The design of a steel lattice transmission tower in Central Europe

The current paper resumes the design of a steel lattice transmission tower carried out in the framework of the RFCS-funded research project ANGELHY. The scope of ANGELHY is the establishment of analysis methods for lattice towers and the development of design rules for steel and hybrid angle sections, as well as built-up members composed of angles. In Europe, the design of transmission towers for overhead electrical lines can be carried out according to EN 1993-3-1: 2006 or for electrical lines exceeding 1 kV according to EN 50341-1: 2012. Both standards prescribe linear elastic global analyses for the design of steel lattice towers. In the current paper, the linear elastic design of the suspension transmission tower according to the German National Annex of EN 50341-1:2012 is presented. In a first step, common typologies of lattice transmission towers used in Europe are described. In a second step, the chosen tower typology is explained in detail. The Danube tower represents the widest spread tower typology in Europe. Finally, the detailed design procedure of the tower according to EN 50341-1:2012 is presented. The design is carried out with the software TOWER – Version 15.0 from Power Line Systems.