http://www.odditycentral.com/page/109
World’s largest earthquake damper
By Spooky on June 24th, 2008 Category: Tech, Videos LIKE DISLIKE
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You might just see a huge steel ball, but this tuned 
mass damper is so much more.

This 728 tons steel pendulum is installed in one of the 
world’s tallest buildings, the taipei 101 in Taiwan. It 
helps stabilize the building in case of strong winds and 
earthquakes, through simple mechanics, when the building 
moves in a direction it swings in the opposite direction 
reducing movement by 40%. You can understand how it works 
by looking at the small GIF image.
(GIF image)
It cost #4 million to install the huge damper in the 
skyscraper but architects and engineers said it had 
to be done. It spans across 4 of the building’s stories 
and it was assembled on site because it couldn’t be 
lifted by a crane, due to its enormous weight.

Here’s a video of the damper in action, on May 12th, 
when a horrific earthquake hit one of China’s provinces 
and the tremors reached as far as Taipei. As the building 
started to shake, people ran towards the center to see 
the damper in action, it did it’s job.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taipei_101
Wikipedia
Taipei 101 comprises 101 floors above ground and 5 
floors underground. The name of the tower reflects 
its floor count. 

The building ranked officially as the world's 
tallest from 2004 until the opening of the 
Burj Khalifa in Dubai in 2010. 

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http://www.taipei-101.com.tw/index_en.htm
The Taipei 101 web site

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http://www.chinatownconnection.com/taipei-101.htm
Chinatown Connection 
Pictures and detailed facts about the building and its stabilizer.

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http://skyscraperpage.com/cities/?buildingID=18
Skyscraper Page
Details and measurements.

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