Floor Vibrations and Cantilevered Construction

A previous paper by the senior author presented a design method to estimate the acceptability of a proposed floor system from the standpoint of occupant induced floor vibrations. The procedures developed therein are applicable only to steel beam-concrete slab floor systems where the beams can be considered simply supported at each end. However, some of the most severe vibration problems have occurred in construction involving free cantilevers, to which the proposed method of Ref. 1 is not applicable. The purpose of this paper is to present modifications to the method suggested in Ref. 1, so that cantilever floor systems and systems with overhanging beams can be analyzed for annoying floor vibrations. The modifications were verified by tests on seven floor systems reported in Ref. 2. One of the tested systems is used to demonstrate the suggested analysis procedure.