Streamlining Metal Poles

This article discusses that an engineering firm is using software to ensure the structural integrity of all types of pole designs. West Coast Engineering (WCE) Group in Delta, British Columbia, Canada, performed several linear stress analyses using software to optimize the insulator bracket, which supports the transmission lines on the tangent poles. Physical testing was used to verify the accuracy of the analysis results. WCE began the structural analyses by analyzing the shafts of each pole type under ultimate loading, which was determined by Ian Hayward International using standard industry calculations. WCE performed linear static stress analyses on the models and evaluated the von Mises stress criteria for ductile materials to assess the stress results. With the pole shaft and base plate structures verified, engineers focused the next analysis on the insulator brackets of the tangent structure to optimize the load bearing capability and material thickness. With the predictable loading capacity requirements confirmed for the designs, WCE expanded the study to include a simulation of the impact loading that can result from a head-on vehicle collision. WCE is continuing the use of Algor software in the design of poles and in the development of new pole manufacturing equipment. Currently, the company is using it to simulate and optimize a roll forming process.