PhD Studentship: Modelling of Human Structure Interaction Effects for Vibration Serviceability Design

Traditional walking force models have provided a satisfactory vibration assessment since their early inception in British standards. However, in June 2000 the Millennium Bridge and other excessive-vibration problems came to light, indicating that modern, light-weight, low-frequency and lightly-damped structures have to be designed with new standards, grounded on a theoretical framework for human-structure interaction (HSI).

Every advancement towards developing such framework has profound practical implications, and despite considerable research efforts there are only two long-lasting prototype biomechanical models currently used to study HSI: the single-degree-of-freedom (SDoF) system and the moving inverted pendulum model (IPM).

This PhD project will systematically analyse the reliability of these two models to represent HSI effects, since understanding their deficiencies is considered as a key first step towards developing more accurate predictions in future generations of models. As part of the project, the analysis should also be probabilistic so that both experimental and modelling uncertainties can be quantified explicitly. Large datasets from real-world lively footbridges excited by walking motions of multiple human test subjects will form the basis of the validation process.

The selected candidate will have the unique opportunity to develop expertise in HSI along with a multi-disciplinary team, under the supervision of Dr Andre Jesus from the School of Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering (SABCE), Dr Sam Allen and Dr Glen Blenkinsop from the School of Sport, Exercise, and Health Sciences (SSEHS) and external collaboration from the University of Warwick.

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