10 Pipeline Rules of Thumb Handbook
Stress in guy wires
Guys are wire ropes or strands used to hold a vertical
structure in position against an overturning force. The most
common types of guyed structures are stacks, derricks, masts
for draglines, reversible tramways and radio transmission
towers.
As a general rule, stresses in guys from temperature
changes are neglected, but in structures such as radio masts
this is an important feature and must be subject to special
analysis.
The number of guys used for any particular installation is
contingent on several variable factors such as type of
structure, space available, contour of the ground, etc., and
is not a part of this discussion.
It is desirable to space guys uniformly whenever possible.
This equalizes the pull, P, on each guy insofar as possible,
particularly against forces that change in direction, as when a
derrick boom swings in its circle.
It is also desirable to equalize the erection tensions on the
guys. When no external force is acting on the structure, the
tension in each guy should be the same. A ‘‘Tension
Figure 1
Indicator’’ is sometimes used to determine the tension in
guys. If this instrument is not available, the tension can be
very closely approximated by measuring the deflection at the
center of the span from the chord drawn from the guy
anchorage to the point of support on the structure. A good
average figure to use for erection tension of guys is 20% of
the maximum working tension of the guy.
This discussion outlines the method for determining the
stresses in guys. One of the first considerations is the location
of the guy anchorages. The anchorages should be so located
that the angle a, between the horizontal plane and the guy
line, is the same for all guys (to equalize erection tensions).
Angle a, in good practice, seldom exceeds 45 degrees with
30 degrees being commonly used. The tension in the guys
decreases as angle a becomes less. The direct load on the
structure is also less with a smaller value of a.
To find the maximum extra tension, T, that will be applied
to any single guy by the force, F; first, determine the pull, P,
which is the amount required along the guys, in the same
vertical plane as the force to resist the horizontal component
 General Information 11

of the force. This pull is entirely independent of the number Table 1

of guys. Assume that the following are known:
No. of No. of
F ¼ The total resultant external force acting on the Guys Factors* Guys Factors*
structure
G ¼ The angle between the horizontal plane and the force 3 1.15 10 0.45
F 4 1.00 11 0.40
5 0.90 12 0.37
h ¼ The height of the structure
6 0.75 13 0.35
d ¼ The horizontal distance from structure to guy ancho- 7 0.65 14 0.32
rage 8 0.55 15 0.30
m ¼ The vertical height of anchorage above or below the 9 0.50
base of the structure
*These factors are for average conditions. If the guys are erected under
The horizontal component of the force, F, ¼ F cos g. accurately measured tensions of not less than 20% of the working load,
a ¼ The angle whose tangent is (h  m)  d. the factors for five or more guys may be reduced by 10%. If the
m is plus if the anchorage is below the base of the erecting tensions are low or not accurately equalized, the factors for
five or more guys should be increased 10%.
structure and subtracted if it is above.
P ¼ F cos g  cos a
equivalent to a force of 10,000 lb., acting on an angle of 10
As cos a is always less than 1, P is always greater than F
degrees below the horizontal. What is the maximum pull on
cos g, the horizontal component of force F.
any single cable?
It must be remembered that P represents the total pull
acting along the guys at an angle, a, with the horizontal, and
From Figure 1—
in the same vertical plane as the force, F.
If only one guy were used, P would represent the extra
h ¼ 90 ft
tension, T. In practice, however, a number of guys are always
d ¼ 170 ft
used and, therefore, the pull on any one guy will not be equal
m ¼ 10 ft
to P. The following table gives factors for any number of guys
g ¼ 10 000
from 3 to 15, equally spaced about a central structure. To
F ¼ 10,000 lb.
find the maximum extra tension, T, that will be applied to
any single guy by the force, F, capable of rotating 360 90 þ 10
tan a ¼ ¼ 100 ¼ 0:588
degrees around a vertical axis, it is only necessary to multiply 170
the value of P, as determined above, by the factor for the
a ¼ 30 280
number of guys used. It must be clearly understood in using
this table that the guys are uniformly spaced and under equal F cos g 10;000  0:985
P¼ ¼ ¼ 11;427 lb:
tension when no load is acting on the structure. cos a 0:862
From Table 1, T ¼ 11,427  0.50 ¼ 5,714 lb.
Example. A derrick mast 90 ft high is supported by nine
equally spaced guys anchored at a horizontal distance of 170 If erection tension is 10% of total working tension, 5,714 is
ft from the mast and the elevations of the guy anchorages are 90% of total working tension. Therefore, working tension ¼
10 ft below the base of the mast. The load on the structure is (5,714  100)/90 ¼ 6,349 lb.