver.walter@kolumbus.fi
Software:
Laurea University of Applied Sciences LUAS, Finland
Kai Kostack, Oliver Walter
Blender: blender.org
Add-on: github.com/KaiKostack/bullet-constraints-builder
