Windtech offers turnkey Damper Solutions
Posted on 17 April 2019
Windtech is pleased to announce a partnership with a global fabricator to provide a turnkey solution for its high performance, low cost innovative damper solution as well as for tuned liquid damper solutions. Dampers are often the most cost effective way to mitigate the physiological and other effects of excessive movement at the top of a tall building on occupant comfort. Windtech models these effects in their wind tunnels using the most rigorous techniques and can also peer review wind tunnel results that recommend the installation of a damper. Windtech can also assist in providing design and performance specifications for other types of tall building motion dampers such as tuned mass dampers and viscou dampers.
Windtech has recently developed and implemented an innovative high performance, low cost damper solution that can often be integrated within a proposed fire hydrant tank, effectively eliminating the loss of space and minimising the cost. This unique design can be tailored to suit your particular building and can work within strict dimensional constraints.
Our services include design, testing of prototypes, on-site measurement of the building’s dynamic properties prior to installation as well as tuning, commissioning and post installation performance monitoring of the dampers. Windtech has a team of expert engineers that can manage turnkey damper solutions around the world with the option of installing long term monitoring systems to monitor the performance of the dampers and to detect any changes to the building’s dynamic properties over time.
Below are sample case studies where Windtech has been involved in the installation of various types of dampers.
The Independent, Austin, Texas
This project met the acceleration criteria for a residential tower. However the client requested that the fire hydrant tanks at the top of the building be used for the dual purpose of the fire sprinkler system and to reduce the acceleration response of the tower.
Windtech utilised its innovative high performance, low cost damper system for this project, which has the added advantage of its performance being able to be tuned within the strict dimension constraints of the fire hydrant tank.
The result was a semi-tuned liquid damper that, when tuned, can provide up to 2% additional damping to the structure but can still provide 0.9% damping at a tuning ratio of 0.8.
By covering a broad range of frequencies, on-going maintenance costs are significantly decreased for the damper. By also incorporating the damper technology into the fire hydrant tank the damper as a ratio of total construction cost is under 0.15%.
88 Queens Bridge Street, Southbank, Australia
This project involved the determination of the necessary size, mass and location of tanks required for an effective Tuned-Liquid Damper (TLD) system for the tower located at 88 Queens Bridge Street, Southbank.
The initial wind tunnel study undertaken by Windtech indicated that the building accelerations at the top of the tower will exceed the relevant criteria of occupant comfort.
A TLD system was designed to control the excessive motion to meet the criteria.
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