Human Perception Of Vibration Research Articles

Assessing the Influence of RMS and VDV on Analysis of Human Perception of Vibrations in Buildings Caused by Selected Sources of Traffic

This research paper delves into the nuanced effects of traffic-induced vibrations on human comfort and perception within residential and commercial buildings. By prioritizing the influence of vehicle types—including metro trains, trams, and cars—over their speed or mass, the study presents a novel perspective on addressing vibrational comfort. Conducted in the urban context of Warsaw’s metro line construction, this investigation employs a rigorous methodology, utilizing both the Root Mean Square (RMS) and Vibration Dose Value (VDV) analytical methods to quantify vibrational impacts. The findings illuminate the distinct contributions of various transportation modes to the perceived vibrations, offering significant insights into the complex relationship between the Human Perception of Vibration Index (HPVI) and VDV values. It underscores the necessity of integrating a multifaceted consideration of vehicle type, operational dynamics, and urban infrastructure in the strategic planning and design of buildings. Such a holistic approach is essential for mitigating the adverse effects of transportation-induced vibrations, thereby enhancing the quality of life and well-being of urban inhabitants.

Validated Finite Element Modeling of Lightweight Concrete Floors Stiffened and Strengthened with FRP

The main challenge in designing Light-Weight Concrete (LWC) is to adapt most of the design, production, and execution rules from normal-weight concrete. Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) composites provide strength and stiffness to the composite system. This study investigated the stiffness of an LWC flat slab with CFRP when subjected to human-induced vibration. This was determined by finding the natural frequency of the slab and comparing it with the acceleration limit ratio (human perception of vibration) of 0.5% g. In most cases, vibration characteristics are examined using commercial software based on Finite Element Analysis (FEA) methods that are powerful tools, but the user needs to understand the underlying assumptions and methods implemented, especially for reinforced concrete floor systems where inherent attributes, such as cracking, play an important role in the determination of vibration characteristics. This study used Abaqus CAE. The main idea of this study was that such software cannot detect the behavior of cracks in structures over the years and the effect on frequencies, as stiffness depends on the modulus of elasticity and not on the moment of inertia. Therefore, the natural frequency equation has a component that constantly accounts for the level of cracking on concrete slabs. This component was theoretically determined with detailed calculations that are not provided in the Design Guide for Vibrations of Reinforced Concrete Floor Systems. Then, the constant that accounts for the level of cracking k1 was multiplied by the modulus of elasticity E and substituted in the latter's place in Abaqus to ensure the right behavior of the slab with and without CFRP. This study also investigated the properties of CFRP and how to represent it in the Abaqus. The numerical results showed good agreement with FEA and the acceptance criteria for walking excitations increased when using CFRP on a floor system.

Vibration quality and ride comfort investigation with transient excitation in a ground vehicle simulator environment

Ground vehicle ride comfort is closely associated with vibration quality as perceived by the human occupants of a vehicle. While outstanding vibration quality is a desirable outcome of the vehicle design process, it is challenging to relate customer perceptions of vibration quality to customer-facing vehicle responses measured inside of a vehicle. Previous work with steady-state vibration has shown that human perception of vibration can be compared to how humans perceive sound, where both the amplitude and frequency of the excitation will alter its perception. Thus, a simple measurement of vibration level is insufficient to predict comfort. In this work, an analysis of human perception of transient vibration is undertaken using a ground vehicle simulator. Physical measurements from inside four different production vehicles are presented including accelerometer, microphone, and action camera recordings. The test event performed is travel over a cleat, with varying vehicle speeds and tire inflation pressures. The physical measurements are used as inputs to the simulator. A comparison is made between the perceived vibration quality of the vehicles as reported by an expert human jury and the physically measured vehicle responses. A ranking of 36 cleat test events for vibratory harshness from best to worst is presented.

