Soil-Structure Interaction Analysis of Guyed Stacks Under Earthquake Force

Dynamic response of guyed stacks under earthquakes has been a topic of considerable interest to engineers for quite some time in the industry. However, it is only in recent times that underlying soil's effect on the structural behaviour during seismic events has been acknowledged. The present paper proposes a mathematical model to determine the seismic response of guyed stacks considering soil compliance. Adopting a substructure type technique, the paper demonstrates that the modal responses for the guyed stack are amplified with the decrease in stiffness of the underlying geologic medium. It also shows that the higher modes contribute significantly to the overall response and must be considered in analysis and design. The method proposed in this paper is analytical, does not require elaborate modelling efforts, and hence it is computationally attractive for engineers undertaking the design of such structures in the industry.