Nonlmear analysis of transmission structures

A compact and practical nonlinear analytical method for modelling the global structural response of transmission towers is presented. The tower is modelled as an assembly of beam-column elements. The proposed formulation reduces greatly the number of elements required for accurate modelling of the nonlinear structural response. A lumped plasticity approach coupled with the concept of yield surface in force space is adopted for modelling material nonlinearity. A formex configuration formulation of the towers is used for automatic generation of data necessary for the analysis. The proposed method is used to analyse full scale transmission towers. A comparison between numerical and test results is presented.