| Vibration serviceability has become an important, sometimes critical, design criterion for building structures. Light and slender structures, such as stadiums, are more prone to serviceability issues as the occupants of the structure are often able to excite the structure dynamically. Because stadium structures can be subjected to significant coordinated dynamic crowd activities, designing for serviceability is essential, but little guidance is currently available.; Designing for serviceability relies on the ability of an engineer to accurately predict the structural behavior of a stadium. In this research, a strategy is developed for the creation of an accurate finite element model to predict the dynamic behavior of the structure. This strategy is developed utilizing analytical and experimental results from several constructed stadium facilities.; Assessing a structure for serviceability requires knowledge of what level of vibration is deemed acceptable for the occupants. The assessment of several inservice events offers additional insight into modifying the current acceptable vibration ranges for particular application to stadium structures.; The modeling strategy developed here is the first step in improving serviceability design. As more accurate models are obtainable by the practicing engineer, more accurate serviceability design methods or simulation techniques will be developed. As shown through the serviceability assessment results in this research, the current acceptable vibration ranges for stadium structures need refinement. |
