Which type of collapse has a pattern of floor and or roof assemblies on both sides of a load bearing wall?

Which type of collapse has a pattern of floor and or roof assemblies on both sides of a load bearing wall?

• A. V-shape
• B. A-frame
• C. W-shape
• D. Cantilever

Answer: (B)

When the wall that is doing the heavy lifting stays in place as the vertical support, but the floor and roof on both sides lose their support, the structure tends to cave inward toward the wall from both sides. This symmetry creates an A-shaped collapse pattern, with the wall acting as the central spine and the failing floor/roof assemblies on either side forming the legs of the A. This is different from a V-shaped failure, which is usually uneven and involves movement on one side more than the other, or a W-shaped pattern that shows multiple distinct failure points along the wall, or a cantilever collapse where one side collapses while the other remains supported.

When the wall that is doing the heavy lifting stays in place as the vertical support, but the floor and roof on both sides lose their support, the structure tends to cave inward toward the wall from both sides. This symmetry creates an A-shaped collapse pattern, with the wall acting as the central spine and the failing floor/roof assemblies on either side forming the legs of the A.

This is different from a V-shaped failure, which is usually uneven and involves movement on one side more than the other, or a W-shaped pattern that shows multiple distinct failure points along the wall, or a cantilever collapse where one side collapses while the other remains supported.