Re: cell phones and power lines

Paul Dormer <prd@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> An exception to the vertical insulators is what is called a corner
> tower.  A standard tower has little lateral strength.  If the line
> has to turn a corner, you build a corner tower which is braced so
> that the line doesn't pull it over.  The insulators take up the
> tension of the line, so they are pulled out almost horizontal.

That sounds strange to me.  Wires pulling in two directions at right
angles to each other ought to apply only about 40% more force to the
tower than a wire pulling in one direction.  And all towers must be
able to tolerate the latter, since otherwise whenever one wire went
down and stopped pulling on the tower, the wire on the other side
would pull the tower over, which would then cause the next tower to
topple in turn, then the next tower, then the next tower, for the
whole length of the line.

And, assuming the tower has a square base, it ought to have 40% more
resistance to toppling diagonally anyway.
-- 
Keith F. Lynch - http://keithlynch.net/
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