Dynamic analysis of telecommunication tower for optimum modal combination and elemental discretization

Abstract

Over the past 35 years, the growing demand for wireless and broadcast communication has spurred a dramatic increase in steel telecommunication tower construction and maintenance. Failure of such structures due to severe earthquakes is a major concern. The Indian code suggests the detailed static and dynamic analysis provisions that are to be followed for lumped mass systems like buildings. In case of continuous structures the code only suggests the static analysis provisions in details. But, due to the lack of detailed Indian codal provisions for dynamic analysis of telecommunication tower, a comparative study using response spectrum method is being carried out with the help of suitable software for different ground level conditions in case of India. According to the theoretical approach of any structural dynamics problem, the structures without lumped mass system is considered as continuous system which is further idealized as a series of small elemental segments. Furthermore, the structural analysis of these elemental segments using the concept of Finite Element Method (FEM) is being carried out with the help of the mentioned software and the results of natural frequencies, time periods of the structure are compared to obtain the optimum number of elemental discretization along with the optimum method of modal combination.