Numerical evaluation of dynamic load models of humans walking on building floors

Avaliação numérica de modelos de carga dinâmica de caminhada humana em pisos de edifícios

ABSTRACT

Composite steel and concrete floors are often susceptible to excessive vibrations caused by human activities because of their slender structural elements. To achieve a precise evaluation, it is necessary to incorporate the effects of dynamic loads in the computational model; however, it is difficult to predict this type of load. This study aims to analyze a set of human dynamic load models applied to four composite steel and concrete floors and verify which model can simulate the real load effects by comparing the numerical results obtained in this research with the experimental results obtained in other studies. It was possible to determine the dynamic model that yielded peak and root mean square accelerations closer to the experimental values for different analysis situations.

Keywords:
composite steel and concrete floors; floor vibration; human walking; dynamic load models