Wind Loads and Wind-Induced Responses of Guangzhou New TV Tower

The Guangzhou New TV Tower with a height of about 610 m is presently the tallest TV tower in the world. Wind loads and wind effects are the key factors dictating the design of the structure. A wind-resistance study on the tower has thus been made. The entire tower was divided into 19 sections and models for each section were individually wind tunnel tested using the high-frequency balance technique in specially simulated turbulent wind fields. Descriptions of the sectional tower models, the experimental method and the test results are presented in the paper. The test results were then made use of in computing wind induced responses, including tower displacements, accelerations and internal forces, taking modal coupling effects into account. The whipping effects of the antenna on the responses, especially on accelerations were quantified, can be found. The equivalent static wind loads acting on the structure are also provided in the paper.