Bolt Joint Effects on the Ultimate Bearing Capacity of a Lattice Transmission Tower with Non-uniform Settlement

Abstract

The importance of bolt joint effects on lattice transmission towers has been observed and studied for a long time. Foundation subsidence, which happens in the frozen ground and coal mined-out domain, may bring damages or destruction of lattice transmission towers due to non-uniform settlements. However, some towers can still work well even though their actual deformations exceed the predicted ultimate values. This is because the bolt joints are simplified as rigid or pinned connections in the conventional analysis. In this paper, a finite element model considering bolt joints is established and the effects of bolt joints on a lattice transmission tower with three cases of non-uniform settlement are numerically investigated. This work can provide a better reference to the safety evaluation for lattice transmission towers with non-uniform settlement.