Failure Analysis of Transmission Line Towers

Transmission line towers, though designed per code provisions, may fail during mandatory testing required in many countries. Different types of premature failures that were observed during full-scale testing of transmission line towers at Tower Testing and Research Station, Structural Engineering Re...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of performance of constructed facilities 2011-06, Vol.25 (3), p.231-240
Main Authors: Prasad Rao, N, Samuel Knight, G. M, Seetharaman, S, Lakshmanan, N, Iyer, Nagesh R
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied sciences
Building failures (cracks, physical changes, etc.)
Building structure
Buildings. Public works
Computation methods. Tables. Charts
Construction (buildings and works)
Durability. Pathology. Repairing. Maintenance
Exact sciences and technology
Failure
Finite element method
High rise structure
Mathematical analysis
Mathematical models
Nonlinearity
Stations
Structural analysis. Stresses
TECHNICAL PAPERS
Towers
Transmission lines
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Summary:Transmission line towers, though designed per code provisions, may fail during mandatory testing required in many countries. Different types of premature failures that were observed during full-scale testing of transmission line towers at Tower Testing and Research Station, Structural Engineering Research Centre, Chennai (CSIR-SERC) are studied, and the results are discussed in detail. The failures are modeled using finite-element software, and the analytical results and the test results are compared with various code provisions. The nonlinear finite-element analysis program NE-Nastran was used to model the elastoplastic behavior of towers. Bracing members with slenderness ratios above 170 become ineffective, even though they have to carry insignificant forces. Importance of design assumptions and connection detailing in overall performance of towers were studied. Nonlinear finite-element analysis is useful in understanding the system behavior and for prediction of the failure pattern and ultimate load. Based on the test results, the importance of studying these failures is highlighted and significant conclusions were drawn.
ISSN:0887-3828
1943-5509
DOI:10.1061/(ASCE)CF.1943-5509.0000161