PhD student Kaveh Heshmati has recently published a paper as part of his research work, which is based on the use of the University of Bath VSimulators platform. "Moving from Human Perception to Acceptability: A Paradigm Shift in Vibration Serviceability Assessment of Tall Buildings" was due to be presented at the Structures Congress 2020, which had to be cancelled due to the current COVID 19 pandemic. The paper was written in collaboration with Erfan Shahabpoor Ardakani, Antony Darby and Ian Walker, who are part of the VSimulators academic team at the University of Bath.
Abstract:
The current vibration serviceability assessment (VSA) criteria for wind-induced vibrations in tall buildings is based largely on the human perception threshold, which is not necessarily translatable to human ‘acceptability’ of vibration. Therefore, issues such as the effects of wind induced motions on occupants' comfort, work performance, motion sickness, and sopite syndrome are not taken into account in current VSA guidelines. This paper provides an overview of the characteristics of wind-induced vibrations, state-of-the-art VSA guidelines, and the current understanding of occupants’ acceptability of wind-induced motion in tall buildings. The VSimulators facility in the Universities of Bath and Exeter to assess the effects of motion and environment on human is introduced. This facility enables in-depth research in this field through controlled simulation of structural motion and the environment and multi-modal measurement of human reactions.
A full copy of the paper is available here:
or can be downloaded from Researchgate by following the hyperlink.
The VSimulators research facilities at University of Bath and Exeter are now completed and available for commercial use or to support research investigations. For further enquiries, please contact Julie Lewis-Thompson at vsimulators@exeter.ac.uk.
