FullScaleTowerTesting: Full Scale Tower Testing: Howtospecify,workwithvendorandoverseetesting

MikeMiller,PE

ManufacturingPlantLocations

Headquarters Houston,Texas Monterrey, Mexico

BeloHorizonte, Brazil

Whyistestingneeded? h d d? Isitworththeexpense? Cantweverifydesigns withourcomputertools? p

ThePurposeofFullScaleTowerTesting
Thearethreetypesoffullscaletesting.

DesignTests Cost:$

ToVerify: Design Detailing ToVerify: Design,Detailing NewDesignConcepts LoadFlow Load Flow FailureInvestigations ToVerify: To Verify: Fabrication

Goal: Production

ResearchTests Cost:$$$

Goals: Production VerifyNewConcepts y p ExaminemodeofFailure Goal: Goal: ProductionQA/QC

SampleTests Sample Tests Cost:$$

Extremelyrarebecause hassignificantschedule impacts

Whyistestingneeded?
LatticeTowersarecomplexsystems
Indeterminate3DStructures

TrussDeflectedShape Compression/Tension

In3D

Whyistestingneeded?
LatticeTowersarecomplexsystems
Modeledas2force(tension/compression)systems

Whyistestingneeded?

Whyistestingneeded?
LatticeTowersarecomplexsystems
Connectioneccentricity

Whyistestingneeded?
LatticeTowersarecomplexsystems
Connectioneccentricity

TopView

Whyistestingneeded?
Inaddition:
T Toverifythedesignmethodsothatitispossibletohave if h d i h d h i i ibl h

confidenceinthedesignofthebodyandlegextensions thatarenottested.

Whyistestingneeded?
Testingvideos

ClickherefortheTowerTestingVideo

FullscaleTestingisalongstandingpractice

1948

1948

1965

Verticalloadapplication

Deflectionmeasurements

1965

196080

TowerTesting: HowtoSpecify

TowerTesting:HowtoSpecify
Specification:ASCE10 Specification:IEC60652

TowerTesting:HowtoSpecify Familyof4to8towertypes:
TowerTypeSelection T T S l ti Typically:50100%offamilyistested. Selectionoftowertypeisbasedon: MostUsedTower(TangentSuspension) MostCriticalTower(DeadEnd) Same Tower Detailer (If two companies are used SameTowerDetailer(Iftwocompaniesareused, treatdetailingindependently) Note:Ifanytwotowersareverycloseinstrength, anditisexpectedthedetailingwillbeverysimilar, d d h d l ll b l thenadecisiontotestonlyoneofthetwotowersis reasonable.

TowerTypesnottested: RiverCrossingTowers OLF~1.2to1.5 Poles P l

WhyareTubularSteelPolesTypically NotTested?
StructurallyDeterminant (LoadPathswellbehavedandpredictable) Analysismatchespoleperformance (Testinginthe70s) Fabricationdependentonweldquality,e.g.AWS D1.1(processesandprocedureswelldefined) Largerdeflections applicationloadvectorsmay change.

PoleTesting 1979

TowerTesting:HowtoSpecify 8to12LoadCasesaretypical:
LoadCaseSelection L dC S l ti SelectLoadcasesthatcontrolthedesignof: S l tL d th t t l th d i f MainLegs BodyCrossBracing TowerArms Shieldwirepeaks Typically: C t lli Controllingweathercases th Construction/Stringing BrokenWire/Torsional

LocateLoadcellsascloseto loadapplicationpointaspossibletoavoid Pulleyfrictionlosses Pulley friction losses

TestingPlanproducedby Testing Plan produced by vendor/testingfacility

TowerTesting:HowtoSpecify

WindLoadApplication
AnapproximationonLoading A i ti L di

TowerTesting:HowtoSpecify TowerHeight
Selectioncanbebasedon: BodyExt./LegExt.withhighestreaction Body Ext./Leg Ext. with maximum member stress BodyExt./LegExt.withmaximummemberstress Tallesttowerconfiguration M Mostcommonlyusedtowerheight l d h i h

TowerTesting:HowtoSpecify

GeneralTestingCriteria G lT i C i i
Themanufacturingprocessesusedinthefabricationofthe prototypefortestingshallbetothesamespecificationsasthose t t f t ti h ll b t th ifi ti th usedduringthefabricationoftheproduction.

