Responsibility

MStower is intended to assist designers in performing the necessary

calculations for checking and designing towers, guyed masts, and steel
monopoles. Users must have an understanding of these structures and a
good knowledge of the codes of practice to which they are working.
MStower cannot replace sound and responsible engineering judgement
and practice.
The interpretation of the output from MStower and the application of
this data is solely the responsibility of the user.
Good engineering practice requires fully triangulated bracing systems in
towers. Tower design codes do not check for bending stresses in
members or their bending stiffness, so members in bending should not be
used to restrain compression members. Features to check for include:
• Plan bracing must be fully triangulated to provide restraint and
maintain the plan shape of the tower.
• Hip bracing must be fully triangulated and connected to the
plan bracing system within a panel to resist twisting of the
whole leg/hip bracing assembly.
• Bend points in K brace arrangements must have the knee fully
braced in two directions.
• The ends of K brace members must be restrained and coincide
with plan bracing members at the top of the panel.
• Leg bend points must be fully braced in two directions.
• Where leg members join in towers with staggered face bracing,
restraint should be provided in the unbraced face by plan
bracing or a similar system.
MStower is not able to detect automatically the lack of restraint in non-
triangulated arrangements. If non-triangulated bracing is used,
additional manual checks to the relevant design code must be made to
ensure that there is sufficient strength and stiffness to provide adequate
restraint to other members.
Designers should consider the safety of any temporary arrangements
during construction.

4 • 1:Introduction MStower V6.2