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[TowerTalk] Rohn HD48BX Design and failure

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Subject: [TowerTalk] Rohn HD48BX Design and failure
From: K7LXC@aol.com (K7LXC@aol.com)
Date: Sun, 6 Jul 1997 09:27:39 -0400 (EDT)
In a message dated 97-07-05 22:03:20 EDT, WG0M@aol.com writes:

> I need data that will support how towers fail, that is, they usually
collapse
>  in on themselves.  Is there any published documentation that details this
>  type of failure.  Or, consider comercial towers (NSP Electric, etc.) 
> failures
>  as an example.  This may convince the city gods that towers fail in a
>  predictable manner.

     There is a circulated paper by a PE that documents failures of guyed
towers. It's known as the Gunnar Olsen study and is a draft from 1985. A copy
is available for an SASE and two stamps from TOWER TECH, Box 572,
Woodinville, WA, 98072.  

     The Olsen study does illustrate that guyed towers typically collapse
into a circle with a radius about 30% of the height of the tower.
Freestanding towers do not follow this scenario.

     If you are interested in information relating to freestanding towers
failures, this isn't it. It's been my experience that one typical BX failure
happens about 2/3's of the way up the tower. Normally one would expect a
self-supporting tower to fail at the base and fall its length in one piece. 

73,  Steve   K7LXC

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