Vibration Behavior of Post-Tensioned Concrete Slabs

Post-tensioned concrete flat slabs with high span-depth ratios are susceptible to vibration problems. Although the issue was addressed in previous research, there is no final agreement on the effect of prestress level on the fundamental frequency of post-tensioned concrete slabs. Through numerical modeling using Abaqus software, this paper presents the effect of prestressing forces on the fundamental frequencies of slabs. This paper also examines the applicability and accuracy of the available mathematical models to estimate the fundamental frequency of concrete slabs. Finally, the paper presents two newly proposed mathematical models created by a neural designer program. The first model estimates the fundamental frequencies of uncracked concrete slabs, and it is more accurate than the currently available equations. The second proposed model estimates the peak acceleration of uncracked concrete slabs, and it is applicable for the dynamic motion of a forcing frequency of 2 Hz and a damping ratio of 2%.