Nonlinear Performance of Steel Tube Tower in Ultra-High Voltage Transmission Lines under Wind Loads

As complex, statically indeterminate structures, transmission towers are subject to complex forces and are usually simplified into truss structures that only consider the effects of axial force. When the load and deformation of a tower are small, it is reasonable to carry out analysis according to the linear elasticity theory. However, the height of an ultra-high voltage (UHV) transmission tower is significantly large, meaning that the calculation result according to the current elastic analysis method often has a large deviation from the actual stress of the structure. With the influence of the bending moment at the end of the member, a numerical model is established considering the influence of geometric nonlinearity and material nonlinearity in this paper. The stress distribution characteristics and development law of UHV transmission towers in linear and nonlinear stress states are analyzed and studied. The real tower test and elastoplastic ultimate bearing capacity analysis show that the elastoplastic analysis is closer to the actual tower. The UHV steel pipe tower designed according to the linear elasticity and small deformation theory has a large safety margin under the design load, resulting in a significant waste of materials. Under the action of heavy load, the tower exhibits strong nonlinearity, and the influence of geometric and material nonlinear factors should be fully considered when designing the structural components in UHV transmission towers.