This best practices guide provides an overview of walking-induced vibrations associated with light-frame wood and mass timber floors based on typical North American construction. The guide presents the fundamental principles of wood floor vibration induced by normal walking, introduces design methods, and provides design examples. It also provides solutions for reducing vibration of poorly designed and constructed floors. The principles and procedures of the finite element method design package for floor vibration performance are also discussed. Finally, recommendations are provided for performing system analyses to optimize building performance and cost-effectiveness.
The use of cross-laminated timber floors is a recent development in construction. This guide presents design principles for such floors, based on current research and design principles adopted by CSA O86-19. Research on other types of mass timber, such as glued-laminated timber, nail-laminated timber, dowel-laminated timber, and timber-concrete composite is continuing, and a proposal for including a new design method for a broad range of mass timber slab floors was submitted in the 2024 edition of CSA O86.
