Vibration Behavior and Serviceability of Arched Prestressed Concrete Truss Due to Human Activity

The current trend toward longer spans and lighter floor systems, combined with reduced damping and new activities, have resulted in an increasing complaints on floor vibration from building owners and occupants. Heel-drop, jumping, and walking impacts, which may lead to discomfort problems in daily life, were imposed on a large-span arched prestressed concrete truss (APT) girder system studied. The natural frequencies, peak acceleration, average root-mean-square acceleration (ARMS), maximum transient vibration value (MTVV), and perception factor for the girder were obtained and checked against the existing codes and standards. The purpose of this paper is to provide researchers and engineers with a detailed evaluation on the vibration behavior of the APT girder under different human activities, with a comprehensive review on the relevant criteria and some suggestions. Lastly, the following threshold peak accelerations are suggested: 650mm/s2 for transient heel-drop impact, 1450mm/s2 for transient jumping impact, and 250mm/s2 for steady-state walking. In addition, the threshold values of 90mm/s2 and 50mm/s2 are suggested for MTVV and ARMS, respectively, under steady-state walking.