Analytical Investigation of the Effects of Secondary Structural Members on the Structural Behaviors of Transmission Towers

Abstract

High-voltage transmission towers consist of structures that are designed to avoid the risk of electric shock and prevent the risk of collapse. Hence, for efficiency, they are generally designed as high-rise towers. The main tower posts are the primary structural members that resist loads under various load conditions. Therefore, the contribution of the secondary members to securing the stiffness and strength of the main posts by reducing the effective buckling length is an important one. However, we lack detailed secondary member design criteria. In this study, we observed the structural effects of the horizontal members and braces on the torsional stiffness, elastic buckling strength, and load-carrying capacity of a transmission tower using various structural analysis methods, including linear elastic, eigenvalue, and geometric nonlinear and inelastic analyses, under governing load combinations. According to the analytical results, it is the brace spacing rather than the horizontal members that substantially affects the structural performance. Therefore, we can minimize the number of horizontal members if we erect sufficient brace members. If the brace spacing is wide, then the horizontal members should be erected to create K bracing, thereby enhancing the buckling resistance of the main posts.