Review of vibration guidelines for suspended concrete slabs

Abstract

As spans and slenderness ratios increase, suspended concrete floor slabs are becoming increasingly susceptible to vibration problems. The dynamic behaviour of such floors is currently poorly understood, and there are no established design procedures to deal with vibrations. This paper reviews the existing vibration guidelines for all types of floors and discusses how they may be applied to suspended concrete slabs. Results from a program of field testing of concrete floors are presented and compared with a number of these guidelines. Key words: vibration, concrete, floor slabs, prestressing, natural frequencies, damping, human perception.