[TowerTalk] Guying a self-supporting tower - Yes

[Steve Maki]

Jim Lux wrote:

> 2) A more fundamental question would be is there any configuration (i.e.
> combination of stiffness and strength) where the guyed column would fail and
> the canteliever beam would not, with the same lateral load.  This would
> answer the "it can't possibly happen question", since all you need is one
> example where a plausible structure will fail with guys but not without.

This is the question I'm interested in. Because if it turns out that
it's difficult to design even a ridiculous structure that is weakened
by guys, some good light will be shed.

> This is a bit tricky.  There are a raft of handy formulas and rules of thumb
> for things like steel tube with uniform diameter, but I suspect that a
> lattice work tower is pretty far from that, and some fundamental assumption
> in the rule of thumb will be violated.

It seems to me that a long slender tube would be a good place to start.

I can picture a test jig pretty easily for a little empirical testing.

Steve K8LX