Guidelines to Minimize Floor Vibrations from Building Occupants
Publication: Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 120, Issue 2
Abstract
One major serviceability consideration in modern buildings is excessive floor vibrations due to occupant activities. Floor vibrations are becoming a more important design consideration with the use of high‐strength, light‐weight materials in building structures, longer floor spans, and more flexible framing systems. Floor systems in shopping malls, pedestrian walkways and concourses, and gymnasiums are relatively light and susceptible to vibration problems. Methods for accurate prediction of these vibrations and evaluation of floor systems are not readily available to the design community. An investigation is made into the characteristics of crowd‐induced loads. These characteristics include the density of the crowd, randomness of crowd movement, crowd activity, and temporal interaction between individuals. Analytical procedures are developed to determine the influence of each load characteristic on the dynamic response of floor systems. Design guidelines are developed for floors in malls, gymnasiums, and walkways subject to crowd‐induced loads.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 120 • Issue 2 • February 1994
Pages: 507 - 526
Copyright
Copyright © 1994 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Dec 11, 1992
Published online: Feb 1, 1994
Published in print: Feb 1994
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