Buildings and Machinery Vibration Isolation

Low-level vibration within buildings can cause disturbance to occupants.  Vibration criteria indicate that levels of vibration barely above the threshold of perception can be enough to be annoying and disturb people both at work and in their homes. 

Machinery from plant rooms in large buildings can be the source of vibration, and techniques for supporting equipment on anti-vibration mounts or vibrating pipes using spring hangers are generally very effective. However, often the sources of vibration are local transportation systems.

Railways are more of a source of vibration than road traffic as the weights of the railcars, and the absence of rubber tyres or other flexible elements allows the entry of large amounts of unattenuated energy straight into the ground. New rail tracks, through or under, cities are generally constructed with rubber ballast mats, but where you have existing lines, it becomes necessary to consider constructing the building superstructure on to steel spring or neoprene anti-vibration bearings in the basement. Where vibration is higher in frequency, key sensitive rooms can be formed within a box-in-box structure.

Other projects include:

• Keadby Power Station cooling water pumphouse building
• Vibration from underground trains affecting 50 storey tower, for London Merchant Securities
• Plaza, London, with 6 basement cinemas fully resiliently isolated, for Chelsfield
• High quality lift car development vibration study for Schindler Lift
• Fawley refinery compressor pipe isolation design