Giant pendulum saves Taipei 101 skyscraper during earthquake, showcasing engineering marvel
Taipei 101, the eleventh tallest skyscraper in the world, survived the earthquake thanks to a pendulum installed between the 87th and 92nd floors. This is an invention of Fip Mec, tested by Renato Vitaliani, a former professor of civil, building and environmental engineering at the University of Padua.
According to Vitaliani, the pendulum balances vibrations, being a kind of harmonic absorber that prevented the skyscraper from collapsing. Vitaliani tested the pendulum about a decade ago, confirming its ability to balance seismic tremors and strong gusts of wind. The 660-ton pendulum is installed atop Taipei 101, 508 meters above the ground.
The pendulum, called the Tuned Mass Damper, is the largest in the world and prevents the structure from collapsing under strong shocks.
“Fip has been manufacturing anti-seismic devices to protect bridges and buildings since 1974. For Taipei 101, the company manufactured a pendulum in the form of a viscous sphere. The building tilted, but withstood the incredible shock wave of the earthquake,” explains Vitaliani.
According to the professor, there are now more efficient insulators that fit under columns and can be made of neoprene or double pendulum.
The pendulum operates in the opposite phase to the vibrations caused by the tower, and thus significantly reduces them. Around it are energy dissipators, damping systems that block the pendulum after the earthquake to prevent damage to the structure,” Vitaliani adds.
Thus, the 5.5-meter diameter sphere, consisting of 41 disks and supported by eight hydraulic pumps, balances vibrations, as it did during its construction, when it withstood a 6.8 magnitude tremor.
