Unbalanced Tensions in Transmission Lines

A nonlinear analysis of an electric transmission line is presented for conditions involving imbalance in conductor tensions. The analysis is applicable to lines containing structures of arbitrary geometry and stiffnesses. Structure and insulator displacements are considered. Stiffness properties of structures, conductors, and insulators are derived. Equilibrium equations to be used in the analysis are formed. Two numerical methods of analysis, an iteration method, and a step-by-step linear increment technique are applied to the equilibrium equations. Both methods which have been programmed on a digital computer are applied to an actual transmission line containing flexible tubular steel structures. The iteration method has been found to be superior to the step-by-step method for the example analyzed. Analysis of this line has also shown that neglecting deflections of flexible structures with suspension insulators introduces substantial error.