TECHNICAL PAPERS
Jun 1, 1989

Modeling Dynamic Occupant Loads

Publication: Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 115, Issue 6

Abstract

Spectators and participants performing various maneuvers produce transient and harmonic dynamic occupant loads. Individuals and groups performed prescribed impulsive and continuous actions on a large force platform. Periodic loads are modeled with Fourier Series and exponentially decaying functions are used to describe impulsive loads. The descriptive load parameters obtained from the modeling procedures, which are functions of several independent random variables, are envisioned as random variables. Multivariate regression analysis is used to model individual loads and group loads are modeled by shifting individual loadtime histories by random‐time phase lags and superimposing the results. The time phase lag values are exponentially distributed. Periodic and transient loads for groups of four people are generated using random simulation. The simulated results correlate with the measured data; measured and simulated frequency spectra compare well for periodic loads. We suggest simplified periodic design values using a load intensity per person considering the number of active people in the crowd.

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References

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Go to Journal of Structural Engineering
Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 115Issue 6June 1989
Pages: 1476 - 1496

History

Published online: Jun 1, 1989
Published in print: Jun 1989

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Authors

Affiliations

A. Ebrahimpour, Associate Member, ASCE
Asst. Prof., of Civ. Engrg., Univ. of Nevada‐Reno, Reno, NV 89557
R. L. Sack, Fellow, ASCE
Dir., School of Civ. Engrg. and Envir. Sci., Univ. of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019

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