Design aids for walking vibrations in steel framed floors

Floor system vibration due to occupant activity is often ignored by designers; however, floor system vibration is an increasingly important serviceability criterion for occupant comfort and building owner satisfaction. Vibration occurs when the floor system design has: (1) inadequate stiffness; (2) low damping; or (3) low mass. When the floor system vibration response due to normal activity causes the occupants to become uncomfortable or annoyed, the successful use of the building is severely impaired. After-the-fact attempts to correct floor vibration problems are difficult, expensive, and usually not successful. This paper briefly reviews design criteria for floor systems, studies of human response to vibration, current code requirements, and the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) Steel Design Guide Series 11 for determining floor system vibration acceptability criteria. Several design aids are developed herein to promote the expedient verification of concrete slab on steel beam floor system acceptability as a general serviceability check during the design stage. An example is provided to demonstrate the application of the included design aids.