Influence of Flexibility on the Fatigue Performance of the Base Plate Connection in High-Mast Lighting Towers
Publication: Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 136, Issue 3
Abstract
This study investigates the effect of base connection geometry on base plate flexibility and the fatigue performance of multisided high-mast lighting towers. Three parametric studies investigating the effect of base plate thickness, tube wall thickness, and anchor rod configuration are discussed in this paper. The results of this study show that of the geometric parameters considered, base plate thickness has the largest influence on the stresses in the tube wall adjacent to the weld toe. By increasing the base plate thickness of the tower, significant improvement to the fatigue life is observed because the maximum stress, and hence stress range, at the base plate-to-tube wall thickness is reduced due to a reduction in local bending in the tube wall.
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Acknowledgments
The research was in part, sponsored by the Iowa Department of Transportation and the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Technology Alliance (PITA) Program. The writers are also grateful to Mr. Carl Macchietto and Valmont industries for their input regarding the detailing and fabrication of high-mast lighting towers.
References
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Structural Engineering
Volume 136 • Issue 3 • March 2010
Pages: 324 - 329
Copyright
© 2010 ASCE.
History
Received: Jun 2, 2008
Accepted: Sep 30, 2009
Published online: Feb 12, 2010
Published in print: Mar 2010
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