(20) (5) ase 1974 Building Research Establishment Report Structural vibration and damage R J Steffens Lh, lh UK | AM ALA | Hh | lil | || | Ta LEA al Uo rl i I ai WE | hy Hi 4, AC | i) i, AL a oa ll ll li ho ATT i ime mm agg wi {| i ity |" "HH (it TA OTT fee Department of the Environmen1g Research Establishment Report Structural vibration and damage Some notes on aspects of the problem and a review of available information R J Steffens BSc (Eng) Building Research Station Department of the Environment Building Research Establishment Building Research Station Garston Watford WD2 7JRPie list for all available Publications Sales Building Research Establishment Garston, Watford, WD2 TR. Tel: Garston (0923) 674040 “This impression (1985) x ‘reproduced from the original HMSO edition (1974) by permission of the ‘Controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office ISBN 0 11 670828 0 ©Crown copyrigh 1974 First published 1974 Applications to reproduce extracts from the text ofthis publication should be made tothe Publications ‘Officer atthe Building Research StationPreface ‘The extensive transport services and mectanisation of industrial processes, which contribute so much to modern life, also provide the sourees of noise and vibration which ‘must be contained within acceptable levels to preserve ‘human bealth, safety and comfort. This publication reviews information on the vibration of struetuces, and its ‘effect on the occupants as well as on damage to the buildings. The natural periods of buildings and of structural clements, and the damping of structures and theit constituent materials are considered. Many examples ave given of actual measurements made in relation to structural damage or annoyance t0 people, and special problems such as the effects of sonic booms are discussed, An extensive modern bibliography is provided for fucther roference. JB Dick Director, Building Research Establishment, 197410 Contents Introduction ‘Some factors involved in structural response [Natural frequencies of buildings and other structures (a) Empirical formulae (©) Measured periods (© Determination of periods Natural frequencies of building elements (®) General (b) Beams (© Floors and slabs (@ Window panes (©) Plaster ceilings ‘Human sensitivity and vibration intensity Criteria for damage (@) Information from blasting (®) German information (© Other information Examples of severe vibration (2) Cases of damage (©) Strong vibrations without damage (©) Information on stress measurements ‘Vibrations recorded from various sources (a) Road vehicles, (&) Rail traffic (©) Aircraft (@ Machinery and industria plant (©) Air compressors (©) Forging hammers and drop-stamps © Pile driving (h) Blasting ()_ Miscellaneous vibrations Wind deflections of structures [Notes on building defects, allowable deflections and fatigue (@) Cracking of plaster (b) Cracking of window glass (©) Allowable deflections (@) The possibility of fatigue failure References 4 RReee 2» » 30 31 &B FEEEE B FFESRBLSR10 n 2 B 4 13 16 ” 18 9 2 List of tables and figures ‘Tables Observed natural frequencies of buildings ‘Fundamental frequencies of beams ‘Observed and theoretical natural frequencies of square glass panes Resonant frequencies of cxilings Calculation of Dieckmann K-values Cassfication of K-values (DIN 4025) Intensity (K-units) and subjective effects (proposed revision of DIN 4150) Levels of vibration acceptable for various situations (Draft revision of DIN 4150) Amplitudes for discomfort vibration ‘The Pal (Zeller) scale of intensity ‘Comparative strengths of vibrations Suggested maximum allowable amplitudes (blasting) ‘Caution limits for amplitude (blasting) Limiting amplitudes for blasting vibration, based on maximum, velocity Cases compared on the basis of accelerat The Zeller scale Assessment of damage on vibrar scale Sior’s suggested damage scale Maximum allowable (resultant) velocities specified by draft DIN 4150 (1970) for transient vibrations Some recorded cases of severe vibration and damage ‘Cases of strong vibration without damage and eneray Figures ‘Theoretical response variation with frequency ratio Foroed vibration tests on 3-storey building Damping determined from free vibration of structure ‘Human sensitivity-Reiher-Meister scale (vertical vibrations) Dieckmann values: vertical vibrations Dieckmann values: horizontal vibrations Kavalues (DIN 4150) ‘Vibrations producing discomfort ‘The vibrar unit of intensity Possible damage to buildings Velocity and acceleration from amplitude and frequency BERBER SRRwe 16 16 ” 19 BRRL1 Introduction Complaints are often made that damage to structures has ecurred as the result of vibration, particularly when vibration is experienced which is judged to be severe from ‘a personal viewpoint or when itis accompanied by a high noise level. In most eases where vibration or shock has boon blamed for observed defects in buildings it can be shown, that such defects can be explained more rationally ‘Comparatively few cases have been reported where severe vibration has been the most likely cause of structural damage and in the considerable number of investigations of ground and structural vibrations undertaken by the Building Research Station during the past 25 years no instance has boon found of observed damage directly attributable to the effects of vibration alone. Two cases concerning pilextriving vibrations have reached the courts, in which damages have been awarded against the operators! The possibilty of damage due to pile- driving operations has been discussed specifically by Sior? ‘who has suggested suitable limits for acceptable vibration. He also points out that, apact from the direct effect of the vibrational stresses and displacements set up in a building itself, damago may also occur as a result of elastic and plastic deformation of the Soil. Horn¢ also considers the question of damage and describes a case where the driving of sheet