The claim that "Multi-ton steel sections ejected laterally." is often made in the context of 9/11 controlled demolition conspiracy theories.

And indeed multi-ton sections of the towers were found both on the ground and embedded in buildings hundreds of feed away. For example here's two large sections of the exterior wall found in other buildings:

How did it get there? There's several ways this might have happened
The following animation show the path taken by a large piece, showing that it started moving some time after the collapse wave had passed it by. This indicates it was a section of the exterior wall, pivoting on the wall below it, and tipping outward.
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And indeed multi-ton sections of the towers were found both on the ground and embedded in buildings hundreds of feed away. For example here's two large sections of the exterior wall found in other buildings:
How did it get there? There's several ways this might have happened
1. Bouncing. Not off the ground, but off the uncollapsed lower portion of the building. The falling vertical speed was partly translated to horizontal speed.
2. Tilting. As the floors were stripped away from the exterior walls they leaned outwards, when large sections leaned, they were essentially pivoting about a fixed base, allowing the tops to get some speed.
3. Elastic rebound. When you snap something by compressing it, it's put under stress, and then that stress is released, causing sections of the object to fly off.
4. Blast effects. Highly compressed gasses can make things move, even throw them considerable distance. However it would have much more of an effect on lighter material. There's two sources of compressed gasses.
4a. Piston effects. Thousands of tons falling onto a concrete slab will rapidly push it down, making the space below it smaller, and massively compressing the air in that space. This is likely the source of the blasts of debris seen coming from windows, but would not move large sections much.
4b. Explosion effects. Chemical explosives like C4 work by converting a solid into a very high pressure gas in an incredibly rapid chemical reaction. The rapid expansion of this gas creates damage.
The following animation show the path taken by a large piece, showing that it started moving some time after the collapse wave had passed it by. This indicates it was a section of the exterior wall, pivoting on the wall below it, and tipping outward.
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The above is a SUMMARY POST, and contains material from the following thread.
Original first post follows
Last edited: