DynApp: a mobile application for vibration serviceability assesment

Abstract

Human loading may induce significant vibrations in some types of structures such as long-span floor slabs or light-weight pedestrian bridges, affecting their vibration serviceability limit state. In many cases, this limit state is not taken into account properly within the structural design process or this is not fulfilled during its life span. Finding the source of the problem may be an awkward task and a monitoring campaign to check this behavior may be expensive. In this paper, a dynamic analysis mobile phone tool named DynApp has been developed in Android. This allows the user to make in one go the measurements and the identification of the resonant frequencies of the structure avoiding engineers to carry out dynamic analysis of structure with tedious setups (accelerometers, long cables, acquisition systems, power suppliers, etc.) and difficult-to-use specialized software. DynApp guides practitioners/engineers easily through frequency and time domain tests and helps them to make a decision shortly about the serviceability Comfort Class. This tool is also used in master clases for teaching the background content.