• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.517-529
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• 2009

A passive vibration mitigation architecture is proposed to damp transverse vibrations of guyed masts. The scheme is based on a number of pendula attached to the mast and tuned to the vibration modes to be controlled. This scheme differs from the well-known autoparametric pendulum absorber system. The equations of motion of the guyed mast with an arbitrary number of pendula are obtained. The leading bending behaviour of a typical truss mast is described by an equivalent beam model whereas the guys are conveniently modeled as equivalent transverse springs whose stiffness comprises the elastic and geometric stiffness. By assuming a mast with an inertially and elastically isotropic cross-section, a planar model of the guyed mast is investigated. The linearization of the equations of motion of the mast subject to a harmonic distributed force leads to the transfer functions of the structure without the dampers and with the dampers. The transfer functions allow to investigate the mitigation effects of the pendula. By employing one pendulum only, tuned to the frequency of the lowest mode, the effectiveness of the passive vibration potential in reducing the motion and acceleration of the top section of the mast is demonstrated.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.347-366
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• 2007

Guyed masts subjected to turbulent winds exhibit complex vibrations featuring many vibration modes, each of which contributes to various structural responses in differing degrees. This dynamic behaviour is further complicated by nonlinear guy cable properties. While previous studies have indicated that conventional frequency domain methods can reliably reproduce load effects within the mast, the system linearization required to perform such an analysis makes it difficult to relate these results directly to corresponding guy forces. As a result, the estimation of peak load effects arising jointly from the structural action of the mast and guys, such as leg loads produced as a result of guy reactions and mast bending moments, is uncertain. A numerical study was therefore undertaken to study peak load effects in a 295 m tall guyed mast acted on by simulated turbulent wind. Responses calculated explicitly from nonlinear time domain finite element analyses were compared with approximate methods in the frequency domain for estimating peak values of selected responses, including guy tension, mast axial loads and mast leg loads. It was found that these peak dynamic load effects could be accurately estimated from frequency domain analysis results by employing simple, slightly conservative assumptions regarding the correlation of related effects.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.215-229
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• 2024

Guyed mast structures exhibit characteristics such as high flexibility, low mass, small damping ratio, and large aspect ratio, leading to a complex wind-induced vibration response mechanism. This study analyzed the time- and frequency-domain characteristics of the wind-induced response of a guyed mast structure using measured acceleration response data obtained from the Shenzhen Meteorological Gradient Tower (SZMGT). Firstly, 734 sets of 1-hour acceleration samples measured from 0:00 October 1, 2021, to 0:00 November 1, 2021, were selected to study the vibration shapes of the mast and the characteristics of the generalized extreme value (GEV) distribution. Secondly, six sets of typical samples with different vibration intensities were further selected to explore the Gaussian property and modal parameter characteristics of the mast. Finally, the modal parameters of the SZMGT are identified and the identification results are verified by finite element analysis. The findings revealed that the guyed mast vibration shape exhibits remarkable diversity, which increases nonlinearly along the height in most cases and reaches a maximum at the top of the tower. Moreover, the GEV distribution characteristics of the 734 sets of samples are closer to the Weibull distribution. The probability distribution of the structural wind vibration response under strong wind is in good agreement with the Gaussian distribution. The structural response of the mast under wind loading exhibits multiple modes. As the structural response escalates, the first three orders of modal energy in the tower display a gradual increase in proportion.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.9 no.5
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• pp.397-412
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• 2006

This paper presents the wind excited acceleration responses of a 50 m guyed mast under the action of Typhoon Dujuan. The response of the structure is reconstructed from using a full finite element model and an equivalent beam-column model. The wind load is modelled based on the measured wind speed and recommendations for high-rise structures. The nonlinear time response analysis is conducted using the Newton Raphson iteration procedure. Comparative studies on the measured and computed frequencies and acceleration responses show that the torsional vibration of the structure is significant particularly in the higher vibration modes after the first few bending modes. The equivalent model, in general, gives less accurate amplitude predictions than the full model because of the omission of torsional stiffness of the mast in the vibration analysis, but the root-mean-square value is close to the measured value in general with an error of less than 10%.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.9 no.5
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• pp.387-396
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• 2006

This paper presents the wind characteristics of Typhoon Dujuan as measured at a 50 m guyed mast in Hong Kong. The basic wind speed, wind direction and turbulent intensity are studied at two measurement levels of the structure. The power spectral density of the typhoon is compared with the von Karman prediction, and the coherence between wind speeds at the two measurement levels is found to This paper presents the wind characteristics of Typhoon Dujuan as measured at a 50 m guyed mast in Hong Kong. The basic wind speed, wind direction and turbulent intensity are studied at two measurement levels of the structure. The power spectral density of the typhoon is compared with the von Karman prediction, and the coherence between wind speeds at the two measurement levels is found to compare with Davenport's prediction. The effect of typhoon Dujuan on the response of the structure will be discussed in a companion paper (Law, et al. 2006).with Davenport's prediction. The effect of typhoon Dujuan on the response of the structure will be discussed in a companion paper (Law, et al. 2006).

• 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.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.151-164
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• 2003

On the basis of the first Lyapunov stability theory, this paper develops a dynamic stability criterion for elastic structural systems under arbitrary dynamic loads, and shows the stability criterion using energy variation. After the dynamic stability criterion is validated through a classic example, it is used for the dynamic stability investigation of practical guyed masts under random wind loads. The criterion is reliable, simple and of advantage for structures with large number of elements and nodes. The slack guys and internal resonance between guys and mast are two main factors which induces the dynamic instability of guyed masts, at the same time, some dynamic stability characteristics of guyed masts are found.

• 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.

• Wind and Structures
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.41-52
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• 2003

Rain-wind induced vibrations of cables are a challenging problem in the design of cable-stayed bridges. The precise excitation mechanism of the complex interaction between structure, wind and rain is still unknown. A theoretical model that is able to accurately simulate the observed phenomena is not available. This paper presents a mathematical model describing rain-wind induced vibrations as movement-induced vibrations using the quasi-steady strip theory. Both, the vibrations of the cable and the movement of the water rivulet on the cable surface can be described by the model including all geometrical and physical nonlinearities. The analysis using the stability and bifurcation theory shows that the model is capable of simulating the basic phenomena of the vibrations, such as dependence of wind velocity and cable damping. The results agree well with field data and wind tunnel tests. An extensive experimental study is currently performed to calibrate the parameters of the model.