Tuned Mass Damper of Taipei 101 Tower
Taipei 101, once the world’s tallest building upon its completion in 2004, is not only an architectural wonder but also a marvel of engineering, particularly because of its tuned mass damper (TMD). This TMD is a critical component of the skyscraper’s structural integrity, designed to stabilize the building against the forces of nature, such as typhoons and earthquakes, which are common in Taiwan.
The principle behind mass dampers is relatively straightforward yet ingenious. When an earthquake strikes, it generates waves of energy that cause the building to sway.
The mass damper is designed to move in opposition to this sway due to inertia. As the building moves to one side, the mass damper moves to the opposite side, creating a counteracting force that reduces the building’s motion.
The effectiveness of a mass damper lies in its tuning. The system is tuned to the natural frequency of the building it protects.
This tuning ensures that when the building begins to resonate with the earthquake’s energy, the mass damper’s counteracting movement is optimized to reduce the amplitude of vibrations as efficiently as possible.
The tuned mass damper of Taipei 101 is a giant steel pendulum weighing 660 metric tons (approximately 728 US tons), making it the largest and heaviest of its kind in the world.
Suspended from the 92nd to the 87th floor, the sphere has a diameter of 5.5 meters (18 feet) and consists of 41 circular steel plates, each with a thickness of 125mm (about 5 inches), welded together to form the massive ball.
This spherical damper is connected to the structure of the building by eight steel cables, allowing it to swing freely in response to the building’s movement.
During an earthquake or typhoon, when Taipei 101 sways, the TMD moves in the opposite direction, thanks to its inertia, absorbing and dissipating the energy generated by the building’s movement, thus reducing the vibrations and stabilizing the structure.
The effectiveness of the TMD was proven during the Sichuan earthquake in 2008. Despite the quake’s magnitude and the distance of Taipei 101 from the epicenter, the building withstood the seismic activity without any structural damage, a testament to the damper’s design and functionality.
The TMD swayed over a meter during this event, absorbing the energy and preventing it from being transferred throughout the structure.
Theodore Lee is the editor of Caveman Circus. He strives for self-improvement in all areas of his life, except his candy consumption, where he remains a champion gummy worm enthusiast. When not writing about mindfulness or living in integrity, you can find him hiding giant bags of sour patch kids under the bed.