A COMPARATIVE CRITERIA METHOD FOR TELECOMMUNICATIONS TOWERS WITH DIFFERENT TOPOLOGICAL DESIGNS

Abstract

This paper presents an investigation of different topological designs of steel-frame towers for the purpose of telecommunications usage, where the antennas are mounted at the top of the tower. The towers are subjected to different loads, such as self-weight, antenna loads, wind loads, ice loads and their combination (wind has an effect on iced towers because of the increased surface area). The results of the load impacts are compared to each other on the basis of comparative criteria, such as the criteria of ultimate limit states, the criteria of angular rotation at the antenna mounting, the structural mass criteria and economic evaluation of the structures. The comparison revealed some of the structural features of each topological design.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.mech.18.2.1566