Assessment of Pre-Stressed Concrete Electric Poles for Rural Electrification Projects

Rural electrification is the process of bringing electrical power to rural and remote areas in a country in order to improve the living conditions of the people. In accordance with the extant electricity regulation act chapter 106 Laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1990) Part VI No 47 (i), every support carrying electric lines shall be made of treated wood, steel or reinforced concrete or any combination of such materials or other approved materials. Regulation No 47, (2)(1990), further stipulates that every support shall be so constructed to withstand the transverse, horizontal and vertical loads. Hence, in order to confirm that any pre-stressed concrete electric pole is acceptable and fit with adequate strength for rural electrification projects, a test or assessment was carried out. After the test, a safety factor of above 2.0 units was obtained and the cube test result satisfied the minimum strength of 40N/mm2 for the pre-stressed concrete pole.

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The major causes of electric concrete pole failures has been highlighted in this paper and possible solutions suggested. The technique involves an on-site assessment and analysis of some factors that influence the design and manufacture of concrete pole commonly used for electrification purpose. Some major manufacturers in Niger State, Kwara State and Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, Nigeria were visited and interview conducted on their method of design and manufacture of electric transmission concrete pole. Site study of some major high-tension and low-tension electrification work was also carried out. Based on observation made anomalies in concrete pole manufacture were pointed out and solution proffered. Finally concrete pole suitable for electrification purpose was designed and constructed. A rig was constructed to test the strength of the pole, thereby determining their suitability for electrification work.

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Open Journal of Civil Engineering

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