piles 35 m away caused eracks in a house. He suggests that, on the information available, the risk of damage can be assested before work begins. Pile-) Buldings (i a School and (4) an ofc building 8) Foundation soli snc for buildings () (7) and (hy (©). Soil is clay-oss for (a) and eay for (.Scruton and Flintt10 describe a method for exciting the natural frequency of towers by firing attached rockets, Forced vibration tests of a tall steel-frame building are described by Nielsen!!1, who also gives data on damping values obtained. The use of point-source explosions for exciting the free response of structures is described by Harper et all2, and this method is applicable for examining the response of structures to sonic booms. Information on the dynamic characteristics of houses, and oon periods of vibration, where man-made sources of vibration were used to stimulate natural modes of vibration, is given by Juhdsova!™®, Various types of building construetion are considered, for example brick, precast ‘concrete slab, reinforced concrete frame and steel frames. “Measurements to determine the frequencies and modes of vibration of three multi-storey buildings from their vibrations induced by wind have been reported by Ward and Crawfordit4, The buildings were of 10, 34 and 42 storeys above ground level and of heights 45, 131 and 184 metres respectively above ground level. The lowest natural frequencies of the three buildings in a lateral direction ‘were 1-44, 0-224 and 0-215 Hz and the torsional frequencies, 3°59, 0-293 and 0-254 Hz, Various methods were used to estimate the steuetural ‘damping, the value of damping factor (D) being between (0.01 and 0:03. Apparatus for small-amplitude dynamic tests ‘on multi-storey buildings is described by Shepherd and Reavis, 4 Natural frequencies of building elements (a) General Joists, floors and so on have their own separate resonant frequencies which are likely to be excited under certain conditions. Resonant frequencies can often be determined by calculation or ean be measured experimentally, Ia the latter case, for example, a weight could be dropped on the beam or slab and a record of the free vibration obtain alternatively, a man jumping from a height of about half a metre, or even walking about heavily, on a floor or concrete slab provides a convenient way of exciting the system, Dorien-Brown'6 describes tests in which a weight of 10kg was dropped from heights of up to 0-3 m onto a pad of plasticene, placed on the floor to prevent rebound. It should be pointed out that a single blow tends to excite the natural frequency of a system whereas a source of ‘continuous vibration (a machine for example) induces in & building, or in parts of i, vibrations with the same frequency as that of the Source of vibration. Pile driving, for example, tends to excite the natural frequency of ‘ground or building, whereas a machine producing vibrations of frequency 40 Hz would cause vibrations of 40 He in the building affected. ‘The fundamental frequencies of buildings themselves are usually suficiently removed from the frequency of a disturbing vibration for the problem of sustained resonance not to arise, It should be emphasised, however, that the less massive elements of the structure (such as floors, evilings and windows) are usually more prone to resonance than is the main structure, particularly where ‘machinery and vehicular traffic are concerned, Resonance ‘of wood floors from road and rail traffic vibration has often been found to occur, if only momentarily, because such floors tend to have a natural frequency of vibration in bending which is close to that produced by trafic. It is this which may have led to many of the complaints of vibration annoyance because vibrations are offen more readily detected on the floors than elsewhere in a building Hyde and Lintern!? give an example of floor resonance due to the passage of an underground train, but state that the measured vibrational acceleration was only about 0-02 ‘The natural frequency of the floor was 15 Hz 10 ‘The greatest amplitude of vibration will usually be found at the middle of a suspended floor and measurements ‘made here will often be much greater than those made on a nearby wall or window ledge, although the latter would bbe more representative of the general level of vibration in the building. For example, vibrations from an underground railway produced amplitudes of 2-8: at the centee of a floor and less than 0:35 at the external walls. Under conditions of resonance, the vibration amplitude at the middle of « loor may be as much as fifteen times that of the supporting walls @) Beams ‘Much work, mainly of a mathematical nature, has been Published on the natural frequencies of beams!!?"12, Relevant informations is given also by Rees!22 who considers, specifically, the natural frequencies of concrete diving boards and makes recommendations as to permissible deflections under service conditions. Data for the calculation of natural frequencies for beams in bending, taking into account span, section and so on are given in Table 2, A convenient way to express the natural frequency isin terms of static deflection under Toad, the general expression being: Natural frequency (F,) = (CVA) He, Where A, i the static deflection and C is a constant depending on the type of loading and the beam fixity. For ‘cases 1, 3 and 5 the constant (C) is derived from yg/2s. Unless the weight of the beam itself is significant in relation to the total imposed load, the correction for weight of beam will usually make litle difference in the frequency determined. The frequency of an unfoaded beam is usually very much greater than that of the beam as loaded. In practice the natural frequencies of beams in buildings are likely to be in the range 5 to 50 Hz, Example of use of Table 2 Consider a beam of 10m span, of second moment of area 10 mm¢ and weighing 150 kg per metre run, that supports