Impact of wind loads on the resistance capacity of the transmission tower subjected to ground surface deformations

In this paper, two 1:2 scaled substructure models for a typical 110 kV transmission tower were designed and fabricated. The scaled tower substructure models were tested subjected to the stretching movements of horizontal ground surface under different wind load conditions. The wind speeds were assumed to be 15 m/s and 30 m/s, respectively in this study. The deformations of the tested tower models and the stresses and strains within the different members of the tower were fully measured. A large amount of the comprehensive test data was generated. Also a FE model using ANSYS was developed and validated by the test data. The research indicated that wind load has a significant unfavourable influence on the resistance of the transmission tower subjected to the ground surface deformation. Also the research showed that it is possible to use the FE model for the analysis and design of power transmission towers under ground surface movements.