Whole-Body Vibration Experienced by Pilots, Passengers and Crew in Fixed-Wing Aircraft: A State-of-the-Science Review

Before the coronavirus pandemic, there were 4.5 billion passenger movements by aircraft annually; this is expected to recover after the pandemic. Despite the large numbers of flights per year, there are few reports of whole-body vibration in fixed-wing aircraft. This paper reports a review of literature intended to collate reported data related to exposure to whole-body vibration. Following a filtering process to select relevant articles, a literature search elicited 26 papers reporting measurements of vibration. These included measurements made in the cockpit and cabin, and for pilots, crew and passengers. Aircraft included military, commercial and passenger aircraft, turboprops, jets and piston prop aircraft. There was a lack of consistency on measurement method and analysis, and few met the full requirements of ISO 2631-1. However, measurements showed significant components of vibration at frequencies largely attenuated by the ISO frequency weighting filters, but have been shown to be important in terms of human vibration perception. Propeller aircraft showed strong tonal components in vibration frequency spectra. There was also a significant effect of the flight phase in the vibration exposure. It is recommended that the body of literature related to human response to whole-body vibration on aircraft is augmented with further studies in order to understand in-flight experiences and to optimize human health, wellbeing, comfort and performance.

Prediction and evaluation of blast-induced ground vibrations for structural damage and human response

This research focuses on blast-induced structural damage and human response to vibrations. Frequency is one of the important parameters that affect damage probability and human perception. The first and primary target of the study is to predict ground vibration and frequency simultaneously. A feed-forward back propagation neural network was created for modeling. Three operational parameters and vibration measurement distance were used as input parameters. The developed model was compared to the regression equations. Different error measures were considered to perform a vigorous model validation. Ten different blasting level charts were used to estimate structural damage probability. The regulations from North America, Europe, and Southern Hemisphere were examined and compared. Variation in the vibration regulations was also discussed. Some suggestions were put forward for the development of an international regulation. Two practical charts were created to predict human response to vibrations. A specific graph, which was proposed for pile driving induced vibrations, was considered for evaluation of blast vibrations. The developed soft computing framework can forecast probability of structural damage and human perception of vibrations effectively.

Evaluation of Road Service Performance Based on Human Perception of Vibration While Driving Vehicle

Road surface monitoring is a significant issue in providing smooth road infrastructure for vehicles, and the key to road condition monitoring is to detect road potholes that affect driving comfort and transportation safety. This paper presents a simple, efficient, and accurate way to evaluate road service performance based on the acquisition of road vibration data by vibration sensors installed in vehicles. Inspired by the discrete fast Fourier transform, the vibration acceleration is processed, and the RMS value of vibration acceleration at 1/2 octave is calculated, after which the road vibration level is calculated. The vibration level is optimized according to the human body’s sensitivity to different frequencies of vibration, resulting in road service performance indicators that can reflect the human body’s real feelings. According to the road service performance index values on the road grading, combined with GPS data on the electronic map color block labeling, the results obtained for the road condition warning, road maintenance, driver route selection have an important significance.

Influence of duration of single dynamical events on the result of evaluation of human perception of vibration in buildings

The duration of vibration taken to the analysis influence on the result of evaluation of human perception of vibration. In this paper the relationship between the duration of individual events and the result of RMS and VDV analysis was investigated. The analysis was carried out on two buildings located close to Warsaw Metro line 1. The chosen buildings are typical masonry buildings located in the city center and subjected to three sources of traffic vibrations: subway, tramway and road. Evaluation of human perception of vibration was made using two different methods, the most popular, root mean squared method (RMS) and vibration dose value method (VDV). Methodology of these two methods is also described in the paper. The results from RMS and VDV methods are compared by using HPVR (human perception of vibration ratio) for RMS analysis. It is ratio discovered by prof. Stypula and it is very useful for the diagnosis. The conclusion from analysis are given.

