*WINNER* Vibration Analysis of a Concrete Slab Floor Using Piezoelectric Accelerometers

Abstract

Analyzing and interpreting floor vibration responses experienced daily throughout a building could serve as a major asset by monitoring the well-being of the inhabitants, predicting the number of occupants, and acting as an additional unintrusive security measure. This preliminary study used piezoelectric accelerometers in conjunction with oscilloscopes to observe the excitation and response of a classroom concrete floor in a 1960's era building. Various known and unknown impact events were evaluated through a series of tests and configurations including excitation events such mass drops, footfalls, and strikes from an instrumented hammer. The acquired data was further analyzed using MATLAB and Microsoft Excel. Results indicate that it is possible to approximate the location and extent of impact; however, the rate of degradation of the response monitored is highly subjective to the extent and location of the initial impact and the location of the sensors relative to the supporting structures of the room. The initial results provide evidence that meaningful vibrational analysis of floor motion due to impacts is attainable. Further analysis and testing are required to refine and interpret these results to serve as background for future studies, specifically in the new engineering building. Simultaneous data acquisition with more elaborate sensor configurations as well as computational simulations for floor responses could serve as major additions to this study going forward.