A constrained layer damping system for composite floors

The continuing trend towards lighter and longer span floor construction and large partition-free office layouts has brought the issue of floor vibration to the attention of designers and owners. In composite construction, footfall induced floor vibration is now an essential consideration in the design of floors, and has become the governing factor in some circumstances.

Increasing the damping can be an effective means of reducing floor vibration. This paper describes how a constrained layer damping system may be incorporated into a composite floor, potentially improving the floor’s dynamic performance by a factor of 2 or more. The increase in damping is achievable without additional structural mass or depth and so offers considerable cost savings over alternative methods for reducing footfall vibration (such as increasing the mass and/or stiffness). The system is now available as the commercial product Resotec This paper provides some background to the floor vibration problem and discusses various vibration reduction techniques. The principles and performance of the Resotec product are then discussed in detail and three example applications are used to illustrate its potential.

Michael Willford, MA(Cantab), CEng, MIMechE
Arup

Peter Young, MEng, CEng, MIMechE
Arup

William H. Algaard, MEng, PhD
Arup