ASSESSING VIBRATIONAL PERFORMANCE IN DIFFERENT TIMBER FLOOR CONFIGURATIONS: AN EXPERIMENTAL STUDY

The construction of timber structures offers a significant advantage in reducing the carbon footpnnt associated with building activities. However, to fully realize this benefit, it is essential to enable the construction of large and tall timber buildings. Achieving this goal presents certain engineering challenges, particularly concerning human-induced vibrations on timber floors, which are more pronounced in large-span spaces. The lightweight and lower stiffness of timber floors result in vibrating frequencies that fall within the range easily perceptible by humans. Therefore, designing timber floors with optimal vibrational charactenstics, such as predominant frequency and damping, is crucial for ensuring comfort and constructability. This research investigates these challenges through a senes of expenments on six timber floors, each constructed with three different structural combinations and two varying finishing conditions. The experimental procedures included static loading and human walking tests. This paper presents the preliminary results from these experiments, offenng insights into the vibrational behavior of timber floors and their implications for future construction practices.