Abstract
The aim of the present work is to investigate the static and dynamic nonlinear behaviour of a cable-stayed tower. A continuous structural model of a slender tower is discretized by the finite element method. First the buckling and post-buckling behaviour of the tower under axial load is explored, in order to understand the influence of the cable stiffness and lateral restrain on the load carrying capacity of the tower. Then, the linear vibration modes and frequencies are obtained. Due to the inherent symmetries of the tower, coincident buckling loads and vibration frequencies are obtained. This may lead to interactive buckling and internal resonance, increasing the effect of the geometric nonlinearities on the response. The results show that the tower exhibits a highly nonlinear response, which must be considered with care in the design stage.
Highlights
Slender guyed towers are used to support broadcasting antennas, for meteorological measurements, power transmission, etc
Their results show that the inherent symmetries and post-buckling solutions have a marked influence on the underlying potential function and, on the nonlinear dynamics of the system
In order to understand the behaviour of the continuous system and infer if it exhibits the same type and degree of nonlinearity of the discrete model, a 100m tall tower clamped at the base and supported laterally by three guys inclined at 600 and distributed around the tower is considered
Summary
Slender guyed towers are used to support broadcasting antennas, for meteorological measurements, power transmission, etc. Modern tall guyed towers constructed of high-strength and lightweight materials are highly flexible and lightly damped. These structures present non-linear behaviour even under working conditions [1]. The main source of nonlinearity is the change of stiffness of the guys due to the variation of stresses. They may exhibit undesired vibrations under environmental loads such as wind and earthquakes. Static and dynamic instabilities and non-linear vibration of these structures are important design concerns
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