Torsional Buckling Study of Hartford Coliseum

A structural analysis for torsional buckling of four-angle cruciform sections is utilized to predict the failure mode of the space truss for the Hartford Coliseum and the results are compared with the observed field conditions after the collapse. The correlation between the analysis and the conditions at the site, including deflections during construction, snow load and the physical arrangement of the collapse indicates a high degree of probability that torsional buckling was the primary cause. Photographs of an overall view and of each corner of the roof as well as diagrams and a load deflection plot are included to demonstrate the descriptions in the text. The use of cruciform sections in compression should be avoided unless satisfactory test data is available for the section to be used.