12/8/2010

FLOOR VIBRATIONS
DUE TO HUMAN ACTIVITIES
TOOLS AND TIPS FOR
SATISFACTORY DESIGNS

PRESENTATION OVERVIEW
• Introduction
• Floor vibration basics
• Current design practices
• Case study: Kunkle Lounge at Penn State
• Basic computer modeling for vibrations
• Q&A (please ask questions throughout!)

This presentation will focus on steel framed floors, but

many principles may be applied to other framing systems

Your speaker
• Assistant Professor, MSOE, Architectural Engr.
• >10 years experience as a structural engineer
• Education:
–BB.S.
S Architectural Engineering
Engineering, MSOE
MSOE, 1994
– M.S. Architectural Engineering, Penn State, 2000
• Thesis: “Development of an Experimental Protocol for Floor
Vibration Assessment”
– Ph.D. Civil Engineering, Marquette, current pursuit
• Dissertation topic: Robustness of steel structures
• Licensed P.E., S.E.

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 12/8/2010

Why are we talking about this?

• Floor vibrations continue to be common
• “Efficient” designs present new problems
…vibrations!
– Lightweight
Li ht i ht concrete
t
– “Stronger” steel
• Design techniques continue to improve
based on new research

PRESENTATION OVERVIEW
• Introduction
• Floor vibration basics
• Current design practices
• Case study: Kunkle Lounge at Penn State
• Basic computer modeling for vibrations
• Q&A (please ask questions throughout!)

Floor vibration basics

• Why are vibrations objectionable?
– Our bodies are not comfortable when they’re
vibrating!
• When are vibrations objectionable?
j
– When our internal organs go into resonance
– This occurs when the floor has a fundamental
natural frequency of approx. 7 Hz.
• Will the floor collapse?
– Strength and serviceability are different things

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What’s a bad floor?

Experimental floor – Penn State

What’s a bad floor?

0.1
0.075
0.05
0.025
0
-0.025
-0.05
-0.075
-0.1
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14

Time (s)

Floor vibration basics

Recommended peak acceleration for human comfort
(Allen and Murray 1993)

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Floor vibration basics

• Floors have distributed mass, stiffness
• Modal analysis can be used to determine
natural frequencies and mode shapes

& C *Y& K *Y   T * F ( t )
M *Y&
Modal equation of motion
M* = Modal mass matrix
C* = Modal damping matrix
K* = Modal stiffness matrix
F(t) = Forcing function
T = Mode shape vector
&
&& = Modal acceleration, velocity and displacement
Y,Y,Y

Floor vibration basics

• The following parameters affect vibration:
– Mass
– Stiffness (natural frequency, actually)
– Damping

• In order to improve a floor system, one (or

more) of these must be adjusted

Floor vibration basics

• Things that affect vibration in a real system:
– Depth of concrete slab (mass)
– LW vs. NW concrete (mass)
– Steel deck profile (mass)
– Stiffer beams w/ the same spacing (stiffness)
– Spacing beams closer (stiffness)
– Longer/shorter beams and girders (stiffness)
– Full height partitions (damping)

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Floor vibration basics

• Things that DON’T affect vibration:
– Spacing or size of beams if they are
“efficiently” designed
– Composite / non-composite
– Strength of concrete
– Strength of steel
– “Transient” mass (people, desks, etc.)

PRESENTATION OVERVIEW
• Introduction
• Floor vibration basics
• Current design practices
• Case study: Kunkle Lounge at Penn State
• Basic computer modeling for vibrations
• Q&A (please ask questions throughout!)

Current design practices

AISC Design Guide 11 SJI Tech. Digest #5

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Initial assessment
• Who (or what) will object to vibration?
(helps to define appropriate limits)

• Who ((or what)) causes the vibration?

(helps to define the expected dynamic forces)

• What is the expected system response at

the location of those objecting?

“Negotiating” design
Consider the floor plan

Consider the system

Consider the framing selection

I know you’re going to have

problems if…
• The span of the open web steel joists is
around 28’-0”

• 0.6C deck with 2 ½” total thickness

• The ballroom floor has a fundamental

frequency of around 3 hertz

• The employee aerobics room is right next to

the office of the VP…

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“System-based” approach
• Slab assumed to continue to adjacent bays

• Mass (weight) and stiffness determined on a

“panel” basis
• We assume fundamental frequency
participates the most (others negligible)

• Assume composite action

• Continuity and cantilevers are considered

What about damping?

