1 Design process

1. Static Analysis
a. Input loadings in accordance with
b. Check reactions / members utilisations / displacements
c. Reinforcement of slab
2. Dynamic Analysis
a. Calculate natural frequency, and modes
b. Check mass mobilised in footfall analysis
c. Calculate response factors

Static analysis

2 Balcony analysis
Definitions (AISC DG 11)
Dynamic Loadings. Dynamic loadings can be classified as harmonic, periodic, transient, and
impulsive as shown in Figure 1.1.

Harmonic or sinusoidal loads are usually associated with rotating machinery.

Periodic loads are caused by rhythmic human activities such as dancing and aerobics and by
impactive machinery.
Transient loads occur from the movement of people and include walking and running.
Impulsive loads: Single jumps and heel-drop impacts are examples of them
 Fig. 1.1 Types of dynamic loading. Fig. 1.2 Decaying vibration with viscous damping

For free elastic vibration of a beam of uniform section, the frequency of the nth mode of
vibration is given by solving Equation (1) to give the following result (N.B. the radial frequency
ωn = 2πfn):

where:
EI is dynamic flexural rigidity of the member (Nm²)
m is the effective mass (kg/m)
L is the span of the member (m)
Kn is a constant representing the beam support conditions for the nth mode of vibration.

Some standard values of Kn for elements with different boundary conditions are given in
Table 2.1[8]. Table 2.1 κn coefficients for uniform beams

As a general rule, the magnitude of the dynamic coefficient decreases with increasing
harmonic, for instance, the dynamic coefficients associated with the first four harmonics of
walking are 0.5, 0.2, 0.1 and 0.05, respectively. In theory, if any frequency associated with the
sinusoidal forces matches the natural frequency of a vibration mode, then resonance will occur,
causing severe vibration amplification.
The effect of resonance is shown in Figure 1.3.
 A convenient method of determining the fundamental (i.e. the lowest) natural
frequency of a beam f1 (sometimes referred to as f0), is by using the maximum
deflection δ caused by the weight of a uniform mass per unit length m. For a
simply-supported element subjected to a uniformly distributed load (for which), this is the
familiar expression:

For a cantilever:
3 NARRATIVE
Historically, designers have used the natural frequency of the floor as the sole
measure of acceptable performance
[1]. A sufficiently high natural frequency
means that a floor is effectively ‘tuned’ out of the frequency range of the first
harmonic component of the walking activity (however, although the response is

Damping
Guidelines are provided for the amount of damping that a given structural system and fit-
out may provide; see Table 1, extracted from P3541 , below: