Steel construction floor vibration
‘Steel construction – Floor vibration’ is a supplement produced by Steel for Life and the British Constructional Steelwork Association (BCSA) distributed with NSC magazine in May 2016. It is available to download from SteelConstruction.info.
It provides an introduction to floor vibrations, describing what they are, how they are assessed, how to ensure there isn’t a problem, and providing an overview of commonly-adopted acceptance criteria and techniques for calculating floor response. It also provides a new online design tool.
Most straightforward steel construction will meet the required vibration performance criteria without modification, but vibration-sensitive applications, such as operating theatres or laboratories may require stiffer solutions.
Long-span applications offer good dynamic performance, despite common preconceptions that steel composite floors are ‘livelier’ than concrete ones. This is because the stiffer beams and large mass of the floor plates reduce the magnitude of the vibration response.
The calculation of floor response is complex, because different dynamic modes contribute to the overall response. SteelConstruction.info publication P354 Design of floors for vibration: A new approach (Revised edition) offers a simplified approach but recent work has shown that in some situations it can be conservative compared to finite element analysis.
The new design tool gives an immediate and accurate assessment of floor response for a wide range of structural arrangements. Together with the supplement they provide both the background and the practical implementation of a complicated and otherwise time-consuming assessment.
Featured articles and news
Deputy editor of AT, Tim Fraser, discusses the newly formed society with its current chair, Chris Halligan MCIAT.
Barratt Lo-E passivhaus standard homes planned enmasse
With an initial 728 Lo-E homes across two sites and many more planned for the future.
Government urged to uphold Warm Homes commitment
ECA and industry bodies write to Government concerning its 13.2 billion Warm Homes manifesto commitment.
Places of Worship in Britain and Ireland, 1929-1990. Book review.
The emancipation of women in art.
CIOB Construction Manager of the Year 2025
Just one of the winners at the CIOB Awards 2025.
Call for independent National Grenfell oversight mechanism
MHCLG share findings of Building Safety Inquiry in letter to Secretary of State and Minister for Building Safety.
The Architectural Technology Awards
AT Awards now open for this the sixth decade of CIAT.
50th Golden anniversary ECA Edmundson awards
Deadline for submissions Friday 30 May 2025.
The benefits of precast, off-site foundation systems
Top ten benefits of this notable innovation.
Encouraging individuals to take action saving water at home, work, and in their communities.
Takes a community to support mental health and wellbeing
The why of becoming a Mental Health Instructor explained.
Mental health awareness week 13-18 May
The theme is communities, they can provide a sense of belonging, safety, support in hard times, and a sense purpose.
Mental health support on the rise but workers still struggling
CIOB Understanding Mental Health in the Built Environment 2025 shows.
Design and construction material libraries
Material, sample, product or detail libraries a key component of any architectural design practice.
Construction Products Reform Green Paper and Consultation
Still time to respond as consultation closes on 21 May 2025.
Resilient façade systems for smog reduction in Shanghai
A technical approach using computer simulation and analysis of solar radiation, wind patterns, and ventilation.