Simplified method for the vibration comfort assessment of steel-concrete floors induced by crowd-rhythmic activities

This paper presents a design-oriented method for a simplified prediction of the vibrational response of regular floors induced by crowd-rhythmic activities. The method is based on a frequency domain load model, along with the stochastic vibration theory. An application of the method is illustrated on an existing steel-concrete composite floor belonging to an open-plan office, with a total area of about 385m2. Four rhythmic activities with experimentally identified load parameters are investigated. The individuals performing these activities are assumed to be uniformly distributed over the floor, with their numbers ranging between 1 and 64. The prediction of the floor response reveals that the floor presents tolerable levels of acceleration for up to 16 persons in general, while remedial measures should be undertaken to reduce the response of the floor subjected to larger crowd sizes. The proposed method might represent a first step in the development of the floor serviceability assessment for vibration comfort in the forthcoming editions of Eurocodes for practical application.