An improved 60 Hz wood pole model

A field and laboratory-verified, 60 Hz ladder network was developed to describe wood pole electrical behavior. The influences of moisture content gradients, treatment type and penetration, species, dimensions, and rain are included in the model. An illustrative example showing predictions of pole current and body current in a man touching a pentachlorophenol and CCA treated pole at ground level is presented. It shows that older models can be unduly pessimistic in body current predictions. The potential of this improved model for hazard and risk assessment is discussed