Investigation of floor vibration evaluation criteria using an extensive database of floors

Floor vibration serviceability is a primary design consideration for steel framed floors and numerous evaluation methods have been proposed over the last 35 years or so. However, there is relatively little information available on the accuracy of the methods. Therefore, the objective of this study is to investigate the accuracy of the following five well-known methods: Modified Reiher-Meister, Murray Criterion, Hugo Bachmann's Method, AISC Design Guide 11 Chapter 4, and the SCI P354 Simplified Method. The methods listed above were used to evaluate the bays in an extensive 122 bay database to determine the accuracy of prediction of natural frequencies and overall acceptability. The SCI P354 most accurately predicted the natural frequency, with an average measured-to-predicted ratio of 1.01 (24% COV). The AISC Design Guide 11 most accurately predicted floor bay acceptability, with a 91% agreement with observations.