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The apocalyptic earthquake in Taiwan, how the 101-story skyscraper in Taipei survived (VIDEO)
2024-04-04 07:40:20 / BOTA
Despite the 7.4-magnitude earthquake that struck Taiwan early Wednesday, the Taipei 101 skyscraper in the center of the country's capital remained intact, just as its construction predicted.
The 509-meter-high building has a special structure inside it that reduces its sway by 40% during earthquakes, but also on days with strong winds.
The structure is a steel ball weighing 660 tons that is placed inside the building, on the 92nd floor, like a pendulum.
Whenever the building moves in one direction, the steel ball moves in the opposite direction and thus maintains the overall balance of the building, Daily Mail reports.
In this way the skyscraper wobbles, but cannot fall.
This is a "passive damping system", meaning it works without any external force or control, only gravity and the movement of the building.
Meanwhile, hydraulic pistons under the massive sphere absorb and dissipate energy as heat.
As Dr Agathoklis Giaralis, a professor of structural dynamics at the City of London, explains to the Dail Mail, the steel ball of the "Taipei 101" works in a similar way to the way shock absorbers work in car suspensions.
Modern skyscrapers are built to be flexible, especially those in earthquake zones like Taiwan, Professor Anthony Darby of the University of Bath explains to the Daily Mail.
The materials from which they are made are elastic, that is, they stretch or contract according to the changing loads applied to them.
The amount of deformation in a single element such as a beam is very small, but when added up for the entire tall building, they can lead to significant lateral movement.
These movements are not dangerous to the structure itself, but, if excessive, may cause discomfort to the occupants.
Construction of the skyscraper began in 1999 and was completed before New Year 2004, when it opened to the public.
The design of the building resembles a bamboo stalk rising up in eight sections.
Steel support beams were placed on each floor, starting from the building's core and ending at its outer columns, to increase the tower's rigidity.
Although earthquake mechanisms are invisible in other buildings, "Taipei 101" is a tourist attraction for visitors from the 88th floor to the 92nd floor.
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