The great thermate debate

[rsol]

"With an inch or so of insulating foam the architects expected the steel to withstand the effects of fire without softening for long enough to evacuate the building."

They expected it to hold. not just hold on long enough. you assume their design ethic but its not the case. "confident of multiple impacts" was the phrase.

"The towers were NOT "blocks of steel". Their construction was possibly the lightest possible "mesh" of foam-coated steel hollow columns, with floors of 4" aerated concrete over steel tube trusses."

its actually a mesh made of blocks of steel. and interconnections dont just melt/soften when they encounter heat if they have cold steel to disapate to. you cant argue away from that.c yes the trusses were light. thats because they were just holding up whatever was on that floor. they didnt have significant weight compared to the central columns. once again you are abstracting from a small detail and throwing it over the entire scene.