A steel Vierendeel sandwich plate used as a large-span lightweight floor structure for vibration comfort during crowd gatherings was considered. Taking the steel Vierendeel sandwich plate in Guizhou Museum as an example, through finite element transient analysis, the effects of the structural damping, pedestrian self-weight, floor span, surface concrete slab thickness, and structural parameters on the floor’s acceleration response distribution were deeply studied. According to the distribution characteristics of the acceleration response, a distribution model function was constructed, and a distribution Gauss model of the relationship between the peak acceleration response and the position of the steel Vierendeel sandwich plate was established. A field test of the sandwich plate under human-induced fixed-point excitation was carried out, and the model fitting results were compared with the actual test results. The results showed that the Gaussian model could effectively estimate the peak acceleration response at different positions on the floor. In addition, according to the distribution model, a comfort evaluation method based on the comfort assurance rate was proposed that could greatly reduce the representative value of the acceleration evaluation. The research results provide a reference for the comfort evaluation and corresponding vibration-reduction design of long-span steel Vierendeel sandwich plates.

As a new type of floor structure, steel vierendeel sandwich plates are widely applied in large‐span buildings with multiple storeys. Shear connectors are important stressed members of such plates. To evaluate the seismic performance of the shear connectors, a full‐scale test piece in two different connection forms, namely, A and B, is designed and tested under alternating load. Test analysis of the two connection specimens covers the failure modes, hysteresis curves, and main parameters (e.g., bearing capacity, ductility, stiffness degradation, and energy dissipation coefficient). The following results concerning type A connection are obtained: First, it exhibits good ductility and long yielding platform; second, elastoplasticity of steel is fully exerted with it; third, it absorbs and dissipates energy well with strong energy consumption; and fourth, when failure occurs, cracks usually happen in the heat‐affected zone of the weld in the core zone. The following conclusions about type B are drawn: first, it has large bearing capacity with high stiffness; also, when failure occurs, the ribbed stiffeners crack and flexion deformity happen.

The shear key in the reinforced concrete open‐web sandwich plate (RCOSP) is a block joint that connects with the top chord and the bottom chord. In order to understand the failure mode of the shear key and verify the accuracy of the current algorithm, a total of 9 test pieces are prepared and classified 3 groups were assigned longitudinal reinforcement (LR) ratios of 0.49%, 0.82%, and 1.24%, respectively. The horizontal concentrated static loading under simple support condition is carried out. The test results show that the shear key is horizontally cut and the concrete is pulled apart or crushed along the direction of chord width at the shear key‐chords area; the strain level of the concrete and stirrup of the shear key is lower averagely; the development of the horizontal displacement and the strain of the longitudinal bars of the test pieces goes through elastic, elastoplastic, and plastic stages; the ultimate load of the test pieces has almost no relationship with the reinforcement ratio of shear key but is controlled by the degree of crack development in the area where shear key connects with the chords. To avoid the current algorithm overestimating the shear capacity of shear key, the restricted condition of shear section is proposed. The finite element analysis (FEA) further verifies that the restricted condition of shear section proposed in this paper is reasonable and necessary.