• Title/Summary/Keyword: tower structures

Search Result 450, Processing Time 0.026 seconds

Passive control system for seismic protection of a multi-tower cable-stayed bridge

  • Geng, Fangfang;Ding, Youliang;Song, Jianyong;Li, Wanheng;Li, Aiqun
    • Earthquakes and Structures
    • /
    • v.6 no.5
    • /
    • pp.495-514
    • /
    • 2014
  • The performance of passive control system for the seismic protection of a multi-tower cable-stayed bridge with the application of partially longitudinal constraint system is investigated. The seismic responses of the Jiashao Bridge, a six-tower cable-stayed bridge using the partially longitudinal constraint system are studied under real earthquake ground motions. The effects of the passive control devices including the viscous fluid dampers and elastic cables on the seismic responses of the bridge are examined by taking different values of parameters of the devices. Further, the optimization design principle of passive control system using viscous fluid dampers is presented to determine the optimized parameters of the viscous fluid dampers. The results of the investigations show that the control objective of the multi-tower cable-stayed bridge with the partially longitudinal constraint system is to reduce the base shears and moments of bridge towers longitudinally restricted with the bridge deck. The viscous fluid dampers are found to be more effective than elastic cables in controlling the seismic responses. The optimized parameters for the viscous fluid dampers are determined following the principle that the peak displacement at the end of bridge deck reaches to the maximum value, which can yield maximum reductions in the base shears and moments of bridge towers longitudinally restricted with the bridge deck, with slight increases in the base shears and moments of bridge towers longitudinally unrestricted with the bridge deck.

An analytical algorithm for assessing dynamic characteristics of a triple-tower double-cable suspension bridge

  • Wen-ming Zhang;Yu-peng Chen;Shi-han Wang;Xiao-fan Lu
    • Structural Engineering and Mechanics
    • /
    • v.90 no.4
    • /
    • pp.325-343
    • /
    • 2024
  • Triple-tower double-cable suspension bridges have increased confinement stiffness imposed by the main cable on the middle tower, which has bright application prospects. However, vertical bending and torsional vibrations of the double-cable and the girder are coupled in such bridges due to the hangers. In particular, the bending vibration of the towers in the longitudinal direction and torsional vibrations about the vertical axis influence the vertical bending and torsional vibrations of the stiffening girders, respectively. The conventional analytical algorithm for assessing the dynamic features of the suspension bridge is not directly applicable to this type of bridge. This study attempts to mitigate this problem by introducing an analytical algorithm for solving the triple-tower double-cable suspension bridge's natural frequencies and mode shapes. D'Alembert's principle is employed to construct the differential equations of the vertical bending and torsional vibrations of the stiffening girder continuum in each span. Vibrations of stiffening girders in each span are interrelated via the vibrations of the main cables and the bridge towers. On this basis, the natural frequencies and mode shapes are derived by separating variables. The proposed algorithm is then applied to an engineering example. The natural frequencies and mode shapes of vertical bending and torsional vibrations derived by the analytical algorithm agreed well with calculations via the finite element method. The fundamental frequency of vertical bending and first- and second-order torsion frequencies of double-cable suspension bridges are much higher than those of single-cable suspension bridges. The analytical algorithm has high computational efficiency and calculation accuracy, which can provide a reference for selecting appropriate structural parameters to meet the requirements of dynamics during the preliminary design.

Stability Evaluation of Earth Retaining Structure using Tower Truss System (새로운 무지보 흙막이 공법의 안정성 평가)

  • Kim, Young-Seok;Kim, Ju-Hyong;Kim, Young-Nam;Kim, Seong-Hwan;Lee, Sung-Reol
    • Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
    • /
    • 2009.09a
    • /
    • pp.1324-1329
    • /
    • 2009
  • Needs for underground space development and utilization have been increasing in urban area. The conventional strutting method in excavation is effective to restrain the ground movements and displacements of earth structures but inefficient for workers because of small working space. The conventional earth reinforcement methods such as earth-anchor and soil-nailing also have limitation to apply in urban area due to threats to stability of adjacent buildings around excavation boundaries. Recently, many types of earth retaining structures are being developed to overcome disadvantages of conventional excavation methods in urban area. In this study, a series of numerical analyses were performed with MIDAS GTS, geotechnical analysis program and MIDAS Civil, structural analysis design program to evaluate behavior and stability of the new type of non-supporting earth retaining structure, called Temporary Tower System (TTS), consisting of tower truss structures with much economical and spatial advantage.

  • PDF

Development of the Corrosion Deterioration Inspection Tool for Transmission Tower Members

  • Woo, Sangkyun;Chu, Inyeop;Youn, Byongdon;Kim, Kijung
    • KEPCO Journal on Electric Power and Energy
    • /
    • v.2 no.2
    • /
    • pp.293-298
    • /
    • 2016
  • Recently, interests for maintenance of transmission tower are increasing to extend life of structures and reduce maintenance cost. However, existing classical diagnosis method of corrosion deteriorated degree on the transmission tower steel members, visual inspection, has a problem that error often due to difference of inspector's individual knowledge and experience. In order to solve the problem, this study carried out to develop the corrosion deterioration inspection tool for transmission tower steel members. This tool is composed of camera equipment and computer-aided diagnosis system. We standardized the photographing method by camera equipment to obtain suitable pictures for image processing. Diagnosis system was designed to evaluate automatically degree of corrosion deterioration for member of transmission tower on the basis of the RGB color image processing techniques. It is anticipated that developed the corrosion deterioration inspection tool will be very helpful in decision of optimal maintenance time for transmission tower corrosion.

Investigation on the failure type of tower segments under equivalent static wind loads

  • Li, Yue;Xie, Qiang;Yang, Zheng
    • Wind and Structures
    • /
    • v.34 no.2
    • /
    • pp.161-171
    • /
    • 2022
  • This paper presents a failure type assessment curve method to judge the failure type of transmission tower segments. This novel method considers the equivalent static wind load characteristics and the transmission tower members' load-bearing capacities based on numerical simulations. This method can help judge the failure types according to the relative positions between the actual state points and the assessment curves of transmission tower segments. If the extended line of the actual state point intersects with the horizontal part's assessment curve, the segment would lose load-bearing capacity due to the diagonal members' failure. Another scenario occurs when the intersection point is in the oblique part, indicating that the broken main members have caused the tower segment to fail. The proposed method is verified by practical engineering case studies and static tests on the scaled tower segments.

Influence of multi-component ground motions on seismic responses of long-span transmission tower-line system: An experimental study

  • Tian, Li;Ma, Ruisheng;Qiu, Canxing;Xin, Aiqiang;Pan, Haiyang;Guo, Wei
    • Earthquakes and Structures
    • /
    • v.15 no.6
    • /
    • pp.583-593
    • /
    • 2018
  • Seismic performance is particularly important for life-line structures, especially for long-span transmission tower line system subjected to multi-component ground motions. However, the influence of multi-component seismic loads and the coupling effect between supporting towers and transmission lines are not taken into consideration in the current seismic design specifications. In this research, shake table tests are conducted to investigate the performance of long-span transmission tower-line system under multi-component seismic excitations. For reproducing the genuine structural responses, the reduced-scale experimental model of the prototype is designed and constructed based on the Buckingham's theorem. And three commonly used seismic records are selected as the input ground motions according to the site soil condition of supporting towers. In order to compare the experimental results, the dynamic responses of transmission tower-line system subjected to single-component and two-component ground motions are also studied using shake table tests. Furthermore, an empirical model is proposed to evaluate the acceleration and member stress responses of transmission tower-line system subjected to multi-component ground motions. The results demonstrate that the ground motions with multi-components can amplify the dynamic response of transmission tower-line system, and transmission lines have a significant influence on the structural response and should not be neglected in seismic analysis. The experimental results can provide a reference for the seismic design and analysis of long-span transmission tower-line system subjected to multi-component ground motions.

Seismic performance of a wall-frame air traffic control tower

  • Moravej, Hossein;Vafaei, Mohammadreza;Abu Bakar, Suhaimi
    • Earthquakes and Structures
    • /
    • v.10 no.2
    • /
    • pp.463-482
    • /
    • 2016
  • Air Traffic Control (ATC) towers play significant role in the functionality of each airport. In spite of having complex dynamic behavior and major role in mitigating post-earthquake problems, less attention has been paid to the seismic performance of these structures. Herein, seismic response of an existing ATC tower with a wall-frame structural system that has been designed and detailed according to a local building code was evaluated through the framework of performance-based seismic design. Results of this study indicated that the linear static and dynamic analyses used for the design of this tower were incapable of providing a safety margin for the required seismic performance levels especially when the tower was subjected to strong ground motions. It was concluded that, for seismic design of ATC towers practice engineers should refer to a more sophisticated seismic design approach (e.g., performance-based seismic design) which accounts for inelastic behavior of structural components in order to comply with the higher seismic performance objectives of ATC towers.

Response of double hinged articulated tower platforms to wind forces

  • Islam, Nazrul;Zaheer, Mohd Moonis;Ahmed, Suhail
    • Wind and Structures
    • /
    • v.12 no.2
    • /
    • pp.103-120
    • /
    • 2009
  • Articulated tower platforms due to its compliant nature are more susceptible to the dynamic effects of wind than conventional fixed platforms. Dynamic response analysis of a double hinged articulated tower excited by low frequency wind forces with random waves is presented in this paper. The exposed super structure of the platform, housing the drilling and production facilities is subjected to mean and fluctuating wind loads, while the submerged portion is acted upon by wind driven waves. The fluctuating component of the wind velocity is modeled by Emil Simiu's spectrum, while the sea state is characterized by Pierson-Moskowitz spectrum. Nonlinearities in the system due to drag force, added mass, variable submergence and instantaneous tower orientation are considered in the analysis. To account for these nonlinearities, an implicit time integration scheme (Newmark's-${\beta}$) has been employed which solves the equation of motion in an iterative fashion and response time histories are obtained. The power spectra obtained from random response time histories show the significance of low frequency responses.

FE model updating and seismic performance evaluation of a historical masonry clock tower

  • Gunaydin, Murat;Erturk, Esin;Genc, Ali Fuat;Okur, Fatih Yesevi;Altunisik, Ahmet Can;Tavsan, Cengiz
    • Earthquakes and Structures
    • /
    • v.22 no.1
    • /
    • pp.65-82
    • /
    • 2022
  • This paper presents a structural performance assessment of a historical masonry clock tower both using numerical and experimental process. The numerical assessment includes developing of finite element model with considering different types of soil-structure interaction systems, identifying the numerical dynamic characteristics, finite element model updating procedure, nonlinear time-history analysis and evaluation of seismic performance level. The experimental study involves determining experimental dynamic characteristics using operational modal analysis test method. Through the numerical and experimental processes, the current structural behavior of the masonry clock tower was evaluated. The first five experimental natural frequencies were obtained within 1.479-9.991 Hz. Maximum difference between numerical and experimental natural frequencies, obtained as 20.26%, was reduced to 4.90% by means of the use of updating procedure. According to the results of the nonlinear time-history analysis, maximum displacement was calculated as 0.213 m. The maximum and minimum principal stresses were calculated as 0.20 MPa and 1.40 MPa. In terms of displacement control, the clock tower showed only controlled damage level during the applied earthquake record.

Improved modeling of equivalent static loads on wind turbine towers

  • Gong, Kuangmin;Chen, Xinzhong
    • Wind and Structures
    • /
    • v.20 no.5
    • /
    • pp.609-622
    • /
    • 2015
  • This study presents a dynamic response analysis of operational and parked wind turbines in order to gain better understanding of the roles of wind loads on turbine blades and tower in the generation of turbine response. The results show that the wind load on the tower has a negligible effect on the blade responses of both operational and parked turbines. Its effect on the tower response is also negligible for operational turbine, but is significant for parked turbine. The tower extreme responses due to the wind loads on blades and tower of parked turbine can be estimated separately and then combined for the estimation of total tower extreme response. In current wind turbine design practice, the tower extreme response due to the wind loads on blades is often represented as a static response under an equivalent static load in terms of a concentrated force and a moment at the tower top. This study presents an improved equivalent static load model with additional distributed inertial force on tower, and introduces the square-root-of-sum-square combination rule, which is shown to provide a better prediction of tower extreme response.