Steel-concrete composite floors subjected to mechanical equipment loads: dynamic analysis and fatigue assessment

Resumo

This research work aims the study of the dynamic structural behavior and assesses the service life of
steel-concrete composite floors when subjected to the vibrations induced by mechanical equipment. The
development of this research becomes necessary due to the growing issues associated with excessive floors
vibrations arising from dynamic loads, which are likely to cause human discomfort or even reduce the system
service life. This way, the investigated structural design is based on a steel-concrete composite floor with
dimensions of 5m x 5m and a total area of 25 m2. The numerical modelling of the composite floor model was
generated based on usual modelling techniques adopting the mesh refinement present in the Finite Element
Method (FEM) and implemented in the ANSYS program. The applied loads were simulated based on harmonic
forces related to the dynamic loadings imposed by the equipment on the concrete slab (generation unit: motor,
gear unit and coupling). The investigated floor dynamic structural response was calculated by considering
several types of equipment acting on the floor areas specified in the project, aiming to verify the occurrence of
excessive vibrations and assess the steel-concrete composite floor service life, considering the recommended
limits proposed in the traditional international design standards.