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Vibration can affect people, buildings or machines and often more than one of these receptors will be affected. The severity of the effect on people can rage to mild discomfort to the permanent disability known as vibration white finger, that affects workers using percussive and rotating tools. Fortunately buildings seldom suffer damage due to vibration as the levels needed to cause even cosmetic damage are higher than the levels that cause occupants real concern for their safety. Example
Projects: Vibration Control |
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Telford Business Park, Salisbury |
Client: Castleway Construction |
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Our client is constructing a new business park on land adjacent to an established factory that houses precision machine tools. The ground conditions were such that 30 m pre-cast piles needed to be driven for the new buildings and some were as close as 5 m to the existing factory. After discussions with the machinery manufacturer to establish safe working criteria we calculated that the piling could be carried out without risk of damage to the factory's output. To provide security to both the factory and the construction company we installed vibration monitoring equipment on the machine bases and these were programmed to activate an alarm if a safe threshold level was exceeded. |
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Griffon 8000TD Hovercraft |
Client: Griffon Hovercraft |
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Following the detection of cracks in the lift fan driveshaft, replacement shafts with a larger diameter were fitted. We measured the operating vibration levels at the forward bearing and the natural frequencies of the lift fan and shaft to check for modal responses in the system. No significant vibration was generated at any of the modal frequencies at normal running speeds and there was no evidence of shaft whirl with the new shafts. We were able to conclude that vibration induced fatigue would be unlikely to occur with the replacement shafts. |
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Alexandra House, Plymouth |
Client: Unite |
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Unite is proposing to develop a commercial site adjacent to a railway to provide hostel accommodation. We undertook an assessment of the vibration levels resulting from train pass-bys and were able to confirm that building isolation would not be required to meet vibration and structureborne noise criteria for residential development. |
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Kings Cross Central |
Client: Argent St George |
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King's Cross Central comprises 72 acres of brownfield land to be developed for mixed commercial, residential and leisure use. All trains using Kings Cross Station pass through the Victorian Gasworks Tunnels which run under the eastern side of the site. We have carried out a vibration survey of these tunnels to establish levels of structureborne noise that could be created in new buildings above the tunnels and included appropriate mitigation in the masterplan. Thameslink 2000 will pass under the site and CTRL will run along the western boundary. We have also assessed the effects of these future sources of vibration. |
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Combe Street, Chard |
Client: South Somerset District Council |
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A redundant commercial site was being developed for residential use with a combination of refurbishment of existing buildings and new build. The planning consent required that the developer prepare a scheme to protect residents from airborne noise and groundborne vibration from the adjoining industrial site, where machinery included a heavy guillotine. We undertook noise and vibration measurements of typical industrial operations and worked with the Architect and local planning authority to develop a mitigation strategy to enable the planning condition limiting noise and vibration to be discharged. |
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SCATS Feedmill, Micheldever |
Client: FPD Savills |
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The suitability of a commercial site, in use as an agricultural feed mill and distribution centre, for residential development was assessed. As the site was adjacent to a mainline railway, a noise and vibration survey was undertaken and a mitigation strategy, including control of groundborne vibration and structureborne noise from train pass-bys was developed to demonstrate that suitable criteria for housing could be met. |
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Rialto Homes |
Client: Rialto Homes plc |
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Rialto Homes has proposed residential development of sites adjacent to railways and we have undertaken measurement of groundborne vibration levels to determine likely building vibration and structureborne noise levels. Where these exceed national guidelines for noise and vibration in residential buildings, isolation of building structures has been proposed in mitigation. Vibration studies have been undertaken at sites in Kensal Green, London and Winnersh in Berkshire. |
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Central Edinburgh Traffic Management |
Client: Ove Arup Scotland |
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The City of Edinburgh Council is planning to prohibit all private transport from Princes Street, following the successful implementation of a one way traffic scheme. We prepared the vibration assessment for the Environmental Statement for the scheme. A specific study was carried out into the risk of vibration causing damage to Georgian cellars beneath the pavement on Queen Street. Expert evidence was given to the hearing into the objections to the scheme. |
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Tooling Products, Petersfield |
Client: Tooling Products Ltd |
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Tooling products manufactures large dies and moulds for plastics components for the automotive industry. These are machined from billets and vibration from the milling process had been alleged to be giving rise to noise and vibration in nearby residential properties. We measured representative vibration levels and were able to recommend a strategy to reduce vibration by optimising the depth of cut, enabling the planning conditions relating to noise and vibration for the site to be discharged |
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