FIELD TEST OF A NOVEL NON-DESTRUCTIVE TESTING DEVICE ON WOOD DISTRIBUTION POLES

Authors

  • R. Dan Seale Department of Sustainable Bioproducts Forest and Wildlife Research Center Mississippi State University
  • Rubin Shmulsky Department of Sustainable Bioproducts Forest and Wildlife Research Center Mississippi State University
  • Edward David Entsminger Department of Sustainable Bioproducts Forest and Wildlife Research Center Mississippi State University
  • Alexej Bartuli PoleXpert, LLC
  • Salim Belalami PoleXpert, LLC

Keywords:

Wood utility poles, PoleXpert PX Device, non-destructive testing, acoustic waves, novel device

Abstract

A field test was performed on 50 utility poles that had been removed from service. The poles were non-destructively tested with a novel device, the PoleXpert. The poles were then destructively tested. Results indicated that the device’s output correlated well with the actual bending strength of the poles. As such it appears that the device has potential to identify weak or structurally compromised poles. Seventeen (17) of the poles were reinstalled in the ground and tested. The remainder 33 poles were tested horizontally in a pole-testing fixture. The device demonstrated positive correlation in both situations.

Author Biographies

R. Dan Seale, Department of Sustainable Bioproducts Forest and Wildlife Research Center Mississippi State University

Warren S. Thompson Professor of Wood Science & Technology

Rubin Shmulsky, Department of Sustainable Bioproducts Forest and Wildlife Research Center Mississippi State University

Department Head/Professor

Edward David Entsminger, Department of Sustainable Bioproducts Forest and Wildlife Research Center Mississippi State University

Research Associate I

Alexej Bartuli, PoleXpert, LLC

President of PoleXpert, LLC

Salim Belalami, PoleXpert, LLC

Engineer for PoleXpert, LLC

References

ASC O5 (2015) ANSI O5.1-2015 Wood poles: specifications and dimensions. Accredited Standards Committee (ASC). American National Standards Institute (ANSI). American Wood Protection Agency (AWPA), Birmingham, AL.

ASTM (2012) D 1036-99 Standard test methods of static tests of wood poles. American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), West Conshohocken, PA.

PoleXpert LLC (2015) PoleXpert LLC-Safety first solution with maintenance costs reduction. http://polexpert.us/ (1 September 2015).

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Published

2016-08-11

Issue

Vol. 48 No. 3 (2016)

Section

Research Contributions

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