A cutaway engine cylinder shows the piston, valves and spark through the four strokes of the cycle. Students change engine speed and spark advance and watch the stroke, cycle angle, cylinder pressure and valve states update.
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Skyscraper Tuned Mass Damper
About this simulation
Skyscraper Tuned Mass Damper puts structural dynamics and earthquake engineering side by side on a 3D seismic shake table. On the left stands an unprotected 9-storey reference frame; on the right stands an identical tower equipped with steel X-bracing, optional foundation Base Isolation bearings, and a giant golden Tuned Mass Pendulum Damper (TMD) inspired by Taipei 101's 660-tonne sphere. When the Earthquake frequency slider matches the tower's natural frequency f₀ = 1.20 Hz (Resonance ratio f/f₀ = 1.00), the unprotected tower whips violently into red high-stress sway, while the golden TMD swings out of phase with the roof to absorb kinetic energy and cut sway by nearly half.
What students can explore
- Keep Earthquake frequency at 1.20 Hz (exact resonance f/f₀ = 1.00) and compare the Roof sway readout of the Bare tower against the Protected tower.
- Toggle Tuned Mass Damper (TMD) off during resonance to see both towers sway identically in danger, then turn TMD back on to watch the golden sphere damp the motion.
- Turn on Base Isolation bearings at the foundation of the right tower to decouple the building from high-frequency ground shaking.
- Drag the golden TMD sphere sideways with your mouse or finger and release it to see how the pendulum transfers momentum with the top floors.
- Click the seismic shake table or either tower to trigger a sudden P-wave shock pulse and compare how fast each tower settles.
Learning objectives
- 1Explain why mechanical resonance occurs when earthquake ground frequency f matches a building's natural frequency f₀.
- 2Describe how a Tuned Mass Damper (TMD) tuned to f₀ swings out of phase with the structure to dissipate vibrational energy.
- 3Compare two seismic protection strategies: Tuned Mass Dampers at the roof versus Base Isolation bearings at the foundation.
- 4Evaluate how earthquake magnitude and frequency ratio f/f₀ affect structural drift and safety.
Questions teachers ask
How does a Tuned Mass Damper (TMD) protect a skyscraper?
A Tuned Mass Damper is a heavy pendulum or spring-mounted mass suspended near the top of a skyscraper and tuned to the building's natural sway frequency f₀. When wind or earthquake waves push the building left, inertia makes the damper lag ~90° behind and pull right, canceling much of the sway.
Why is resonance (f / f₀ = 1.00) so dangerous during an earthquake?
Every building has a natural sway period determined by its height, mass, and stiffness. When ground waves push at that exact rhythm, each cycle adds energy in phase with the existing sway, amplifying roof displacement several times larger than the ground motion itself.
What is the real-world inspiration for the golden sphere in the simulation?
Taipei 101 in Taiwan houses a famous 660-metric-ton golden steel pendulum sphere suspended between the 87th and 92nd floors. Visible to visitors, it reduces building sway from typhoons and earthquakes by up to 40%.
How do Base Isolation bearings work differently from a roof damper?
Instead of absorbing sway at the top, laminated rubber-and-lead Base Isolators sit between the foundation and the ground. They make the support flexible, shifting the building's natural frequency below the earthquake's main energy band so the ground slides underneath while the tower stays nearly still.
Embed this simulation
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<iframe src="https://kiwibee.io/en/simulations/earthquake-tuned-mass-damper-3d-simulation/embed" title="Skyscraper Tuned Mass Damper | KiwiBee" loading="lazy" allowfullscreen style="width:100%;height:min(70vh,620px);min-height:420px;border:0;border-radius:16px"></iframe>Continue exploring
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