Impact of selected sources of transport vibrations on the perception of vibrations by people in buildings

Vibrations propagating through the soil into the building can not only be harmful to the building structure or cause its accelerated wear, but can also effect on the vibrational comfort in the rooms. They can also be annoying for residents and building users, and in extreme cases can lead to sleep disorders, headaches and neurotic conditions. Especially vibrations from the low frequency range from 5 to 25 Hz are undesirable, because there are resonance frequencies of human internal organs in this frequency range. The human perception of vibrations in buildings, despite many researches made in the past, despite standards and requirements in this area, is still a topic not fully understood mainly due to the subjective nature of the perception of vibrations by various people. It is widely known that the type of transport vibration source has an impact on human perception. Vibrations generated by above-ground sources are more felt on the upper floors as opposed to vibrations generated from the underground. In this paper three types of transport vibrations are analyzed on one chosen building located in Warsaw. Human perception of vibration is evaluated according to two methods: root mean squared (RMS) and vibration dose value (VDV).

Influence of location of measurement point on evaluation of human perception of vibration

Human perception of vibration is very subjective parameter which depends among others on age, sex or even nationality. There are three main methods of assessment of human perception of vibration according to national standards which differ from each other. All three methods are clearly described in this paper and their advantages and disadvantages are shown. Evaluation methods are helpful in diagnosis and design of the building when they are used properly. One of interesting aspect of quality of measurements is localization of measurement points. The choice of localization of measurement points could have significant influence on result of evaluation of human response to vibration. International and national standards are compatible in this matter – measurement points should be localized in the place of human vibration perception. It means that should be located in the middle of the floor. Sometimes it is difficult to determine the exact center of the floor, especially when building has irregular construction. In this paper influence of localization of measurement point on human perception of vibration is investigated and center zone in which measurement results are proper is determined. In-situ measurements were made to investigate the problem of localization of human vibration perception in buildings.

Impact of Traffic-Induced Vibrations on Residential Buildings and Their Occupants in Metropolitan Cities

This paper evaluates and quantifies the adverse impact of traffic-induced vibrations on the structural systems of residential buildings and their occupants. To do this, İstanbul, one of the world’s most populous and traffic-congested cities, was selected as a case study. Firstly, a survey was conducted on 100 occupants of six neighbourhoods to understand human perception of vibrations and the physical condition of typical buildings. Then, train-induced ground vibrations were measured near a busy railway. Using the survey data and the measured train vibrations, time-history analyses were applied to five typical residential buildings. The results showed that there is a considerable contribution of higher modes to overall building response. Peak particle velocities calculated on the buildings are predominantly intolerable. Critically, 95% of the occupants would like authorities to reorganize traffic regulations to reduce the effects of this global problem. Therefore, human response to traffic-induced vibrations should be consideration of serviceability limit state and site-specific analysis should be incorporated into the codes of practice.

Influence of crest factor on evaluation of human perception of traffic vibration

In this article many vibrational signals of different value of crest factor are investigated. Evaluation of human perception of vibration is made with use of two different method of evaluation: basic RMS method and vibration dose value method (VDV), which is one of additional method mostly used for peak signals. Analysis of influence of crest factor value on evaluation of human response to vibration is made.

A multidimensional valuation of the human perception of construction vibration

Previous studies have shown that annoyance due to vibration does not simply depend on the magnitude of vibration exposure. However, only little is known about the important features that contribute the human perception of vibration. This paper presents a study investigating seated subjects’ perception of construction induced groundborne vibration in the vertical direction with the method of multidimensional scaling. The investigation was conducted using a paired comparison subjective test. Sixteen subjects were asked about their perception of the annoyance and similarity of sixty-six pairs of vibration stimuli. Through non-metric multidimensional scaling analysis, it is presented that the perception of construction vibration activities are dependent on up to three perceptual dimensions: duration of the signal, vibration energy in the 31.5 Hz of ⅓ octave band, and the centre of mass of the frequency spectrum of the signals. A regression model was built from the relationship between the annoyance ratings and the objective descriptors revealed through the multidimensional scaling analysis. This model was found to describe 79% of the variance in the measured perceived annoyance ratings data with p-level < 0.01.

