Design of floor structures for human induced vibrations

Joint report prepared under the JRC-ECCS cooperation agreement for the evolution of Eurocode 3. In recent years, the introduction of new structural materials and innovative construction processes, associated to architectural and space arrangement requirements, in multi-storey buildings construction have produced significantly more flexible floor structural systems. The design of these floor systems is usually controlled by serviceability criteria, deflections or vibrations. Recognizing a gap in the design codes, this report gives a procedure for the determination and assessment of floor response for human induced vibrations. First, the proposed procedure is presented, giving particular attention to the human induced loading characterization, dynamic properties and the comfort criteria for the verification of floor structural systems. Design charts are derived. Finally, it is presented a guidance manual to use the simplified procedure proposed for the design of building floors for human induced vibrations. Two worked examples of the proposed design procedure are given, namely a filigree slab with ACB-composite beams and a composite slab with steel beams. Keywords: Floor structures; Design procedures; Human induced vibrations; Structural safety; Human comfort; Dynamic properties; Vibration control