TowerTesting:HowtoSpecify

Material
Itisimportanttousethesamematerialforthetestthatwillbe p producedduringthesupply. Toughness Ifspecificationscallfornonstandardsteel,e.g.A572Gr.50with If specifications call for non standard steel e g A572 Gr 50 with ductility,A709,etc.,thenitmaynotbepossibletoobtainthismaterialin smallquantitiesforthetest. A572Gr.50withCharpy notchtoughnessisasupplementalrequirement andthisexactsteelwillmostlikelynotbeavailableforthetest. Yieldstrength Limitationsonthemaximumyieldstrength Limitations on the maximum yield strength maylimittestmaterialavailability.

TowerTesting:HowtoSpecify

IdenticalMaterialforTestingmaynotbeavailable.
ProcessforProduction towersupply: 1.TowerSuppliercontractaward 1 Tower Supplier contract award 2.Supplierpurchasesrawmaterial 2a.Mills:Productionquantities rollingschedules(materialisnotstockedinsufficient productionquantities) 2b.Distributionwarehouses(ifstandardmaterialandinstock) 3.Fabrication ProcessforTest towersupply: 1.TowerSupplier/TestingStationcontractaward 2.Supplierpurchasesrawmaterial 2 Supplier purchases raw material 2b.Distributionwarehouses(ifstandardmaterialandinstock) 3.Fabrication Note:Nonstandardmaterialistypicallynotavailablefortesting. Materialsubstitutionsmustbemadeutilizingthesameyieldstrength andshallberepresentativeofthematerialsusedintheproduction.

TowerTesting:HowtoSpecify

Finishing Fi i hi Blackvs.Galvanized
Structurallyperformthesame. Blacksteeltendstobemoreaudiblethangalvanizedunderloading. If t t d t Iftestedtoweristobedeliveredtotheclient,thentestinga i t b d li d t th li t th t ti galvanizedtowermakespackagingandshippingsimpler.

TowerTesting:Scheduling

Howmuchtime doesittake?

TowerDesign,DetailingandTestingProcess Definition
48weeks 2weeks 68weeks

TowerDesign TestMaterialProcurement Detailing(prototype) PrototypeFabrication Assembly,Erection&Rigging Testing Detailingcorrection(ifrequired) TestReport TestingPlan

6to12 months

2weeks 23weeks 12weeks 2weeks

Note:6to12monthsforcompletionofdesign/detail/testingincludingalldetaildrawings.

EquipmentusedinFullScaleTesting
L d C ll LoadCells Temperaturecompensating,calibratedbeforeeverytowertest MechanicalWinches(AutomaticorManual) WireRopes p Sheaves Theodolites Formeasuringdeflections Cranes

EquipmentusedinFullScaleTesting
LoadCells: Calibratedbeforeeverytowertest

EquipmentusedinFullScaleTesting
ControlRoomMonitoring

Testingcanbea Testing can be a slowprocess

EquipmentusedinFullScaleTesting

Transverse Transverse Reaction Frame

Longitudinal Longitudinal Reaction Frame

TestBed

EquipmentusedinFullScaleTesting

VerticalCables(holddowns)for Horizontalloadapplication

ControlRoom

EquipmentusedinFullScaleTesting

HowtoSpecify:StrainGauges? StrainGauges Definition

StrainGaugesareanelectronicresistance measuringdevicewhoseelectrical resistancevariesinproportiontotheamount resistance varies in proportion to the amount ofstraininthedevice. ClickhereforStrainGaugeDemo g

