Generation, Analysis, and Design of Towers and Masts | Dlubal Software

The following technical article describes the creation of a user-defined platform for use on a four-sided tower in the RF-/TOWER add-on modules. First, start with an empty model of the 3D type and define four nodes. The numbering and position of these nodes are very important here.

Lattice towers represent typical applications in steel construction. Examples of this special type of truss structure are antenna and overhead line towers, as well as columns for wind power stations, cable cars, and supporting frame constructions. The modeling can be done individually in RFEM and RSTAB by entering various tower elements. Furthermore, you can use different copy functions and parameterized input options. However, this procedure normally requires considerable effort. It is more convenient to model such structures using prefabricated catalog elements provided by the Block Manager. These elements are automatically stored in the database during program installation. Thus, you can use tower segments, platforms, antenna brackets, cable ducts, and so on as parameterized building blocks for generating diverse tower structures.

After the calculation, RF-/JOINTS Steel - Column Base displays the following design results:

• Net section design
• Bearing resistance design
• Shear
• Block shear resistance
• Sliding

After you have selected the joint type, the connection category, and the design standard in the first input window, you can define the node to be imported from RFEM/RSTAB and to be used for the design of the joint in Window 1.2. Optionally, you can define the connection geometry manually.

In the other input windows, you can then define the parameters of the connection, such as The loading is imported from RFEM/RSTAB or, in the case of manual joint definition, loads are entered.

• Wide range of joint types, for example:
  • Bolted connection of diagonals without gusset plate 2D
  • Bolted connection of diagonals without gusset plate 3D
  • Bolted column joint
• T-, K-, and KT-joints considered for connections of diagonals
• Various categories of connections:
  • A - shear/hole bearing connection
  • B - slip-resistant connection at serviceability limit state
  • C - slip-resistant connection at ultimate limit state
• Bolt strength classes of 4.6 - 10.9
• Bolt diameters M12 - M42
• Modifiable bolt spacing
• Visualization of the entire connection in the view window