The monitoring of a typical telecommunication tower under wind action of low mean velocity revealed significant amplitudes of oscillation, and raised concern about the risk of fracture initiation on welded joints. The structural behavior was analyzed with the aid of the experimentally obtained acceleration and strain signals plus measurements of the wind velocity and direction. This paper presents the results of the dynamic monitoring and the estimation of fatigue life, which was performed by using the Palgrem-Miner rule and the rainflow algorithm for cycles counting. To extend the predicted fatigue life and to attenuate the tower oscillations, a dynamic control system was designed and successfully installed, proving its efficiency.
Fatigue; wind; control system; vibrations; tower
