660-ton pendulum protects Taipei 101 from earthquakes and typhoons. Similar technology is used in many other skyscr*rs around the world

Kaylee Everhart

Updated Tuesday, June 27, 2023 at 5:35 PM CDT

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View source: Imgur

Top Comments from Imgur

butterda

is there a snail in that sphere?

SXSam

Damped Oscillation Precision Engineering

Eniff

It's called a Tuned Mass Damper. They're really cool.

QotU

Finally a post @AlphaStructural would approve of

Makerofthingsmasherofstuff

Wooo, engineering!

drduffer

Saw a vid of this stuff years ago and the part I liked the best was that it also dampened resonances when the wind was right. It doesn’t take a Hurricane to take down a building if the resonances are right.

Anonypuss

Does it work without the guy sitting on top?

Jamby42

I have been to the Taipei 101. Amazing engineering. Also the elevators are super fast. 1-100 floors in @30 seconds

Gameskyjumper

Do we know how high the pendulum is? which floor?

parabolic000

Been at the top of Taipei 101 on a windy day. Tuned mass damper helps but you CAN feel the building sway. Same with the Sears Tower and I imagine every other tall-a** building out there.

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