Crowd-induced rhythmic loading Available to Purchase

Grandstands and stadia experience dynamic loading owing to crowd action. Induced vibrations are greatest when a lively crowd is moving to a musical beat at the particular tempo that excites structural resonance. Experimental research is described that has shown that all crowd-induced rhythmic loading has two components: one which is synchronised with the beat and the other which is stochastic or random. Vertical loading owing to jumping or bobbing (feet permanently on the ground) is derived for groups of between five and 200 people listening to beats with constant tempos within the range 90 to 210 beats per minute (bpm). The synchronised component is proportional to crowd size while the stochastic component is proportional to the square root of the crowd size.