Design of slim-floor construction for human-induced vibrations

This paper presents a simplified design method for evaluating the vibration response of composite floors with slim-floor beams. The methodology is amenable to hand calculations and is appropriate for floors with regularly spaced grids and vibrations that are occasioned by walking activities. From in situ tests that have been undertaken on six floors, it is shown that slim-floor construction can easily satisfy the demanding ISO 10137 response limits for operating theatres and laboratories together with limits recommended by industry for car parks and shopping malls. Comparisons with measurements show that the simplified method presented here provides conservative predictions, and may therefore be used with confidence in design.