Load-carrying behavior of tranmission-tower connected foundations subjected to different load directions

摘要

Connected foundations comprise an effective option for improving the mechanical performance of transmission tower foundations. In this study, the load-carrying behavior of connected foundations for transmission tower structures was investigated focusing on the effect of the load direction based on the field experimental testing program. Improved performances of connected foundations were observed for load directions of both theta=0 degrees and 45 degrees considered in this study. The downward settlements at the compressive side for theta=45 degrees were larger than those for theta=0 degrees, while the upward displacements were similar. For both Vertical and lateral displacements, the use of connected foundations was more effective for theta=45 degrees, and the effectiveness became more pronounced as the connection-beam stiffness increased. However, the lateral load-carrying capacities for theta=0 degrees and 45 degrees were not significantly different for all connection-beam conditions. From the prototype-scaled model load tests, it was confirmed that the use of connected foundations for transmission tower structures is similarly effective for different load directions. Based on the test results, it was suggested that a unified design methodology is applicable for the stability analysis of transmission tower structures subjected to different load directions. (C) 2015 The Japanese Geotechnical Society. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.