American Iron and Steel Institutes Technical Session

Steel Distribution Poles - The Material of the Future

Design & Testing of Steel Poles

- presented by -

Richard F. Aichinger, PE
Manager of Engineering, Utility Products
Valmont Industries, Inc.
American Iron and Steel Institute

Designing For Equivalency

Equivalency to what?
Expected Strength
Expected Life
Expected Performance
Deflection
Handling
Field Use

American Iron and Steel Institute

Designing For Equivalency

Most pole used to date have been wood
How do you design a Steel wood pole?
You cant but you dont want to
Instead you design a pole that meets minimum
strength and performance requirements every
time

American Iron and Steel Institute

Designing For Equivalency

How do you design a Steel Distribution
Pole?
ANSI Standards:
ANSI 05.1
National Electric Safety Code (ANSI C-2)

ASCE Manual 72
Material & Manufacturing Proven Reliability
Testing and Proven Product Experience
American Iron and Steel Institute

ANSI 05.1

Provides performance and quality criteria

for wood poles of various species
Provides strength requirements which
define the various pole Class definition
(Class 6 to H-6)
Defined by a Capacity Loading to be applied 2
feet from the pole top

Provides direct embedment depth

American Iron and Steel Institute

National Electrical Safety Code (ANSI C-2)

A Safety Code
By default, also a Design Code
Provides for Design considerations for various
line conditions (ice, wind + ice, wind)
Provides for Construction Grades to
differentiate the allowable risk accepted in the
design
American Iron and Steel Institute

National Electrical Safety Code (ANSI C-2)

A Little History:
Provided for loading and strength since the
early 1900s to present
Early editions were based on ultimate
strength of materials
Steel was first to be changed to Load
Factor in 1941
American Iron and Steel Institute

National Electrical Safety Code (ANSI C-2)

1941 Summary:
Material
Steel
wood
(equiv. OLF)

American Iron and Steel Institute

Grade B

Grade C

2.54
25%

2.2
37.5%

(4.0)

(2.67)

National Electrical Safety Code (ANSI C-2)

1973 Wood was modified:

Material
Steel
wood
(equiv. OLF)

Grade B

Grade C

2.54
25%

2.2
50%

(4.0)

(2.0)

Familiar?
wood is now lower than steel in Grade C.

1997 Edition introduced Strength Factors

American Iron and Steel Institute

National Electrical Safety Code (ANSI C-2)

1997 Edition Grade B:

Load Type
Vertical 1.5
Transverse
Wind
Tension

Overload
1.0

Strength Factor
Steel Wood
0.65
1.5

Equiv. O.L.F.
Steel Wood Ratio
2.31 0.65

2.5

1.0

0.65

2.5

3.85

0.65

1.65

1.0

0.65

1.65

2.54

0.65

American Iron and Steel Institute

National Electrical Safety Code (ANSI C-2)

1997 Edition Grade C:

Strength Factor
Steel Wood
1.0
0.85

Load Type Overload

Vertical
1.5
Transverse
Wind
2.2 (steel)
1.0
1.75(wood)
Tension 1.1 (steel)
1.0
1.3 (wood)
American Iron and Steel Institute

Equiv. O.L.F.
Steel Wood
1.5
1.76

Ratio
0.85

0.85

2.2

2.06

1.07

0.85

1.1

1.53

0.72

ASCE Manual 72

The Steel Pole Design Guide

Provides for the best practices of the
industry
Provides for the Design Requirements
equated to:
AISC
ACI
AWS
American Iron and Steel Institute

Designing For Equivalency

Equivalent Wood Pole Loading (B):
ANSI Load x 2.5/4.0
ANSI 05.1

Working

Equivalent

Pole Class

Loading

Load

Steel Load

2
3
4
5

3700 #
3000
2400
1900

925 #
750
600
475

2313 #
1875
1500
1188

American Iron and Steel Institute

Designing For Equivalency

CLASS 4 Pole has ANSI rated capacity of 2400#.
GRADE B CONSTRUCTION:
WOOD O.L.F.4.0
STEEL O.L.F.2.5
STEEL RATED LOAD BECOMES 2400# x 2.5/4.0 =
1500#

GRADE C CONSTRUCTION:
WOOD O.L.F.2.0
STEEL O.L.F.2.2
STEEL RATED LOAD BECOMES
2640#
American Iron and Steel Institute

