SMD system
Using a combination of base isolation technology and the mass damper scheme, the self mass damper (SMD) system is the result of a seismic control concept inspired by the pendulum movement in an antique clock.
The SMD system was implemented in the building by disconnecting four of the upper floors (9F, 10F, 12F, 13F) from the main structure through a combination of slider and high-damping rubber bearings placed at the interface. Although high-damping rubber bearings are commonly used for base isolated buildings, a product which satisfied the required characteristics of this new system was non-existent in the market. Through the collaboration of a well known rubber bearing manufacturer, a new damping device was developed specifically for this project.
Each combination of bearings was tuned to provide the maximum damping to the overall structure while maintaining an acceptable lateral relative deformation limit in all directions. To bring about this system from concept to reality, rigorous structural analyses and full scale device testing was conducted to validate that the SMD system can reduce seismic forces in the structure by up to 35% under a large scale earthquake loading.