A Random Field Model of Multipoint Bouncing Loads and Its Applications

Abstract

In existing load models, the crowd bouncing load is often simplified as a single-point excitation; moreover, these models lack data support from crowd bouncing experiments. Inspired by the random field models widely adopted in seismic ground motion fields, a random field model for crowd bouncing loads was established in this research. The bouncing frequency, time lag, and amplitude of the coherence function were modeled to quantify the crowd synchronization; an auto-power spectral density (PSD) model from the author’s previous study was adopted for an individual bouncing load. The values of these parameters were obtained based on data from a crowd bouncing experiment involving 48 test subjects on the first day and 42 test subjects on the second day, in which the trajectories of reflective markers fixed at the clavicle of every test subjects were simultaneously recorded using three-dimensional motion capture system. Based on the PSD matrix of the crowd bouncing loads as simulated by the proposed random field model, the structural acceleration can be analyzed using random vibration analysis in the frequency domain. The established random field model and spectral analysis framework can be adopted to evaluate the vibrating performances of lightweight and high-strength structures. Moreover, the established load model is also the basis of structural vibration control.