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[TowerTalk] Mast Calculator ??

To: <towertalk@contesting.com>
Subject: [TowerTalk] Mast Calculator ??
From: "Jim Thomson" <jim.thom@telus.net>
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 2015 20:31:53 -0800
List-post: <towertalk@contesting.com">mailto:towertalk@contesting.com>
Date: Mon, 9 Nov 2015 20:56:32 +0000 (UTC)
From: David Gallatin <kc9eev@yahoo.com>
To: Robert Harmon <k6uj@pacbell.net>, "towertalk@contesting.com"
<towertalk@contesting.com>
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Mast Calculator ??

The DX calculator is cool to use BUT it is only designed to be accurate with 
their chrome-moly pipe specs whereas the WD9P allowed you to plug in your 
own.?73, David,

##  The free mast calculator on the arrl website will factor in as many yagis 
as you want, and located anywhere..... on any length of mast.   It will also 
handle any OD, and ID,  and any wall thickness,
and any yield strength.   The dx eng mast calculator is only for their tubing.  
I use 2.00 inch OD chromolly with a wall thickness of .375 inch....and a yield 
strength of 107 ksi.   Its fun to play with the
arrl mast calculator.... BEFORE you buy a mast.   You will soon see that a 3.00 
OD mast with a .25 inch thick wall, is a helluva lot stronger than a 2.00 inch 
OD mast with a .375 inch thick wall...
yet they both weigh and cost the same. 

##  what it boils down to is..... yield strength  X  sectional modulus = 
bending moment.   Section modulus is determined by the  OD, ID, wall thickness. 
  Bigger OD and thinner walled masts have a higher
sectional modulus vs  smaller diam and thicker walled masts.   Once the wall 
thickness exceeds .25 inch,  its time to increase the OD instead. 

##  Think of the portion of the mast sticking out above the tower as a  giant 
Torque wrench.  The yagisS are loads being placed at various spots along the 
length of the tq wrench. 
## For XXX  wind velocity, pretty simple matter to calculate the windload for 
each yagi.    Windload  X  distance above the top of the tower = bending 
moment.   Total all the various bending moments
and see if they exceed the safe bending moment of the mast itself.   If the 
mast is gonna break, it will be right where it comes out of the top of the 
tower. 

##  the arrl mast software makes all these maths a lot simpler.  Just enter in 
the sq footage of each yagi..and where on the mast its located etc. 

Jim   VE7RF   

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