best tower analysis software
best tower analysis software
(OP)
What software would you recommend for telecommunication tower analysis/design projects?
TSTower, MSTower, TnxTower, GUYMASTER
What are using and what are their advantages?
Guymast also has INSPECTOWER program that looks like a very good tool for tower inspectors. Did somebody use it?
TSTower, MSTower, TnxTower, GUYMASTER
What are using and what are their advantages?
Guymast also has INSPECTOWER program that looks like a very good tool for tower inspectors. Did somebody use it?






RE: best tower analysis software
Under the current TIA, you have to do seismic design on each tower, and the IBC no longer blankedly defers to TIA either.
Mike McCann, PE, SE (WA)
RE: best tower analysis software
That's not entirely true. You merely have to demonstrate the seismic forces are less than 50% of the wind forces. And, that's usually the case... even in high seismic zones. It just usually takes some extra effort to demonstrate that.
I built an example (back when TnxTower was still RISATower) of an SST in the highest seismic zone in the US (Sds - 1.69 and Sd1 = 1.17) located in a reasonable wind zone (80mph) and I found the following:
Method 1 (equivalent static) force = 85% of wind shear
Method 2 (equivalent modal) force = 65% of wind shear
Method 3 (modal response spectra analysis) = 43% of wind shear
This was put together originally as TnxTower / RISATower training materials. All told, it took me 14 pages of increasing complexity to eventually demonstrate that none of my work was really required.
RE: best tower analysis software
Mike McCann, PE, SE (WA)
RE: best tower analysis software
Their main focus is my T-Line world but they can handle telecom type towers also. I'm sure that they do not do seismic but if you have a guyed mast with all the sections having the same geometry and member sizes, you can quickly copy and paste sections on top of one another to build very tall masts. You can also specify linear appurtenances of waveguides and equipment areas.
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I have been called "A storehouse of worthless information" many times.
RE: best tower analysis software
RE: best tower analysis software
We use tnxTower. It can be cumbersome to use at times, especially with towers that have complicated geometries. As msquared48 indicated, tnxTower does export to RISA-3D which is versatile and useful for special applications. I cannot speak for the other programs, but would be interested in what others think about them.
I am not sure if you have to do seismic design on each tower. As per ANSI-TIA-222-G-2 (Addendum 2):
2.7 Earthquake Loads
2.7.3 General
"Earthquake effects may be ignored for structures assigned to structure Class I in accordance with Table 2-1 or for any structure located in a region where the earthquake spectral response acceleration at short periods(Ss) from 2.7.5 is less than or equal to 1.00. Further, for structures without irregularities as described in Table 2-9, earthquake effects may be ignored when the total seismic shear is less than 50% of the total horizontal wind load without ice."
2.7.5 references Ss periods given in Annex B and Appendix 1 except as provided by 2.7.5.1.
Annex B references ASCE7-05
Here in the Midwest we rarely encounter a site that has a Ss greater than 1.00, save Southern Illinois/Missouri. However, I imagine if you are in area with high seismicity this would be a concern.
ANSI-TIA-222-H is supposed to come out in Spring 2016, however it seems that the revised TIA code would address topography, mounts, potential fatique, exposure and load factors.
http://www.wirelessestimator.com/windgeneral.cfm
RE: best tower analysis software
The program automatically defaults to no ice with cat 1.
Mike McCann, PE, SE (WA)
RE: best tower analysis software
Full seismic analysis for towers is not widely enforced amongst areas where the 2012 IBC has been adopted, but technically it is required.
RE: best tower analysis software
RE: best tower analysis software
RE: best tower analysis software
The single angle compression equations take into account the normal framing eccentricities as specified in ASCE 10 which are based on many full scale tests.
The nice aspect of PLS Tower is the load generation from PLS-CADD where the wire loads and wind loads are automatically calculated and applied. If you use GTStrudl, you will have to correctly calculate the wire tension for all the different load cases with the wind on the wires. If you only analyze tangent towers with 0 line angle, the tension does not matter, but when an angle is involved you have wind normal to one span and at an angle to the other side which changes the wire tension and introduces a longitudinal load. We routinely run 100 load cases on our towers and have a library of hundreds of tower models.
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I have been called "A storehouse of worthless information" many times.