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Re: [TowerTalk] Phillystran Tension Gage

To: towertalk@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Phillystran Tension Gage
From: Ken Alker <ka6ken@alker.net>
Date: Sun, 25 Jul 2021 10:56:45 -0700
List-post: <mailto:towertalk@contesting.com>
I'm new to this, but did a lot of research and found that the Loos PT2 appears to be calibrated for wire with a breaking strength of 4545-5000 lbs, while the Rohn 3/16EHS500 wire has a breaking strength of 3990 lbs. I assume, based on specs on various types of wire rope found at <http://www.wcwr.com/catalog/webcat.pdf>, that the Loos PT2 is calibrated more for 1x19 Stainless Steel type 304 wire rope used for sailboat rigging (4700 lbs) rather than zinc coated 3/16EHS500 (3990 lbs). Here is my math based upon the chart found on the Loos gauge (from the web site quoted by Tim, below):

LBS   %  LBS/%
----  --  -----
240   5  4800
300   6  5000
420   9  4666
500  11  4545
640  14  4571
840  18  4666
1030  22  4681
1240  26  4769

In conclusion, perhaps one should pay more attention to the "LBS TENSION" portion of the Loos chart than the "% BREAK STRENGTH" if using the Loos for 3/16" EHS (assuming it deflects in the same way that the sailboat wire rope deflects), or one may overtension their guys. (Although, perhaps the error when tensioning to 10% of breaking strength when tensioning to 400lbs, or 600lbs in the case of Phillstran, isn't big enough to worry about?)

Even then, however, I'm very curious as to why the Loos numbers are all over the map (4545-5000) rather than consistent at one breaking strength; it is not just rounding error since their "LBS TENSION" appears to be +-10 lbs.

Ken, KA6KEN


--On Tuesday, July 13, 2021 12:09 AM -0400 Tim Duffy <k3lr@k3lr.com> wrote:

The required steel leaders at the ground ends are in series with your
Phillystan - no worries - so no problem for the Loos Gage.

https://www.dxengineering.com/parts/loo-pt-2

73,
Tim K3LR @ DX Engineering.com

-----Original Message-----
From: TowerTalk [mailto:towertalk-bounces@contesting.com] On Behalf Of
John Keating
Sent: Monday, July 12, 2021 11:53 PM
To: towertalk@contesting.com; kb8nnu@yahoo.com
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Phillystran Tension Gage

Hi Dave,

After searching far and wide to come to the conclusion there is none
commercially available, I built my own tension gauge based on a suggestion
from K6OK who did the engineering on my tower. It involved a 6' 2x4 with
pulleys at each end and required calibrating the deflection under load of
the phillystran in the center of the span between the pulleys using a pull
gauge (I used a cheap fishing scale). You can sanity check the results
with a bit of trigonometry.



John



On 7/12/2021 7:22 AM, Dave Eagle wrote:

Hello,

I recently put up a 40' Glen Martin tower with phillystran guys
(.22").?? I
was looking for a way? to measure the tension on the Phillystran >to
balance the install out.? I was originally thinking I could utilize the
Loos PT-1 or PT-2 but the ranges don't match the manufacturers >specs.?
The GM docs that I have call for 100-175 lbs.

Is there anything available to measure the force in that range that will
take a .22" phillystran?

Thanks,

DaveKB8NNU



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