Cross-Floor Vibration Wave Propagation in High-Rise Composite Structures: A Case Study on an Industrial Building

High-rise steel–concrete composite structures are particularly susceptible to vibration-induced comfort issues, which can negatively impact both the health and productivity of on-site workers and office staff. In contrast to the study that are currently available in the literature, which are mostly on vibration responses of individual structural components, a new calculation method using vibration wave propagation (WPA) is proposed, calibrated and validated in this study to predict peak accelerations of any location anywhere in a building due to an excitation that can be floors away. On-site vibration tests are also conducted on an existing high-rise steel–concrete composite building built for shared factory space and offices. The results of the tests are used to validate the theoretical calculation method. For easier implementation in practical design calculation, a simplified equation of vibration wave propagation is proposed based on data regression. The parameters of the equation are determined by fitting the data from the theoretical calculations. The derived regression equation enables the prediction of peak vibration accelerations of a floor slab under an excitation on the same floor, or on a different floor. This capability enables the possibility of optimizing equipment layout and improving vibration control in high-rise steel–concrete composite industrial buildings.