Composite Utility Poles

AKeson — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 12:51:33 +0000

Composite Utility Poles have been under development for a number of years. Replacing the existing wooden poles with fiberglass composites have many long-term advantages and yet have many obstacles to implementation. These poles are pultruded and use polyester resin and E-glass reinforcement. UV additives are employed to minimize one of the Achilles heels of composites resin.

Advantages of composite poles over wood are numerous. Composite poles have a lifespan of roughly 80 years versus the 25-30 years for wood, due to rotting issues. These rotting issues with wooden poles are combatted with chemical additives that are sometimes corrosive and toxic. Composite poles have a weight advantage, as they weigh about two-thirds less than a wooden pole, which allows for easier transportation to the jobsite and reduced equipment requirements for installation. Due to their controlled and known construction, composite poles have physical properties that are more stable and reliable over the duration. Composites are intrinsically non-conductive, which is ideal in this application.

Replacing an existing material in a current application always brings hurdles and challenges for acceptance. The wooden poles are known by purchasing, engineering, installation, and line utworker crews. Composite poles have a higher upfront cost, though long-term savings are significant. As the educational resources reach those affected, the transition will take place and composite utility poles will become widespread.

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Technicals on Fiberglass Mat

AKeson — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 15:19:00 +0000

One of the most confusing parts of the glass reinforcement is the identification of the specific materials. They have various nomenclature depending upon the manufacturer of the matting, and sometimes depending upon the customer and application as well. These glass products all come on rolls of various widths and lengths, again depending upon manufacturer and customer, but pricing may be affected for specialized sizes. Wholesale fiberglass is sold by weight as opposed to yardage or square footage or anything else. Retail fiberglass is sometimes sold by the package or area depending upon the seller.

The nonwoven mats, such as Continuous Filament Mat and Chopped Strand Mat, are measured in ounces per square foot. The common weights are 3/4, 1, 1.5, 2, and 3 ounces per square foot.

The woven mats are measured in ounces per square yard. A traditional DBM1708 is composed as a double bias woven in the +/-45 direction weighing 17 oz/sq yard and stitched to a 3/4 oz Chopped Strand Mat, which would come to a real total weight of around 24 oz per sq. yard.

There are also different types of glass. E glass is the base, general purpose, high volume workhorse glass fiber formulation. The S glass is a high tensile strength glass that is more expensive but has greater physical properties. C glass exists to be used in applications where high chemical resistance is important. These are the main classification types of glass fibers.

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Composite Utility Poles

Technicals on Fiberglass Mat