Proposal of new vibro-acoustic floor

Human perception of vibration could be the basic parameter in designing a new buildings located close to public transport. It is also one of parameter that is considered in diagnosis of building vibration. People perceived vibrations through the floor. The problem of floor vibration appear especially in old historical buildings with wooden floor when source of transport vibration change because of infrastructure development. During years road, tramway or railway infrastructure is more expanded that it was when the old buildings were built. That is why new solutions of protection against noise and vibration are needed. One of that kind solution could be vibro-acoustic floor which can reduce impact sounds and vibrations. A flooring system that insulates both acoustically and vibrantly is a common solution to reduce noise coming from impact sounds or to propagate from lower levels to higher ones and to limit the influence of vibration on people receiving vibration in buildings passively. The flooring system should therefore be capable to damp vibrations up to 100 Hz and have sound insulation of min. 25 dB. The composition of vibration insulation materials and their material parameters will be selected to optimize the acoustic and vibration protection. At the same time, the acoustic and vibration-insulating flooring system should have all the functional features that are common to the floor: ease of installation and adequate rigidity. In paper three types of vibro-acoustic floors will be considered: with full vibro-insulation, with insulation strips and with point insulation. Advantages and disadvantages of these three considered solutions will be presented. The paper is pilot study to in-situ measurement which will be held under the project of EU commission support.

Human perception of vibrations according different assessment methods

Human perception of vibration could be the basic parameter in designing new buildings subjected to different type of transport vibrations. Humans are more sensitive for vibrations then building structure. In an increasingly urbanized city centres people are exposed to vibrations from different transport sources such as: tramways, railways, heavy truck traffic or subway especially when considered shallow underground. The aim of this paper is to investigate the use of two different evaluation methods of human perception of vibrations. Methods chosen for evaluation are: the basic root mean squared (RMS) method and the additional method of evaluation vibration dose value (VDV). The building chosen for analysis is subjected to three different vibration sources: tram, heavy truck and subway passages. It is located in Warsaw where is a shallow underground which could have significant influence on human response to vibrations because vibrations from this kind of source is more perceptible on lower floors. That is why measurement points were located in the middle of the floor on the ground floor and on the top floor. The registered signal from the three different sources of vibration was analysed according to RMS and VDV procedure included in ISO standard. RMS and VDV methods were compared with each other.

Influence of different types of trams on human perception of vibrations in buildings

In an increasingly urbanized areas transport vibration source are closer and closer to the receiver which is a building. At the same time residents requirements for comfort in rooms are higher. In this paper influence of transport vibrations from various types of trams on human perception was tested and analysed. Measurements were made in Cracow on 11 buildings located near tramway. Human perception were investigated according to ISO and Polish standard. Basic RMS method and additional VDV method were applied because of high crest factor of recorded signal. Results of both methods were compared.

INCE/J Vibration Measurement Manual for Buildings—Part 2: On the assessment based on the vibration

This paper discusses the assessment of building vibration in terms of human responses based on vibration measurements specified by the Vibration Measurement Manual for Buildings developed by the Technical Subcommittee on Environmental Vibration Evaluation of the Institute of Noise Control Engineering of Japan. As stated in some of the current international and national standards, building vibration could cause adverse comments from occupants when the vibration magnitude is in excess of human perception only slightly. For the assessment of building vibration based on the measurement manual, therefore, a range of human vibration perception threshold was derived from the previous studies that determined the perception thresholds in experiment involving human subjects. The vibration perception threshold range implies a range of vibration magnitude for different frequencies that may correspond to lowest vibration magnitudes people with different sensitivities to vibration can detect. The vibration magnitude within or in excess of the perception range may be assessed as a magnitude that can be perceived by occupant at different possibilities. The assessment with the vibration perception threshold range does not necessarily show if the building vibration to be assessed has a magnitude high enough to cause adverse comment.

