EAS 454 Assignment 1A

Name:
Matrix no.:
Lecturer: Dr.

Taipei 101 is the tallest structures built in a seismically active zone. There are
several factors which cause Taipei 101 difficult to build. Taipei city is an inhospitable
place to build a skyscraper. Thick layer of soft clay underneath the earth demands
uniquely designed foundation. Where above the ground, the effect of Typhoon and
earthquake required high level of engineering and construction. The building has to be
flexible enough to withstand earthquake and at the same time stiff enough to resist
Typhoon. The solutions here combined two revolutionary systems: a braced mega
frame joined to 8 super columns filled with the mixture of steel and concrete, Tuned
Mass Damper or a giant pendulum which designed to oppose the effect of wind.
The island of Taiwan sit at the junction of two tectonic forces, where vast
plates of earth crust grind together causes earthquakes, the entire island is unstable.
Besides, there are 3 small faults run directly under Taipei itself causing hundreds of
earthquakes every year. The effect of earthquake to a skyscraper can be catastrophic,
the entire building is shaken to its foundation and transfer to every inch of the
structure. An earthquake shock delivers brutal vertical, horizontal and twisting strain
on a building. Taiwan geologists have launched an investigation and they encounter a
fault of around 10m thick, this fault is only 200m away from the Taipei 101 site.
When earthquake happens, the closest the building is to a fault, the worst the impact.
To withstand earthquake shock, the centre core of the building is connected to
8 incredibly strong super columns by a network of horizontal out warded trusses. The
super columns act like a giant flexible spine enabling the building to flex in the move
if they need to but not break.
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EAS 454 Assignment 1A

Name:
Matrix no.:
Lecturer: Dr.

Every summer, unstable equatorial air of the coast of Taiwan generates intense
Typhoon that lash Taipei. As wind hit the building, it impacts in two ways, first the
exposed face of the building can be pushed by the wind like a giant invisible hand but
under certain condition, the wind could generate opposing vortexes on opposing sides
of the structure, the vortexes began to oscillating exerting small but consistent pushes
on alternating sides of the building and eventually causes it to swing.
To reduce the effect of wind, engineers and scientists find out by using reentrant or saw tooth corners, the flow of wind is drastically reduced by 30-40%. The
saw tooth corners on the building hinder the formation and impact of the small wind
vortexes that cause the sway. However, even the effective wind on the skyscraper is
reduced, each gust of wind will add energy to the last, and the energy will continue to
gather unless it is removed. The design of Tuned Mass Damper uses huge weight
hanging from an upper floor to counter the effect of wind. As Taipei 101 sway in one
direction, the Damper swing in the other, cancelling the built up of energy and
reducing the building motion.

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