Q2.

Use of Dampeners in the World Trade Centres

In the construction of the World Trade Centres 1 and 2, viscoelastic dampers
were utilised in approximately 10,000 locations in each building. These were
mounted in each floor, extending between the lower chords of the joists and
attached to gusset plates on the exterior columns and spandrels. The dampers
made use of a rubber derivative material which was sandwiched between plates,
essentially allowing the floors some movement under live load, and wind loading,
as opposed to the alternative fixed connection.
The dampers were used to absorb kinetic energy or vibrations in the building and
convert this into small amounts of heat energy, and were in place largely to
assist in reducing wind-induced motion for the buildings occupants comfort.
Traditionally, dampers are used in the foundations of buildings in earthquakeprone areas, most commonly areas near plate boundaries. They are used to
partially absorb the energy and effect of the ground shake on the building and
also to decrease the likelihood of building resonance due to the earthquake
which will increase the possibility of collapse.
In the collapse of the trade centres, these dampers likely played an instrumental
role. Under the intense heat of the fires ignited after the impact of the aircrafts
the rubber derivative, 3M material used to absorb energy and importantly,
support load, would have quickly melted away, leaving the floors significantly
unsupported. This would have quickly led to the collapse of the floors directly
below the impact zone of the aircraft due to their already likely over-capacity
loads made up of debris, combined with the reduced effectiveness of the floor to
support weight due to the now useless dampers.