Capacity Assessment of a Transmission Tower Considering the Wind-Ice Probability Distributions

Extreme weather, such as wind and ice, threatens the safety and stability of transmission networks. In this paper, the joint probability distribution model of wind speed and ice thickness are established, based on which the bearing capacity of a transmission tower under combined wind and ice loads are evaluated. The results show that the developed probability distribution models can well characterize the dependence structure of wind speed and ice thickness, and the safety of the transmission tower under combined wind-ice loads can be guaranteed within its design life.