2400# x 2.2/2.0 =

Designing For Equivalency

CLASS 4 Pole has ANSI rated capacity of 2400#.
GRADE B CONSTRUCTION:
WOOD O.L.F.4.0
STEEL O.L.F.2.5
STEEL RATED LOAD BECOMES 2400# x 2.5/4.0 =
1500#

GRADE C (Expected NESC Change for 2002)

WOOD O.L.F.2.06
STEEL O.L.F.1.75
STEEL RATED LOAD BECOMES
1.75/2.06 = 2039# (vs. 2640#)
American Iron and Steel Institute

2400# x

Designing For Equivalency

Steel Allows for Designs that Consistently meet
strength requirements by varying diameter and
thickness
ASCE Manual 72 provides criteria for Local
Buckling of Tubular Steel
Proven through years of use in other products
Verified by EPRI and manufacturer testing

Provides a pole that is consistent by design

American Iron and Steel Institute

Designing For Life

Steel Allows for the Design of a Product that can
be protected against deterioration
Galvanizing provides a proven inside/out protection
for most environments
An additional groundline barrier coating provides
extra protection at the most corrosive location
When damaged by overload conditions, Steel will
tend to locally yield rather than break or collapse,
often times allowing the line to remain in service
American Iron and Steel Institute

Designing For Performance

Deflection of steel poles are normally less than

the equivalent wood pole based on the pole
size defined by ANSI 05.1
The following graph shows a representative
comparison indicating the deflection of a Steel
versus wood poles

American Iron and Steel Institute

Load Deflection of Steel vs. Wood Poles

(40 Class 4, NESC Grade B)

Deflection of 40 ft. Class 4

(Treatment Adjustments per Table C4)
100.00
90.00
80.00

Deflection (in.)

70.00
60.00

Western Red Cedar

So. Yellow Pine
Steel Pole
Douglas Fir

50.00
40.00
30.00
20.00
10.00
0.00
lbs.

lbs.

lbs.

lbs.

600

700

800

900

lbs.

lbs.

lbs.

lbs.

lbs.

lbs.

lbs.

lbs.

lbs.

lbs.

lbs.

1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1700 1900 2100 2300 2400

Loading (lbs.)

American Iron and Steel Institute

Designing For Performance

Weight of steel poles are normally much less than

the equivalent wood pole providing added
savings for field handling and maneuvering
The following chart is a representative
comparison of the weight of wood poles versus
Steel Poles

American Iron and Steel Institute

Weight Comparison of Wood to Steel

2500

POLE WEIGHT, lb

2000

1500

Douglas Fir Weight, lbs.

Steel Pole Weight, lbs.
1000

500

0
5

40

40

40

45

45

45

50

50

50

50

CLASS and WEIGHT

American Iron and Steel Institute

Designing For Performance

Additionally, Steel can be Designed for true
design applications wood is seldom correctly
considered for:
Guyed angles and corners
NESC requirements:

Unguyed angles and corners

Steel provides the necessary strength and flexibility of size
and application

American Iron and Steel Institute

Designing For Reliability

Steel Poles have been successfully used:
for over 30 years for the Electric Utility industry
for over 40 years with the same product in other
industries (lighting and traffic)

Fabrication and Quality systems have evolved to

keep up with customer demand, technology, and
increasing Design sophistication

American Iron and Steel Institute

Designing Proven by Testing

Steel Poles have been tested for as long as Steel
Poles have been fabricated. But there is a
difference:
Steel Poles are tested to Verify Design strength is
attained as a Minimum
wood poles are tested to determine the mean rupture
strength

American Iron and Steel Institute

Designing Proven by Testing

Steel Distribution Poles have been tested by
independent firms (EDM in Fort Collins) and by
the manufacturers using controlled conditions
and sophisticated systems.
Strength / Buckling tests to verify design acceptance
for conditions including:
full tube sections
tube sections with many cut holes to verify that condition
attachment and guy hardware loading

All showing the Strength and Reliability of Steel

American Iron and Steel Institute

Post Insulator Test On Steel Pole

American Iron and Steel Institute

Guy Attachment Test On Steel Pole

American Iron and Steel Institute

EPRI Test On 70 Class 2 Steel Pole

American Iron and Steel Institute

Testing at EPRI (Class 2) and EDM (Class 3 & 5)

American Iron and Steel Institute

Steel Distribution Poles - The Material of the Future

American Iron and Steel Institute

Steel Distribution Poles - The Material of the Future

In Conclusion:
Steel Distribution Poles Provide
Expected Strength
Expected Life
Expected Performance in
Deflection
Handling
Field Use
American Iron and Steel Institute