Vibration in Floors Induced for Human Walking: Comparison of Two Design Guidelines

The design of floors must fulfill not only the requirements for the Ultimate Limit State but the Serviceability Limit State, which affects, among other factors, the comfort of the users. Due to the modern design of floors and changes in the use of buildings, the effect of human walking and the vibrations induced by this activity can be a determinant factor in the correct design of a floor. National codes are mainly focused on the Ultimate Limit State and give brief recommendations for the Serviceability Limit Sate. In parallel, several design guidelines have been published to assist in the design phase of floors. In this work, we compute the dynamic response of floors excited by human walking using two guidelines, The American Institute of Steel Construction Design Guide (AISC) and the European Guidelines on Human-Induced Vibration of Steel Structures (JRC-ECCS). To compare both design guidelines, we transform the maximum acceleration obtained with the AISC guidelines in velocity and then compare the maximum velocities for different values of natural frequencies, modal masses and damping ratios of the floor under evaluation. The similarities and differences in the response of the floors are studied, as well as the tolerance limits imposed by the guidelines that indicate if the floor design is correct for the comfort of the users.