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Zeynep Dilara Akyürek / Milliyet.com.tr – Skyscrapers tens of meters high rise to the clouds around the world. Buildings, which are essential for vertical settlement, are built much more carefully in earthquake-prone areas. The earthquake precautions implemented in skyscraper construction also attract attention at this point. However, in the 7.4 magnitude earthquake that occurred in Taiwan recently, the world’s 11th tallest skyscraper also suffered an earthquake. The skyscraper had a secret that was different from all other buildings and, for some, extraordinary. This secret almost did not shake the structure at the time of the earthquake. How did the golden sphere called ‘Damper Baby’ protect the 101-storey skyscraper, which remained the tallest building in the world until 2010? Ahmet Şuyun, Deputy Chairman of the Structural Steel Association and Founding Partner of the Technological Insulator Systems Company, told Milliyet.com.tr.
WHAT REALLY IS THE GIANT BALL IN TAIPEI 101?
The calendars showed April 3, 2024. Taiwan, which frequently experiences major earthquakes, was about to shake once again. This tremor was the largest earthquake to hit Taiwan in the last 25 years. Taiwan was shaken by a magnitude 7.7 earthquake on September 21, 1999, and 2,415 people lost their lives. However, since then, although there have been 21 earthquakes with magnitudes above 6 and 7, and 27 in total, there have been 178 deaths. In other words, as a country that frequently experiences earthquakes, Taiwan had taken the right precautions and prepared for the earthquake. One of the most striking of these importance is the insulator systems that have come to the fore in recent years. The global damping system, which has been applied to very few buildings in the world, ensured that the 101-storey and 135-meter-long ‘Taipei 101’ tower did not shake almost at all in the 7.4 magnitude earthquake.
What allows Taipei 101 to withstand earthquakes is a massive 660-ton golden steel sphere suspended inside the tower. This is actually a type of insulators, which are one of the first systems that come to mind when it comes to building earthquake-resistant buildings. This pendulum-like device is designed to prevent the building from swaying during seismic activity, absorbing kinetic energy and reducing movement by up to 40 percent. The large golden yellow pendulum called ‘Dumper Baby’ is suspended between the 87th and 92nd floors to prevent possible excessive movement. The spherical damping system, swinging within a 1.5-meter limit, is visible to visitors to Taipei 101’s observation deck. In addition, this sphere protects Taipei 101, once the tallest building in the world, from wind damage.
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OPERATING SYSTEM OF GOLDEN SPHERE: EQUIPPED WITH SENSOR
Its construction was also a huge factor in Taipei 101’s ability to withstand earthquakes. Building high-rise reinforced concrete structures in a geography with frequent earthquakes meant that the foundation of the structure had to reach deep into the bedrock and be supported by reinforced concrete and steel piles. This was also achieved in Taipei 101. The systems that form the foundation of the structure, which is built earthquake-resistant from its foundation to its roof, are among the important points that ensure stability during an earthquake. The golden sphere, on the other hand, minimizes the risk in major earthquakes by preventing excessive shaking of the structure as a whole, meters above the foundation. Ahmet Şuyun explains the global damping system as follows:
“The system in the Taipei 101 tower resists the oscillations in the building caused by earthquakes or other factors (wind, etc.). The sphere, whose weight is calculated by engineers, is hung on the top of the building, reducing emissions. It is the own weight of the suspended sphere that absorbs the oscillation impact on the building. Additionally, this system does not need any energy to operate. The golden sphere-shaped pendulum gets its power from the natural movement of the building and the force of gravity. In addition, the pendulum in the tower is equipped with sensors that detect building movement and adjust the movement of the pendulum accordingly. “Shakes are felt less in buildings equipped with these systems and can make the structure more earthquake resistant.”
IS THIS SYSTEM APPLIED IN TURKEY?
Taipei 101 tower is the first skyscraper to use pendulums for structural damping. The global damping system, which is not found even in Dubai and New York, which are home to the world’s tallest buildings, is the size of a room. Is this isolator, which can reduce the emissions of the building by 40 percent, used in Turkey, an earthquake country, and especially in Istanbul? Ahmet Şuyun also answered this question. Stating that they have not seen any building using such a system in Istanbul, Şuyun added, “I saw another building equipped with this system in Santiago, Chile.” Taipei 101 is among the 10 most earthquake-resistant buildings in the world, hosting the world’s largest tuned mass damper (TMD). Exactly 20 years before the April 3 earthquakes, 31 When large forces act on the tower, which was opened in December 2004 and built as the World Financial Center, the TMD swings in the opposite direction and keeps the entire building in balance by absorbing temporary forces thanks to the mass of the golden sphere.
Until the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, the world’s tallest building, opened in 2010, it was the first skyscraper exceeding half a kilometer in length and the world’s tallest skyscraper. In addition, the skyscraper, whose elevators break speed records, also has elevators that carry passengers from the 5th floor to the 89th floor in 37 seconds. With its golden globe, most important landmarks and firsts, Taipei 101 is among the world’s leading skyscrapers. It seems that the Golden Globe will continue to protect Taipei 101 and maintain this reputation for many years to come.
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