CANADA i CHiNA i HONG KONG i iNDiA i SiNGAPORE i uK i uSA www.RwDi.COm

StAtEmENt Of quAlifiCAtiONS

Minimising Floor Vibrations

RWDI’s skilled team of consultants and technicians have used

advanced technology and methodologies to successfully

complete floor vibration projects throughout the world

ranging from nanotechnology to human comfort applications.

Starting Early in the Design Process has Many BenefitsDesign teams have learned that RWDI’s services can be of

particular advantage when engaged early in the master planning or

conceptual design stage of a large building or structural project.

By identifying potential floor vibration problems early in the master

planning or conceptual design stages, this allows for corrective

action that saves time and money. RWDI’s services include

consulting, design reviews, performance analysis, field monitoring

and measurement, and solution design and implementation.

Consultation & Assessment As part of your design team, we consult with you on

floor vibration solutions:

� Assess levels of vibration using methods ranging

from AISC / CISC / SCI design guidelines to

advanced finite element modeling.

� Simulate footfall performance and crowd dynamics.

� Survey sites and existing structures using portable

vibration data-acquisition equipment.

� Design mitigation solutions.

RWDI’s specialized knowledge, capabilities, practices

and advanced technical resources are used to deliver

useful and understandable reports. The firm’s

recommendations can lead directly and effectively to the

implementation of the best floor vibration solutions.

Finite element modeling Design mitigation solutionsAcceleration contour Full scale motion simulation

CANADA i CHiNA i HONG KONG i iNDiA i SiNGAPORE i uK i uSA www.RwDi.COm

StAtEmENt Of quAlifiCAtiONS

Floor Vibration Mapping

The design of high performance laboratories requires

that structural systems must achieve increasingly

stringent vibration criteria for specialized equipment.

Today’s commonly used simple single-bay model

soften lead to approximate results, which may not

allow the full potential of the equipment to be reached

and can be overly conservative in terms of the design

of the structural system. Alternatively, for most

applications, a three-dimensional structural finite

element model of the floor can be developed in order

to characterize its complex response more accurately.

RWDI’s advanced footfall vibration analysis

has been developed to predict a floor system’s

vibration frequencies and amplitudes and will

result in an improved design that will reduce

the likelihood of requiring future retrofits.

Once the model has been used to generate the dynamic

properties of the structural system, floor motions from

occupant traffic are predicted using methodologies

published by the Steel Construction Institute (SCI)

and Concrete Centre, which consider critical walking

speeds and a full range of possible walking paths

evaluated simultaneously, unlike conventional single-

bay models. Predicted vibration amplitudes are mapped

on to proposed flooring layouts and compared to the

applicable vibration design criteria for the space.

Use of this method allows for greater accuracy

on the prediction of vibration responses for

the flooring system; graphical representation

of the vibration responses; and optimization of

the equipment or room layout to exploit are as

identified as having lower vibration responses,

resulting in a better functioning space.

� Predict a floor system’s vibration frequencies and amplitudes

� Greater accuracy on the prediction of vibration responses

� Improved design that will reduce the likelihood of requiring future retrofits

A Customized, Accurate Approach to Vibration Control Design