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CONSULTING ENGINEERS
& SCIENTISTS

ISSUE NO. 15

FOOTBRIDGES: PEDESTRIAN INDUCED VIBRATIONS

By Stoyan Stoyanoff, Ph.D., P.Eng., Project Director and
Mark Hunter, C.E.T., Principal

INTRODUCTION
Walking, running, and jumping on footbridges produce
dynamic forces which can activate appreciable vibrations.
These vibrations can cause discomfort to pedestrians and
deterioration of the footbridges structural integrity.
The lowest natural frequencies of short span footbridges
(e.g., less than 30 m) are usually sufficiently high that they are
not susceptible to human-induced vibrations. As spans
increase (spans up to 200 m have been proposed), their
lowest natural frequencies become lower and human-induced
vibrations become a concern. Therefore, it is important that
this phenomenon is well understood and that reliable
Artistic impression of the Wichita Bridge,
theoretical methods are introduced to determine practical
Wichita, Kansas, USA. (Illustration courtesy of
solutions. HNTB Corporation)
HUMAN-INDUCED VIBRATIONS
Figure 1 presents an example of the vertical force one person
induces while walking from one end to the other over a
flexible structure. This pattern reveals a mean static load plus
a periodic activity which creates periodic forces with a
frequency typically in the range of 1.5 to 4 Hz (Hz = cycle/sec).
Due to the mechanics of body balance, humans also create
lateral forces at half that pacing frequency (in the range from
0.75 to 2 Hz).
When human-induced frequency () synchronizes with one of
the structural frequencies () (e.g., 0.75 to 4 Hz range), the
dynamic forces are significantly magnified and a condition of
resonance occurs (illustrated in Figure 2). For small vibrations, Pedestrian bridges around the Bellagio Casino
the structural damping ratio () is typically low (in the range in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA required damping
of 0.5% to 1% of critical). Assuming the typical value of = systems
1% for precast concrete bridges, the amplification of the
static forces becomes as high as 50.
The potential for these amplified forces to induce appreciable
levels of motion will depend on the number of people on the
footbridge and how well their movements are synchronized.

Figure 1: Example of force produced by one

person walking over a footbridge (Rainer et al,
1988).

Figure 2: Dynamic Amplification Function.
Research has shown that for fewer than about 20 to 25
persons, almost all may synchronize with the footbridge
motions (NBCC, 1995; Fujino, Pacheco, & Nakamura, 1993).
For an extremely congested footbridge the number of
walking people synchronized with the bridge motions drops
to about 20% (Fujino, Pacheco, & Nakamura, 1993).
The amount of vibration people are willing to accept will
depend on their activity (e.g., walking, running, jumping).
Figure 3 compares the acceleration comfort criteria
suggested by various sources for walking. Higher limits have
been suggested for running or jumping. There is also a
possibility of so called forced or vandal excitations. This
type of loading occurs when one or a group of individuals
would attempt to deliberately excite the bridge. For vandal
excitations, the design criterion is based only on the
structural integrity and not comfort.
Figure 3: Comparison of different comfort criteria for vertical
acceleration.
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IMPROVING DYNAMIC PERFORMANCE
If the lowest natural frequency of a footbridge (or other
flexible structure subjected to human loading) is lower than
5 Hz in the vertical and 2.5 Hz in the lateral direction,
detailed analysis and comparison with criteria in design codes
should be considered (British Standard, 1978; ENV1992-2,
1996; NBCC, ONT83, ISO/DIS 10137, 1995). The motion
induced by pedestrian traffic depends on the amount of
traffic and the type of activity that the users are undertaking.
In cases where significant motions are predicted (or exist),
the following improvements may be investigated.
STIFFENING
Stiffening is best applied to bridges when pedestrian
vibrations are judged to border between acceptable and
unacceptable. The bridge structure could be stiffened in the
appropriate direction or the effective span can be reduced.
Significant design modifications may be required.
INCREASING MASS
Increasing the weight of the footbridge will reduce the
influence of human-induced vibration. A proportional
increase in stiffness is required to maintain the natural
frequency. Significant design modifications may be required.
DAMPING SYSTEMS
Damping systems increase the amount of energy that is
dissipated by the structure. Mass dampers can be tuned to
specific frequencies and visco-elastic dampers can be added
to cover a wider range of frequencies and motions. Damping
systems can be retrofitted to a footbridge after completion.
Allowing for future installation of these devices in the overall
design of long-span footbridges is worth considering in some
cases, especially in view of the difficulty in predicting the
inherent damping of these structures.
REFERENCES
Rainer, J.H., Pernica, G., And Allen, D.E., Dynamic loading and
response of footbridges, Institute for Research in Construction,
Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering, vol. 15, pp. 66-71, 1988.
NBCC (1995). Commentary A: Serviceability Criteria for Deflections
and Vibrations, National Building Code of Canada, Canada, 1995.
Fujino, Y., Pacheco, B., & Nakamura, S. Synchronization of human
walking observed during lateral vibration of a congested pedestrian
bridge, Journal of Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics,
vol. 22, pp. 741-758, 1993.
British Standard (1978). Steel Concrete and Composite Bridges:
Specifications for Loads, British Standard BS5400, Part 2, 1978.
ENV1992-2 (1996). Design of concrete structures - Part 2: Concrete
Bridge, European Committee for Standardization, Brussels, Belgium.
ONT83, Ontario Highway Bridge Design Code, Highway Engineering
Division, Ministry of Transportation and Communications, Toronto,
Canada, 1983.
ISO/DIS 10137, Bases for Design of Structures - Serviceability of
Buildings against Vibrations, International Standard Organization,
Geneva, Switzerland
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