Structural performance of an electricity tower under extreme loading using the applied element method- A case study

The resiliency of electricity transmission and distribution lines towards natural and man-made hazards is critical to the operation of cities and businesses. The extension of these lines throughout the country increases their risk of extreme loading conditions. This paper investigates a unique extreme loading condition of a 100-year old distribution line segment that passes across a river and got entangled with a boom of a ship. The study adopts the Applied Elements Method (AEM) for simulating 54 cases of the highly deformable structural behaviour of the tower. The most significant effects on the tower's structural integrity were found to occur when applying the load with components in all three of the cartesian directions (i.e., X, Y and Z) with the full capacities of the four cables. The studied extreme loading condition was determined to be within the tower's structural integrity were found to occur when applying the load with components in all three of the cartesian directions (i.e., X, Y and Z) with the full capacities of the four cables. The studied extreme loading condition was determined to be within the tower