Skyscrapers: a solution to the winds and earthquakes

Today, thanks to the most innovative construction techniques, we build skyscrapers in almost every part of the world, of any shape or size. One of these, considered one of the New Seven Wonders of Engineering is Taipei 101. We discover why.

Perhaps not everyone knows that the problems of greatest interest in the design and construction of a skyscraper are: the balance of a very tall and slender and resistance to events such as earthquakes, strong winds, especially in areas such as China.

Precisely the Chinese thought an innovative solution, we would say almost foolproof.

Taipei 101, designed by the architectural firm CYLee & Partners, under the guidance of Chung Ping Wang is supported by eight steel columns, two at each corner, which from the 1st to the 62nd floor are filled with special cement which serves to stiffen the structure against the gusts of tropical typhoons. The base is pyramidal and 8 floors each other beams connecting the columns with a ‘soul of 16 pylons. Above the floor 96, however, the tip of the steel (which has the function of signal for aircraft) was raised to 38 meters through a hydraulic winch.

As anticipated, the element that most impresses is how this structure “fights” earthquakes and winds between’ 87 ° and 92 ° plane dangles from a sphere 5.5 meters in diameter, consisting of 41 discs plans to corner net for a total weight of 660 tons, which for obvious considerations was assembled on site, and a cost of $ 4 million. Backed by 8 hydraulic pumps, its task is to counteract the tendencies aroused by strong winds and earthquakes, through oscillations ranging from 1 cm to a maximum of 1.5 meters. Moving in contrast to these, absorbs ‘energy balance and the’ building if it were to start moving, reducing the movement by as much as 40%.

This system assists the skyscraper to withstand winds up to 450 km / h and shock that reach in eighth grade on the Richter scale.

Tested the facade with a 2,200 horsepower engine plane to simulate a hurricane and with a hydraulic device that reproduced an earthquake, the Taipei 101 already during its construction was able to withstand an earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale.