Seismic analysis of guyed towers-Part I: bending moment and axial force responses

This paper presents the first part of a comprehensive numerical study investigating the seismic responses of guyed towers in different earthquake zones. For this purpose, nonlinear dynamic time history analyses were performed on nine towers (ranging from 60 to 519 meters) using 24 sets of earthquakes with a 50-year return period of 2% and 10% in Canada and the USA. This paper describes the details of towers, numerical modeling, and ground motions. The results of the bending moment and axial force of the towers are discussed. Furthermore, prediction equations for determining the maximum bending moment and axial force of towers in different earthquake zones are proposed. The results obtained from these proposed equations are compared with existing literature and show good agreement. Consequently, it can be concluded that the developed equations can be used for practical applications in designing guyed towers for bending moment and axial force.