Evaluation of human-induced vibration in floors of modular hospitals

Abstract

Construction of modular hospitals has gained significant attention since the global pandemic. One important design requirement for hospitals that is critical for their safe operation is to control floor vibration. Floors in modular buildings are often more prone to vibration because they are lightweight and less restrained. This study first presents a standardized design layout for modular hospitals developed based on Canadian code requirements. Then, the human-induced vibration of various floor systems designed for this sample modular hospital is investigated using different analysis methods including a new method developed by the authors. It is found that conventional floor designs may not be suitable for modular hospitals considering the strict vibration limits for hospitals and the need for lightweight construction. Using detailed finite element analysis, it is shown that the proposed method can accurately predict the vibration response of various floors including those that have frequencies well beyond the application range of existing design methods.