Mass timber floors are prone to human-induced vibration due to their light weight. Vibration serviceability limit design often governs the maximum allowable span of mass timber floors. The current design methods including the vibration-controlled span equation in CSA O86-19 and the design method in EC5 usually assume the mass timber floors are simply supported on rigid walls, which can’t be directly applied to floors being supported by beams. In this study, the vibration performance of mass timber floors including nailed laminated timber, dowel laminated timber, and cross laminated timber floor panels was investigated experimentally. The effect of various support conditions on the dynamic properties of mass timber floors was studied through modal testing, and the vibration acceptability of these floors under normal human walking was assessed by subjective evaluations. The test results indicated that the stiffness of the support significantly impacts the dynamic properties and vibration performance of the entire floor slab. The performance criterion specified in CSA O86 demonstrated potential for accurately predicting the vibration performance of beam-supported mass timber floors. However, both the vibration-controlled span equation and the beam stiffness equation were found to be insufficient for designing such floors. The vibration response-based design methods that utilize the ISO 10137 baseline curve showed inconsistencies across all groups. Dunkerley's system frequency prediction equations yielded overestimated results, while Kollar's method exhibited an average error within 5%, demonstrating promising potential for practical use. Further research is required to develop a reliable design approach for beam-supported mass timber floors.
