Transient dynamic analysis of tapered FRP composite transmission poles using finite element method

Power transmission poles are subjected to dynamic cantilever bending due to wind gusts and cable unilateral failure, or may also be subjected to vehicle impacts. In this paper, transient dynamic analysis of tapered fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composite transmission poles with circular thin-walled cross-section subjected to dynamic cable tension and vehicle impacts is investigated by combination of tapered beam finite element and precise time integration method. It is assumed that the material behavior is linearly elastic and the laminate of the cross-section of the wall is symmetric or antisymmetric angle-ply. The effect of fiber type and orientation, the pole geometry, and the concentrated mass at the pole tip are evaluated by performing the dynamic analysis of FRP poles under step, triangular and sine pulses. There is a good agreement between the results of the present method and those obtained from the poles modeled by ANSYS commercial finite element software and existed literatures. Also, there is a significant shorter run-time in the present method. It is concluded that beyond 10 layers for the laminate with constant thickness of the wall, the pole tip deflection does not change.