Experimental Results from a Laboratory Test Program to Examine Human-Structure Interaction

Abstract

Assembly-type structures, subjected to crowd-induced rhythmic excitation, are typically designed to avoid excessive vibration. Most current design guidance recommends using the dynamic properties of the empty structure to assess the susceptibility of a given design to vibration. This recommendation does not incorporate the effects of human-structure interaction where the dynamic properties of the combined system are different from that of the empty structure. To assess the consequences of this recommendation, an experimental study was completed to identify the effects of human-structure interaction on the dynamic properties of the empty structure. The study investigated the influence of posture, mass ratio, and natural frequency of the structure when considering human-structure interaction of a passive crowd. The results of this study are presented and discussed with respect to the prediction of the dynamic response of a structure when the human-structure interaction effects are incorporated or neglected. Because it is likely that the dynamic response of the structure will be overestimated when utilizing the properties of the empty structure, a method for appropriately incorporating the effects of human-structure interaction is needed. An overview of the methods utilized in the study is presented and the results are examined to improve the understanding of the influential factors involved in human-structure interaction.