Analysis of Transmission Tower Load-Bearing Characteristics Under Geological Settlement Conditions

Geological disasters easily cause settlement and displacement of transmission tower foundations, which undermines the structural stability of towers and seriously threatens the safe and reliable operation of power grids. To investigate the mechanical behavior of towers under settlement conditions, a refined finite element model of the tower-line system was established. Stability analyses were then performed under three typical settlement scenarios: single foundation settlement, double-foundation settlement (longitudinal and transverse), and triple-foundation settlement (uniform and non-uniform). Weak points of the tower were identified using a failure criterion that accounts for slenderness ratio, width-to-thickness ratio, and yield strength, and the results indicate that the vulnerable components are mainly concentrated in the diagonals of the second transverse plane, the tower body diagonals above this plane, and the tower leg regions. The findings provide important references for design optimization and targeted safety monitoring of transmission towers in settlement-prone geological areas.