Tel:  01795 479805 or 07840 791587

BUILDING VIBRATION

Buildings, including modern office buildings and domestic properties can also suffer from vibration due to various external events.  These could be demolition of a nearby building/structure or heavy vehicles negotiating traffic calming measures located close to a property.  The vibration can be a cause of discomfort to the occupants as the human body is an excellent detector of vibration, which can become perceptible at levels which are substantially lower than those required to cause building damage. 

These events can necessitate the need to assess the vibration amplitude and frequency to determine the effect the vibration has on the building and its occupants and whether damage could be caused to the stucture.  BS 7385 provides guidance on the assessment of the possibilty of vibration induced damage in buildings and it also sets guide values for building vibration, based on the lowest vibration levels above which damage has been credibly demonstrated.

A buildings' structural response can be significantly affected by the duration, amplitude and frequency of vibration.

Items for consideration when carrying out vibration monitoring of a building are:

• Frequency range
• Sources of vibration
• Building Condition
• Building response to the vibration
• Foundation type
• Building construction
• Building components
• Quantity of measurements
• Measurement positions
• Measurement device and transducer type
• Measurement procedure
• Analysis of data
• Frequencies, amplitude and occurances

The period of monitoring varies from building to building as in the case of demolition of a nearby structure, this would be as long as the project is being carried out.  The equipment used would remain within the building being monitored but the location can vary to obtain data from the area experiencing the most severe vibration frequencies.