• Architectural elements
provide most damping

• Full height partitions?

Use 3% damping (0.03)

• Use 2% (0.02) for most

other scenarios

(Tedesco et. al 1999)

PRESENTATION OVERVIEW
• Introduction
• Floor vibration basics
• Current design practices
• Case study: Kunkle Lounge at
Penn State
• Basic computer modeling for vibrations
• Q&A (please ask questions throughout!)

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Case study: Kunkle Lounge

• Pre-engineered frame
• Second and third
floors hung from frame
– Interior support
pp by y steel
rods from beams
– Exterior support
directly to columns
• VERY bouncy floor

Case study: Kunkle Lounge

Case study: Kunkle Lounge

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Experimental analysis hardware

Proof‐mass actuator Accelerometer

Acceleration response
0.035
0.03
0.025
0.02
ation (g)

0.015
0.01
0.005
Accelera

0
-0.005
-0.01
-0.015
-0.02
-0.025
-0.03
-0.035
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Time (sec)

Frequencies and mode shapes

Mode 1: 7.08 Hz Mode 2: 7.63 Hz Mode 3: 8.96 Hz Mode 4: 10.66 Hz

= 3.24% = 1.02% = 1.59% = 0.50%

(Excitation centered on the floor)

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Frequencies and mode shapes

Mode 1: 7.09 Hz Mode 2: 7.62 Hz Mode 3: 8.96 Hz Mode 4: 10.66 Hz

(Excitation offset from center)

Results of Kunkle Lounge testing

• Clearly the floor is not within allowable
limits per DG #11
• Several natural frequencies within the
“danger
danger zone”
zone
• Active control tried to minimize vibration
– Proof-mass actuator used
– Floor was noticeably “stiffer” when actuator
tuned to the floor’s vibration

PRESENTATION OVERVIEW
• Introduction
• Floor vibration basics
• Current design practices
• Case study: Kunkle Lounge at Penn State
• Basic computer modeling for
vibrations
• Q&A (please ask questions throughout!)

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Computer analysis
• Packages with
vibration capabilities
– SAP 2000 / ETABS
– RAM
– Others…
• Basic modeling
using available
packages
• Advanced modeling
using FE packages

Computer analysis

0.1
0.075
0.05
0.025
0
-0.025
-0.05
-0.075
-0.1
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14

Time (s)

Computer analysis
• Model slab using
“plate” elements
• Model beams and
girders using
g g shape
p
Deflected shapes from RISA
database
• Superimpose DL and
11 psf LL

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Computer analysis
TYPICAL PLATE ELEMENTS

1'-3"

2'-2"

069

005 059 W8X13

11'-0"
11 0

W8X13

2'-6"
C/C JOISTS
001

14K4 JOISTS

27'-0"

Example floor plan

F.E. HEEL DROP

MODE 1 MODE 1
7.48 Hz 7.01 Hz

MODE 2
MODE 2
9.41 Hz
8.87 Hz

MODE 3
19.36 Hz
MODE 4
23.3 Hz

Computer model expectations

• Expect the computer model to be stiffer
than the actual floor

• E
Expectt a few
f modes
d tot develop
d l that
th t don’t
d ’t
really exist

• Expect that modes may “switch”

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References and acknowledgments

Funding for this research provided (in part) by the National Science
Foundation, grant no. CMS 9900099

Allen, D.E. and Murray, T.M. (1993). Design Criterion for Vibrations Due to
Walking, AISC Engineering Journal, 4th Qtr., pp.117-129.

Hanagan, L.M. (2003). Floor Vibration Serviceability: Tips and Tools for
Negotiating a Successful Design, Proceedings of the North American Steel
Construction Conference, Baltimore, MD.

Hanagan, L.M., Raebel, C.H. and Marsh, E. (2000). Modeling for Controller
Design on a Steel Floor System, Proceedings of the 18th International
Modal Analysis Conference, San Antonio, TX.

Raebel, C.H. (2000). Development of an Experimental Protocol for Floor

Vibration Assessment, M.S. Thesis, The Pennsylvania State University,
University Park, PA.

References and acknowledgments

Murray, T.M., Allen, D.E. and Ungar, E.E. (1997). Floor Vibrations Due
to Human Activity, AISC Design Guide #11, American Institute of Steel
Construction, Chicago, IL.

Tedesco, J.W., et. al. (1999). Structural Dynamics: Theory and

Application Addison Wesley Longman
Application, Longman, Menlo Park
Park, CA
CA.

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