CROSS Safety Report
Grandstands and dynamic crowd loads
This report is over 2 years old
Overview
A cantilever football stand vibrated when fans jumped in a synchronised manner and modifications had to be carried out to raise the natural frequency of the structure.
Key Learning Outcomes
For civil and structural design engineers:
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Careful consideration should be given to the dynamic response of grandstands to dynamic crowd loads
Full Report
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One report was of a cantilever football stand vibrating when fans jumped in a synchronised manner. The risk of panic amongst the fans or of collapse was clearly unacceptable. Modifications were carried out to raise the natural frequency of the structure.
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Expert Panel Comments
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This is a well documented issue but the message is worth repeating that appropriate knowledge of dynamics is still not widespread enough.