Dynamic Analysis of a Steel Floor System with Dry Slabs Subjected to Vibrations Due to Human Walking

One of the contemporary architecture trends is the design of structural elements that cover longer clearances to provide flexibility in the architecture of buildings. The technological and constructive evolutions in civil engineering assure the feasibility of such trends due to the use of structural elements with increased slenderness and reduced weight, such as steel structures that utilize dry slabs. However, structures of this type present greater susceptibility to the vibrations related to human activities. Hence, this study aims to evaluate, from the human comfort point of view, the dynamic behavior of an existing steel floor system with composite structural panels, subjected to vibrations due to human walking. To obtain the dynamic responses, the present study employs: (1) simplified procedures of the AISC and SCI design guidelines and (2) modal and transient analyses performed to a numerical model developed using the ANSYS software. The dynamic responses were compared with human comfort criteria prescribed by design guides, ISO 10137:2007 and the Brazilian standards. The influence of the value taken for structural damping and effect of more than one walking individual simultaneously on the structure may be evaluated through numerical results. It was concluded that the simplified procedures underestimate the dynamic responses of the floor system under study.