Does your house shake when trucks drive by?

[phusion]

I live about 2 houses from a six-lane city street. They must be diverting traffic from the freeway or something today because there are countless large trucks/semis/18-wheelers driving past.

The problem is, whenever one drives by, my house shakes and the doors rattle. It's damned annoying...

This is freakin strange...never noticed it before. Do I live on a marsh or something??

[kick-ass-bob]

1. I used to live in an apt bldg that was

about 3 car lengths from a Hwy bypass.
Lots of rattling...

[BrklynLiberal]

2. I live on a deadend street now, so it does not happen any more, but

my previouis apartment was in a two-family house on a street with a lot of traffic. Every time a big truck drove by, the entire house shook rattled and rolled. It is the vibrations from the big trucks. Probably a recent highway traffic diversion.

[McKenzie]

3. if it's steel-framed that might exacerbate the vibes

Older buildings have mass walls that carry the load of the roof and the walls throughout their depth. In effect, the entire wall is a structural element. Vibration is less damaging to these type of structures, unless the building has a large number of large window openings relative to the wall area. The wall has sufficient mass to absorb the vibes at lower floor levels.

Steel frames carry loads in a different way and vibrate up their entire height because the steelwork quivers. The walling is self-supporting and is usually isolated from the vibes.

The biggest risk is movement of the structure and cracking, regardless of the structural system. You'll notice if that happens; even a small amount of movement will crack window panes and doors will start to bind within their frames.

Big problem and difficult to prove. There are procedures that can be used to determine how the vibration waves move from the ground plane into the structure. Expensive and often inconclusive though.

edit: speling

[phusion]

4. Good info thx...

I bet it is steel-framed...And I'm on the second floor.

Very strange that the vibrations can transfer that far (about 45-50 feet).