Reliability of floors under impact vibration
Uncomfortable vibrations is a serviceability limit state that must be taken into account in the design of residential floors. A finite strip analysis of a floor system, previously developed for static loads, is extended to dynamic problems. This analysis is applied to the problem of transient vibrations set up by a footfall impact, considering two persons on the floor: an impacter and a receiver. The floor response at the receiver's location is utilized in conjunction with human vibration tolerance data to determine a floor dynamic rating. The variability in this rating is assessed as a function of joist stiffness randomness, and a reliability-based design recommendation is developed: it limits the static deflection produced by a concentrated load of 1 kN, acting at midspan of a joist with the mean modulus of elasticity, to a maximum of 1 mm, independent of span length. Key words: vibrations, impact, floors, reliability, limit states design.