Vibration dampers capable of withstanding multiple giant earthquakes

Long period ground motion has attracted a great deal of attention, since many skyscrapers swayed long periods of time during the Great East Japan Earthquake in 2011.
In order to reduce sway, vibration dampers are installed in most skyscrapers.
A metal plate in the damper unit dissipates vibratory energy but it should be replaced after experiencing a single giant earthquake.
We at NIMS have developed a new material that can be used to make vibration dampers that do not need to be replaced even after experiencing several giant earthquakes.
It is made of a shape-memory alloy with about 10 times the fatigue durability of materials currently used in vibration dampers.
In this video, we share a field report on how one of our collaborators has installed our new material in a skyscraper near Nagoya station.