Influence of vehicle speed on the vibration comfort of occupants in a residential building

Abstract

 The paper analyses the influence of passenger car speed on the vibration comfort of occupants in a residential building located along a local road with a speed bump. A series of in-situ measurements was carried out for repeated vehicle passages at controlled speeds ranging from 20 to 44 km/h. Floor accelerations were recorded in several measurement points representing different storeys and room functions. For each passage, frequency-weighted RMS acceleration indices were determined in accordance with the Polish standard PN-B-02171:2017 and compared with comfort criteria for residential use. The results reveal a clear spatial variability of vibration perception within the building, as well as a non-linear relationship between vehicle speed and comfort indices. In some locations even low and medium speeds (around 20–30 km/h) lead to values close to the admissible limits, whereas further increases in speed do not always result in a proportional growth of vibration indices due to the dynamic properties of the building–soil–vehicle system and the excitation by the speed bump. The findings emphasise that, for residential buildings located near traffic calming devices, speed management should be combined with vibroacoustic assessment and design to ensure acceptable vibration comfort for occupants.