Deze bolletjes kosten vier miljoen per stuk

[Lunchvideo] Enorme bol redt wolkenkrabber bij aardbeving

In een enorme wolkenkrabber in Taiwan hangen enorme zwaren ballen die er toe dienen om trillingen van stormen en aardbevingen in het gebouw te dempen. Bij de grote aardbeving van 12 mei in China, renden de mensen in het gebouw naar de bol toe, om het gevaarte in actie te zien. Filmpje en achtergrondinfo over de werking van de bol na de break.

"The enormous steel ball you see in the photos (and the incredible video below) is the world’s largest ‘tuned mass damper’ and sits near the top of the world’s largest completed skyscraper on earth, taipei 101 in taiwan. the idea behind a tuned mass damper is quite simple: as a building sways (resulting from high winds, earthquakes etc), its tuned mass damper, essentially a finely tuned and ridiculously heavy pendulum, will move in opposition to the structure’s oscillations and minimise any movement. if that makes no sense, watch the crude gif below."
Prachtige foto's en animaties op het blog Deputy-Dog

"It acts like a giant pendulum to counteract the building's movement--reducing sway due to wind by 30 to 40 percent. Constructed by specialty engineering firm Motioneering, the damper was too heavy to be lifted by crane and had to be assembled on-site. Eight steel cables form a sling to support the ball, while eight viscous dampers act like shock absorbers when the sphere shifts."
Achtergrond over de werking van de bal in Popular Mechanics

"One of the commenters on Deputy Dog wondered why there haven't been reports of people climbing over the barrier and trying to sit on it or swing it manually. To which another commenter responded, "perhaps it just says that the Chinese are able to restrain themselves from such boneheaded acts, while too many Brits just go crazy and can’t act with appropriate restraint." No, I don't think it's that, although Brits are pretty nutty. I think it's because nobody wants to be crushed to death by a 730 ton ball."
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