Roof Collapse, Magic Mart Store, Bolivar, Tennessee

Abstract

This paper summarizes an investigation of the July 2, 1983, roof collapse of the Magic Mart store in Bolivar, Tennessee. The building was a onestory retail store of steel‐framed roof construction. The collapse occurred during a severe thunderstorm with intense rainfall. The investigation includes review of background information and eyewitness accounts of the collapse, review of design and construction documents, site investigation and sample collection, laboratory testing of samples of the collapse debris, and structural analyses. The initiating mode of failure was instability of one of the beam‐column connections of the roof framing, triggered by ponded roof water. The principal cause of the failure was inadequate buckling resistance of the unbraced and unstiffened beam‐column connections, due to major deviations in the construction from the design documents. Also contributing to the failure were ponding rain water caused by improper slope and drainage of the roof and the increased weight of roofing materials added during the 10‐year life of the building. The paper concludes with a summary of the results of a personal injury law suit resulting from the collapse, and with recommendations for improvement in design and construction practices based on the lessons learned from this failure.