If it had collapsed, it would have been a catastrophe within a catastrophe; instead, the violent earthquake that shook Taiwan on April 3 miraculously left the Taipei 101 super skyscraper, over half a kilometre high, unharmed. The building is a tourist attraction, an office block, and a shopping centre visited by thousands of people. Built twenty years ago, with its 509 metres in height and 101 floors, Taipei 101 is still among the eleven tallest buildings in the world. The skyscraper withstood the terrible 7.4-magnitude earthquake thanks to a sophisticated anti-seismic system that is 100% Made in Italy, designed by the Italian company FIP MEC Srl based in Selvazzano Dentro, Padua.
Research and development to stay at the cutting edge
Founded in 1945, it remains a standard for engineering in our country today. In particular, FIP MEC specialises in structural supports, expansion joints, anti-seismic devices, products for tunnels and accessories for civil engineering and infrastructure. The company has its headquarters in Italy, operates in an area of over 50,000 square metres, and is present in 40 countries through a network of branches and operational representatives. FIP MEC’s pride and joy are the research and development programmes conducted in its own laboratories, in which 10% of turnover is invested each year.
FIP MEC è parte attiva dei gruppi di lavoro che elaborano le normative di settore sia a livello nazionale (UNI) che internazionale (CEN). Thanks to its extensive experience in specifications and technical regulations in many countries, as well as the expertise required for product adaptation, it has obtained a long list of approvals and certifications and, since 1992, has held a CISQ-ICIM Quality System certification, in accordance with the provisions of the ISO 9001 International Standard.
Tuned mass dumper: what it is and how it works
Back to Taipei 101 and the terrible earthquake that struck Taiwan, the skyscraper was protected by a “tuned mass damper,” a sort of giant pendulum capable of absorbing the energy of the earthquake and balancing the tremors. It is a massive sphere weighing 600 tonnes and measuring 5.5 metres in diameter, made of 41 discs and supported by eight hydraulic pumps. The device is placed between the 87th and 92nd floors and, as stated by engineer Renato Vitaliani – who tested the damping systems – in an interview with ANSA, it acts “in phase opposition with respect to the oscillations induced by the tower and therefore significantly reduces them. There are also energy dissipators around it, damping systems that stop the pendulum when the earthquake ends to prevent damage to the structure.‘
Congratulations to those who bring Italian engineering to the world!
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