ABSTRACT
The stability and analysis of tall guyed towers is not a simple problem to solve. The governing equilibrium equations are not linear equations, and instability is not a bifurcation problem. There are various approaches to the design, most of which use the member effective length factors, and which are based on the unsupported length of the mast between the guy support points. Complications arise from the fact that under horizontal loading, the guy support points are also moving. An iterative procedure to find the initial horizontal force is therefore required in the initial analysis, before reverting to the use of finite element software and performing a non-linear analysis on the mast system.
