FAILURE OF TOWERS DURING OBSERVATION PERIOD UNDER
ULTIMATE LOADING
R.SUSENDRAN P.MUNIYAPPA — AFSAR AHMED
ADDITIONAL DIRECTOR JOINT DIRECTOR ENGG OFFICER
C.DATTATRI T.RAGHUNATHA D.REVANNA
ENGG OFFICER ENGG OFFICER ENGG OFFICER
Central Power Research Institute
P.B No 8066
Bangalore 560080
ABSTRACT
Full scale Testing of a number of transmission line towers are being carried out at the
Tower Testing Station of CPRI , for their mechanical strength Based on the data
available on the tested square based towers ranging from 33kV to 400 kV and multi
circuit towers an assessment of observation period has been carried out and is
presented in this paper
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 With the ever increasing demand for electrical
power and the growth of power systems in the
country more and more Transmission lines are being
installed. The Transmission Lines are mostly
overhead. The investment on supports is quite high
‘The overhead line supports are normally steel
towers, As yet, this country does not have standard
designs for transmission line towers. As and when a
line is established new tower designs are to be
undergone. In order to ensure their satisfactory
performance and adequacy of design full scale tests
are to be carried out
1.2 The towers that are tested are required to
withstand a series of tests such as Normal condition,
Broken wire condition and safety conditions, The
tests are considered successful if the tower
withstands the loads for an observation period which
is popularly known as waiting period
1.3 There is a variation in the practices followed for
the observation period in the IS and IEC codes. IS
code is more stringent with reference to observation
period AS such there is a demand by the
‘manufacturers to keep thi line
ean Ine ‘keep this observation period in
14 Based on experience and observation of towers
during full scale esting at the Tower Testing Station
of CPRI an assessment has been done on the
‘observation period which is brought out in this paper.
2.0 OBSERVATION PERIOD
2.1 Definition
‘The waiting period i the period for which the towernas to withstand the toads with no visite
deformation. ‘observation period is the
period for which the tower has to withstand the
Pee eae ‘ages of dooding waite, Visine
vFeformation.. The final observation, period the
period for which the tower has 10 withstand the
ritimate loads with no visible deformation.
2.2 Specifications
2.2.11S Code
‘As’ indicated in the 1S ,
towers are loaded in stages of 25, 50, 75, 9%. 95
&100 % They ‘are kept under observation at the
fing.» As per 1S 802 ( part
TI), - Under normfal.as well as Broken, conductor
the tower will be kept under
‘minutes at the end of cach of
‘of loading. For normal as well
the tower will be kept
Sees obscrvation. for five minntos afer it fully
Teaded up to,ultimate loads, (.c.100%)
2.2.2 IEC Code
3.0 TOWER TESTING STATION
(171s )AT CPRI, BANGALORE.
CPRI, Bangalore
facility for full scale testing of
1976. This testing
12 7ee conventional transmission towers. So far
361
During the passage of time, CPRI has been actively
engaged in, augmenting, the test facilities with
minimum cost to test even special towers. This way
it has been possible fo test number of conventional
towers up to 800 KV and unconventional towers
such as Guyed tower, composite towers, Rectangular
Based towers, Tubular towers and Narrow based
tower, Perhaps, CPRI Tower Testing Station is the
‘only one in the country, which has) been. able to
achieve this feat. The data's available are regularly
being used for Research & development activities.
4.0 TESTING OF TOWERS
4.1 Pre-Testing Arrangements
For testing the following protesting. activities are to
tbe carried out viz..
i) Stub setting & Welding
ii) Erection
iii) Load cell calibration
iv) Attaching haulage wire rope with load
‘cells to the tower & rigging.
4.2. Testing Procedure
‘The loads are simulated by application through
pretested stel wire ropes... loads are measured
by calibrated Load cells and indicators. The loads
are applied in, sages of 25,50,75,90,95. & 100 %.
‘These are kept under observation at the end of each‘The tower is tested for the following load cases.
1. Bolt Slip Test
2. Normal Condition Test
3. Broken Wire Test
On successful completion of the above test the
tower is tested for destruction test.
5.0 ASSESSMENT OF OBSERVATION
PERIOD
About 290 towers have been tested in the
Prototype Tower Testing Station of CPRI. The
transmission towers can fail due to number of causes
Failure of tower can be due to improper design,
defective material and fabrication faulty erection
and improper procedure followed during. testing
Since testing is the last stage in the process and
failure during testing can be due to one or more or
all of the causes mentioned above .It is reasonable to
more practical approach to assess the
based on the failure of towers
obtained during Full scale testing
From the data base of tested towers, it was
found that 26 towers had failed during the
Observation period itself after the tower was fully
loaded up to the ultimate loads
Summary of various towers failed during
observation period for different voltage classes are
given in Table -I. A further analysis has also been
attempted forthe voltage classes by considering
different types of towers and the test under
Which the failure has occured. These are shown
in Table -IT to V,
5.1 Analysis of data
352
5.13 From the Table 1 it canbe seen that
for voltage class of 33 to 220 KV 9 Nos of towers
out of 13 (about 70 % ) have failed during the
observation period of 0 to 60 seconds Only 4 Nos
( about 30% of the towers have failed during
observation period of 61 to 300 seconds,
5.14 From the Table 1 it can also be scen that for
Voltage class of 400 kV and multicircuit only 7 Nos
of towers out of 13 (about 54 % ) have failed during
the observation period of 0 to 60 seconds . However
12 Nos. about 92% Jof the towers have failed during
observation period of 0 t0 180 seconds,
From Table Il it can be seen that
‘umber of suspension and angle towers for 33
fo 220 kV voltage class that have failed during
‘observation period of 0 10 60. seconds are 3 out of
4 (75%) and 6 out. of 9 (about 67 %)
From Table Ill it can be seen that number of
Suspension and angle towers for 400kv & multi
ireuit towers that have failed during observation.
Period of 0 10 60 seconds are quite low ,
however it is found that towers failing between
0 to 180 seconds are very
4(75%) and 8 out of 9 (about 89 %) respectively
5.16 Table IV and V show number of towers failed
during different type of test for 33 to 220 kV and
Table IV shows that number of towers for 33 to 220
KY voltage class that have failed during observation
Period of 0 to 60 seconds are 3 out of 4 (759%) and 6
Out of 9 (about 67%) for normal condition and
broken wire condition tests respectively,
Table V shows that number of towers for 400 kV
and multicircuit towers that have failed during
observation period of 0 to 180 seconds are very well
Femcnted 4 out of 4 (100%) and 8 out of 9 (about
89%) respectively