This paper discusses the dynamic load amplification factors of guy wires in a guyed communication tower due to sudden rupture of one guy wire, which could cause tower failure due to subsequent dynamic effects and overstresses in the remaining members. The effect of guy initial tension on the load amplification factor was also studied. A total of 348 guy rupture tests on small-scale tower specimens with two different initial tensions of guy wires were carried out. The guy tensions in intact guy wires were measured before and after the rupture and the results were compared with those obtained from dynamic finite element analysis and also from the widely used Eurocode simplified analytical method. Based on the experimental investigation, the dynamic load amplification factors for intact guy wires were found to be ranging from 1.45 to 2.21 for guy wires with initial tensions of 10% of their breaking strength and from 1.43 to 1.96 for guy wires with initial tensions of 20% of their breaking strength. This investigation showed that doubling the initial tension (from 10% to 20% of the breaking strength) resulted in a decrease of the load amplification factor of a maximum of 11%. These results are confirmed with the dynamic finite element analysis results. However, the dynamic load amplification factors obtained from the simplified Eurocode analytical method are 32% higher on average than those obtained from the experimental investigation.
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