Dynamic Response Analysis of the Floor Structure under Random Crowd Excitation

Abstract

The popularity of new structural systems and prestressing technology has led to the widespread use of the large-space floor structures in large buildings such as high-speed rail terminals, conference centers, and sports stadiums. The reduction of nonessential load-bearing elements and the increase in span of the structure result in a reduction in the natural frequency and damping ratio of the floor structure, while the floor is a crowded area with disorderly flow between people, which may lead to human-induced vibration problems. In order to assess the dynamic performance of the large-span floor structure under crowd load, the random crowd-floor vertical interaction equation is derived, and the correctness of the equation is verified by comparing it with the test. For the stochastic nature of walking crowds, a formulation modeling method for random crowd is proposed, including pedestrian-dynamics parameters, formulation model, and response parameters. The model is characterized by considering inter- and intrasubject variability and reflects the vertical interaction between pedestrians and the floor system. According to the random crowd-floor dynamic equation, the variation of modal parameters and acceleration response of the floor during random crowd walking are also analyzed. The research in this paper will help in analyzing the comfort of large-span floor structures under pedestrian excitation and better meet the needs of the development of lightweight large-span structures.