• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.69 no.5
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• pp.567-577
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• 2019

Guyed steel lattice towers (or guyed masts) are widely used for supporting antennas for telecommunications and broadcasting. This paper presents a numerical study on the static and dynamic response of guyed towers. Three-dimensional nonlinear finite-element models are used to simulate the response. Through performing static pushover analyses and free-vibration (modal) analyses, the effect of different bracing configurations is investigated. In addition, seismic analyses are performed on towers of different heights to study the influence of earthquake excitation time-lag (or the earthquake travel distance between tower anchors) and antenna weight on the seismic response of guyed towers. The results show that the inclusion of time lag in the seismic analysis of guyed towers can influence shear and moment distribution along the height of the mast. Moreover, it is found that the lateral response is insensitive to bracing configurations. The results also show that, depending on the mast height, an increased antenna weight can reduce the tower maximum base shear while other response quantities, such as cables tension force are found to be insensitive to variation in the antenna weight.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.635-649
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• 2006

The static and dynamic responses of guyed telecommunication towers can be determined by using two models, the space truss element model, and the equivalent beam-column element model. The equivalent beam-column analysis is based on the determination of the equivalent shear, torsion, and bending rigidities as well as the equivalent area of the guyed mast. In the literature, two methods are currently available to determine the equivalent properties of lattice structures, namely: the unit load method, and the energy approach. In this study, an equivalent beam-column analysis is introduced based on an equivalent thin plate approach for lattice structures. A finite-element modeling, using suitably modified ABAQUS software, is used to investigate the accuracy of utilizing the different proposed methods in determining the static and dynamic responses of a guyed tower of 364.5-meter high subjected to static and seismic loading conditions. The results from these analyses are compared to those obtained from a finite-element modeling of the actual structure using 3-D truss and beam elements. Good agreement is shown between the different proposed beam-column models, and the model of the actual structure. However, the proposed equivalent thin plate approach is simpler to apply than the other two approaches.