Comparison of aeroelastic wind tunnel tests and frequency domain analyses of guyed mast dynamic response.

Although the dynamic response of telecommunication guyed masts in turbulent winds may be analyzed using a number of numerical models, limited experimental verification of the dynamic analysis results has been performed. Full-scale measurements, where available, have proven to be difficult to correlate with analytical models due to the uncertainty inherent in field measurements. As a result, the need for systematic validation and calibration of existing analytical models remains. A wind tunnel study was therefore undertaken on a dynamically scaled aeroelastic model of a 300 m guyed mast in turbulent boundary layer flow conditions. Dynamic responses measured during the wind tunnel tests are presented, including dynamic displacements, bending moments and peak factors, as well as natural frequencies and mode shapes. Comparisons are also made with results from an existing frequency domain analysis model. It was found that good agreement was generally achieved between the frequency domain analytical model and the wind tunnel tests with respect to both the magnitude and distribution of the monitored responses. Observed differences between mean and dynamic mast bending moment distributions in both the measured and predicted results support the contention that the conventional 'gust factor' wind loading approach is not suitable for guyed masts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]