Features
Geometry with redundant members / defining multiple towers / girders
Project section selection
Preliminary design
Loads computation
3D space truss analysis
Design
Single line drawings
Pattern generation
Other features

Geometry with redundant members / defining multiple towers

Geometry of whole can be built in minutes using powerful and easy to use tower template and geometry generation tools. Readily available patterns can be used to build the tower / girder geometry. Option to define multiple towers / girders

Project section selection

Option to chose member sizes that will be used in the tower / girder design from a global section database. Various types assembled sections are automatically generated from the basic sections defined. The allowable shapes are:

Equal angles Single, double angle back-to-back, double angle star, quadruple angle star
Unequal angles Single, double angle back-to-back (on shorter flange, longer flange)
Circular sections

Preliminary design

Program assigns initial size for each tower / girder member for the purpose of determining the wind loads and self-weight of the tower before processing the tower for analysis. These initial member sizes are determined based on the basic design requirements (limiting L/r ratios, limiting min. thickness etc). These member sizes will be revised according to the member forces that are determined after the analysis.

Loads computation

• Automatic determination of wind loads, self weight, snow loads
• Automatic determination of wire loads (conductor / ground wire)

3D space truss analysis

The tower is idealized as a 3-D space-truss with 3 degrees of freedom. Comprehensive analysis by stiffness method is done by the module, for each tower combination and all the associated loading conditions. A powerful and proprietary equation solver (based on Gauss elimination method) is employed to solve the stiffness equations.

Auto modeling, which generates additional members (fictitious or stabilizing), is an inherent feature of iSWITCHYARD. There are different assemblages and situations that give rise to tricky problems like non-positive definiteness during solution of stiffness equations. In such cases, auto modeling stabilize the structure for proper solution of the stiffness equations. In addition, the designer can specify pairs of nodes to be connected by fictitious members of minimal area, in an input file.

Design

In addition to checking for primary design criteria laid down in the Predesign module, the members are checked for adequacy with respect to stress in tension and compression. The compressive stresses are calculated according to the formulae listed in the respective codes, adopted for the design.

The available design codes are:

Single line drawings

• Single line design drawings are generated automatically. These can be
           exported to AutoCAD/Microstation.
• Option to create design results in the tabular form (dxf format)

Pattern generation

The library of patterns used for superimposition on the tower profile, in the 3-D geometry generation module, is created using iSWITCHYARD's proprietary, flexible and easy geometry generation tools.

• More than 1500 patterns used in various towers available in the Pattern Library

Other Features

• Database for 3-D Patterns, properties of conductor/ groundwire
• Gust /Drag factors, Angle sizes, Material Properties( Steels & Bolts)
           (All database are open-ended and user can upgrade these)
• Automatic determination of effective length factors for member design
• Online Interactive Design Calculator with a link to design module
  
• Extensive graphic support (zooming, panning, rotation, geometry filters)
• Supply cost with actual price for different sizes in MS, HT, SHT
• Report DXF formats
• Tension only members
• Automatic Design iterations till convergence
• Powerful Auto-Stabilization algorithm
• Automatic determination of design effective lengths
• Design Checking by fixing the member sizes and the bolts
• Option to Design Checking by fixing the member sizes and the bolts