[TowerTalk] accident

[Chris Wendling]

Tightly tensioned guy wires can put many times the compressive load of a single climber on a tower.
  
  If a tower were suspect, (or maybe just as a good precaution), the guy  wires should be tensioned and measured with a Loos guage to their  maximum recommended tension, as a load test, before climbing..
  
  This will load the tower in compression to many times the weight of a  climber, and if a compressive failure were to occur, it would happen  before a climber went up.
  
  Then the tension of the guys should be set to a minimum safe amount  before climbing. This takes the compressive load off of the tower,  reducing the probability of this failure mode. Internal rust and other  structural defects like stress cracks or metal fatigue are difficult to  detect by inspection.  Load testing before climbing an old or  suspect tower is good insurance.
  
  Chris-AI4MI

"Richard J. Fiero II W5TFW" <w5tfw at arrl.net> wrote:  this tower wasnt close to the coast, and was on high ground,  the base of 
the tower wasnt below ground level,
I have no explanation for what happened, but I know I am in a wheel chair 
now !

                                                         Joey
A.R.S. W5TFW
Richard J. Fiero II
Laptop.... 


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