ANALYSIS OF BRACING SYSTEMS ON THE FREE VIBRATION BEHAVIOR OF A PULTRUDED COMPOSITE COOLING TOWER

Cooling towers are industrial equipment characterized by heavy components, large wind obstruction area and elevated humidity. High mechanical strength, low specific mass and great durability of pGFRP make it suitable for this type of structures, but little is found in scientific literature about their structural performance. The low modulus of elasticity of pGFRP makes the structures more flexible, susceptible to large displacements and vibration. This work assesses the contribution of two bracing systems to the free vibration behavior of a pGFRP cooling tower, aiming to increase its stiffness and avoid resonance due to low frequency loads such as wind fluctuation.