HowtoSpecify:StrainGauges? StrainGauges ExpectationsandLimitationsonuse

Notmandatory. Notrecommendedforprooftestingnormallatticeconfigurations. Doesincreasethecostoftesting.(~$3,000permembergauged) g ( $ , p g g ) Unlesscalibratedlikealoadcell,gaugesyieldapproximateresults. Canbeusedtospotcheckloadflowinmembers. Judiciousselectionoflocationsareimportant. Adequateweatherproofingisrequired. Ad t th fi i i d

WhatdoesTestingInclude?
D i DesignofPadfixture f P d fi t Verificationofassemblyanderection VerificationofRiggingthatsimulatesthedesignloading DesignFitnessofPurposeunderloading. g p g DetailingFitnessofPurposeunderloading. RecordingDeflectionsinLongitudinalandTransverse directions. Video and Photo documentation VideoandPhotodocumentation Witnessingbyclient(orclientsrepresentative) TestReport Attimes,testingalso At ti t ti l includes: Failurerootcause analysis y Structuralcorrection Retesting

AsInstalledinfield

Testingprocess Whattoexpectduringtesting
Loadingtowerto50%of1st loadcasetocheckrigging,etc. LoadCaseloadingwith1min.holdsat50%,75%,90%,95%and5min.holdat100%. Atholds,deflectionsarerecorded. At holds deflections are recorded Videodocumentation. LoadBalancingcanbe problematic bl ti

Testingprocess Whattoexpectduringtesting
ForRigidlatticetowers: Deflectionscanbe1.5to2timesthatpredictedbyanalysisduetoboltslippage. Thereisadistinctionbetweendesignload deflectionsandserviceloaddeflections.

Testingprocess Whattoexpectduringtesting
Ovalizationofholes: Generally,someovalization ofholesandpermanentdeformationofboltsare acceptable. acceptable Ifthetesttoweristobeusedforproduction,thesedeformationsmustbe replacedtoconformtheproductionspecification.Boltsusedintowertestsshould notbereused.

MechanicalClearance Mechanical Clearance Issues:

TestingCosts
Cost of prototype tower (economies of scale are not achieved) Costofproto typetower(economiesofscalearenotachieved) ~1.5 2.0xcostofproductionruntowers. Test Basic:~$150,000to$250,000 Failurecost:dependingonextentoffailureandavailabilityofmaterial, downtimeofstation. StrainGauges(ifused)~3,000pergauge. Additionalloadcasesbeyondthestandard812. Destruction Test: ~$20,000to$50,000 DestructionTest: $20,000 to $50,000

CostforFailureafterenergization $$$$$

DestructionTests
TheLoadCaseselectedshouldbeaweathercase The Load Case selected should be a weather case increasingthetransverseandverticalloadsinorder togaininformationonactualvs.predicted behavior.Thefailureloadcouldthenberelatedto aincreaseinspanutilization.

~115%

~114%

FailureCaseStudy1
500kVSingleCircuit TangentSuspension

Failureat95%

 Freebodydiagram/force summationcheck Anglesdonothaveequal flangestressdistributions

FailureCaseStudy2
500kVSingleCircuit DeadEnd

Loadingevaluation

Solution

WhatsnewintheIndustryregardingTowerTesting?

TowerTesting:Newinformation(Cigre Report399)
LoadCaseSelection L dC S l ti Deterministicvs.Probabilisticdesignloads e%exclusionlimits,wheree=5%,10% % l i li i h % 0% Howtocorrelateittothestrengthfactor? Returnperiod p DestructionTestsRecommended forcalibrationoftowerstrength curves. c r es

TowerTesting:Newinformation(Cigre Report399) Uplifttestingisnotnecessary U lift t ti i t BayesianApproach

Calculationmethodtocorrelatestrengthto Calculation method to correlate strength to probabilitybasedanalysis.

FrictionLossesduetopulleysystems p y y
Methodofdeterminationbytest

Acceptabletolerancesonappliedloads

Whiletestingyoucan Makenewfriends

TheEnd