Closer Look at the Tuned Mass Damper at Taipei 101

It was the first time that I have seen a tuned mass damper in a skyscraper. These dampers are put atop skyscrapers to conteract any wobbling which is common for buildings that tall. Without the dampers, the building might sway too much causing nausea to the people on the top floors – usually very rich people. I am not very rich and I am just visiting the Taipei 101 which has a tuned mass damper on display. A lot of buildings tend to hide the dampers but Taipei 101 took a different approach and instead opened it up to the public. They even have mascots for the damper called the damper babies. The massive 660 ton steel sphere is suspended between the 92nd and 87th floor. Considering the size of the building itself, I thought that the sphere was not that big after all.

The damper definitely works since there was hardly any swaying that it felt on the upper floors. Even during an earthquake you can see it working to ensure that the skyscraper doesn’t sway too much. It is a remarkable and ingenious feat of engineering. The sphere is held by massive cables and it is held in place by large hydraulic cylinders so that it won’t sway too much thereby damaging the building. So how do you carry something that heavy to the top of the building. Turns out the sphere is actually a composite of multiple circular disks of varying diameters. You can then lift the still heavy disks one by one and install them where they need to be.

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