CCIP-016

CI/Sfb

UDC

A cement and concrete industry publication

534.832.08:624.

Michael Willford and Peter Young have over 30 years combined

experience in the area of structural dynamics. The methods
presented in this guide have been developed by them over the last
10 years and have been used extensively within Arup for the past 5
years.

A tool for designers to engineer the footfall vibration

characteristics of buildings or bridges

M R Willford CEng MIMechE

P Young CEng MIMechE

M R Willford CEng MIMechE and P Young CEng MIMechE

Whilst footfall induced vibrations on buildings or bridges

is not normally signicant in terms of structural integrity,
footfall vibration can be a critical serviceability condition.
This publication presents a new method for evaluating
the vibration due to a single pedestrian walking on a at
surface, such as a oor slab or bridge deck. The method was
developed by Arup, and has been calibrated and rened with
verication measurements taken on completed structures
over a period of ten years.

A Design Guide for Footfall Induced Vibration of Structures

A Design Guide for Footfall Induced Vibration of Structures

A Design Guide for Footfall

Induced Vibration of Structures

This publication provides an informative description of the factors

effecting footfall induced vibration and guides the engineer through
the process of designing for vibration. It includes owcharts for
calculation procedures and a useful glossary. It also includes worked
examples on a concrete footbridge, a low frequency multispan post
tensioned concrete oor and a high frequency ribbed slab.

CCIP-016
Published December 2006
ISBN 1-904482-29-5
Price Group Q
The Concrete Centre

Riverside House, 4 Meadows Business Park,

Station Approach, Blackwater, Camberley, Surrey, GU17 9AB
Tel: +44 (0)700 4 500 500
www.concretecentre.com

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A cement and concrete industry publication

Acknowledgements
The authors would like to acknowledge the contribution of their colleagues at Arup to the validation
of the methods described in this guide, in particular Caroline Field, Kathy Gubbins, Kubilay Hicyilmaz
and Mark Arkinstall. Professor Aleksander Pavic of Shefeld University also provided additional
validation data from his own independent research projects. The authors would like to thank Dr
Stuart Kerr for providing the data which is the basis of the footfall forces used here.
Finally, special thanks are due to Professor Tom Wyatt of Imperial College London, who was the
independent peer reviewer for this document.

Published for The Concrete Centre by The Concrete Society

CCIP-016
Published November 2006
ISBN 1-904482-29-5
Price Group Q
The Concrete Centre
The Concrete Centre
Riverside House, 4 Meadows Business Park, Station Approach, Blackwater, Camberley, Surrey GU17 9AB
Tel: +44 (0)1276 606800 Fax: +44 (0)1276 606801 www.concretecentre.com

CCIP publications are produced by The Concrete Society (www.concrete.org.uk) on behalf of

the Cement and Concrete Industry Publications Forum an industry initiative to publish technical
guidance in support of concrete design and construction.
CCIP publications are available from the Concrete Bookshop at www.concretebookshop.com
Tel: +44 (0)7004 607777
All advice or information from The Concrete Centre is intended for those who will evaluate the signicance and limitations of its
contents and take responsibility for its use and application. No liability (including that for negligence) for any loss resulting from
such advice or information is accepted by The Concrete Centre or its subcontractors, suppliers or advisors. Readers should note
that publications are subject to revision from time to time and should therefore ensure that they are in possession of the latest
version.
Printed by Cromwell Press, Trowbridge, UK.

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A Design Guide for Footfall Induced

Vibration of Structures
Contents
Nomenclature

1. Introduction

2. Understanding footfall induced vibration

3. Quantifying vibration

13

4. Predicting footfall induced vibration of structures

22

5. Worked examples

41

References

61

Glossary

62

Appendix A.

Evaluating modal properties of a structure

66

Appendix B.

Procedures for measuring floor response

75

Appendix C.

Validation

79

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