Experimental and Numerical Dynamic Analyses of Hollow Core Concrete Floors

Due to their low self-weight and high strength, precast and prestressed hollow core concrete slabs are widely used in construction. However, the combination of low self-weight and long span implies that the slabs are sensitive to vibrations induced by human activities. In this work, experimental tests and numerical analyses are performed in order to understand the dynamic behaviour of hollow core concrete floors. For the experiments, a test floor of dimension 10 m × 7.2 m and consisting of 6 hollow core elements was built. Very good agreements between experimental and numerical results have been obtained. Comprehensive numerical parametric analyses have been performed in order to determine the optimal value of the material parameters.