Dynamic performance characteristics of an innovative Cable Supported Beam Structure–Concrete Slab Composite Floor System under human-induced loads

An innovative Cable Supported Beam Structure–Concrete Slab Composite Floor System (CSBS–CSCFS) with a desirable large span capacity was developed in this study to meet the large interior space requirement of public buildings. This new system has excellent merits over conventional floor structures, particularly in terms of span capacity, strength-to-weight ratio, and thin-walled floor. Despite awareness of these advantages, this type of system is not fully utilized because of the potential disadvantage of excessive vibration under human-induced loads. To investigate the dynamic behavior of this system under human-induced loads, field tests were conducted on the floor of the recently built Hebei Normal University Gymnasium, to which the CSBS–CSCFS was applied for the first time. Two types of experimental tests were conducted: free and human-induced vibration tests, in which the vertical acceleration responses of the floor structure were measured under several types of human-induced loads (e.g., stepping, jumping, walking, running, and random activities). Human perception of vibration during the tests was also determined through questionnaires. Results of the free vibration tests showed that the first three natural frequencies of the structure are 2.30Hz, 2.69Hz and 3.06Hz. Moreover, the floor has a damping ratio with a value of 1.54%. This result implies that the structure has relatively low natural frequencies, and its performance may be affected by human activities. Results of human-induced vibration tests indicated that the human-induced vibration of the CSBS–CSCFS is influenced by several factors, namely, dynamic characteristics of the structure, type of human-induced load, stationary people occupying the floor, synchronism of activities, crowd size, and load frequency. The dynamic responses of the structure were compared with International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) criteria. Meanwhile, human perception of vibration was also summarized. The comparison and summary implied that the vibration of the floor should be attenuated to improve human comfort, although doing so is unnecessary in normal usage. A passive dynamic control system is an efficient method to achieve this goal.

Vibration testing and evaluation for source detection of bothersome structural vibrations

Buildings are subjected to a myriad of vibration excitation sources including mechanical systems, human activity, vehicular traffic, and other environmental conditions. The characteristics (amplitude and frequency) of the excitation from these sources can vary significantly overtime as building use patterns change, systems age, and maintenance activities vary. Overtime many building owners/operators find themselves dealing with vibration complaints which arise unexpectedly and without obvious cause. The complexity of many modern facilities can make pinpointing the source of bothersome vibrations equivalent to finding a needle in a haystack. The objective of this paper is to explore the process of vibration source detection in complex existing facilities through three recent case studies. The vibration testing and evaluation methodologies utilized for source detection on these case studies is explored to highlight challenges faced on these types of projects. Each of the case studies involve existing buildings with many years of successful operation before bothersome vibration events were reported. The case studies presented, explore complaints related to sensitive medical equipment as well as human perception of vibrations.

Comparison between different sets of suspension parameters and introduction of new modified skyhook control strategy incorporating varying road condition

This study examines the uncertainties in modelling a quarter car suspension system caused by the effect of different sets of suspension parameters of a corresponding mathematical model. To overcome this problem, 11 sets of identified parameters of a suspension system have been compared, taken from the most recent published work. From this investigation, a set of parameters were chosen which showed a better performance than others in respect of peak amplitude and settling time. These chosen parameters were then used to investigate the performance of a new modified continuous skyhook control strategy with adaptive gain that dictates the vehicle's semi-active suspension system. The proposed system first captures the road profile input over a certain period. Then it calculates the best possible value of the skyhook gain (SG) for the subsequent process. Meanwhile the system is controlled according to the new modified skyhook control law using an initial or previous value of the SG. In this study, the proposed suspension system is compared with passive and other recently reported skyhook controlled semi-active suspension systems. Its performances have been evaluated in terms of ride comfort and road handling performance. The model has been validated in accordance with the international standards of admissible acceleration levels ISO2631 and human vibration perception.

Perception of vibration and occupant comfort in wind-excited tall buildings

Wind-induced building vibration can interfere with building occupants’ daily activities and general well-being. However, human perception of vibration and tolerance of wind-induced tall building vibration are essentially a subjective assessment. Hence, there is currently no single internationally accepted occupant comfort serviceability criteria which set a design standard for satisfactory levels of wind-induced vibration in tall buildings. This paper reviews past studies on human perception of vibration and tolerance thresholds of wind-induced tall building vibrations. Building vibration acceptability and occupant comfort criteria that have been commonly adopted for the assessment of occupant comfort in wind-excited tall buildings are outlined.