Psycho-vibratory evaluation of timber floors

In lightweight constructions using timber floors, vibrations can cause some inconveniences and nuisances for the inhabitants. In order to have a better estimation of an acceptable level of vibrations in dwellings, more studies addressing human response to vibrations are needed. In the study presented in this paper, measurements have been performed on five real floors in a laboratory environment. Different measurement protocols have been developed. Acceleration and deflection measurements were carried out while people were walking on the floors, or were sitting on a chair placed on the floors as the test leader was walking. In each case, people answered a questionnaire about their perception and experience of the vibrations. Independently of the subjective tests, acceleration measurements were carried out with a shaker as an excitation, in order to determine the characteristics of the first eigenmode. Also, heel-drop tests were performed using displacement gauges, in order to determine the top-floor deflection. This paper presents the results of these investigations