Utility poles present a serious roadside hazard due to the large number of poles located in close proximity to the roadways and the unforgiving nature of existing timer pole designs. While breakaway timber utility poles have been developed over the past twenty years in an effort to improve utility pole safety, these designs have not gained widespread acceptance by the utility industry. A new generation of utility pole designs employing energy absorbing fiberglass reinforced composite (FRC) materials may provide a solution to developing and implementing safer, more economical utility poles which would be acceptable to both the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the utility industry. The Phase II research program proposed herein will develop and evaluate energy absorbing FRC utility pole designs which provide for progressive crushing of the pole while bringing the vehicle to a controlled stop. This research is a follow-on to the Phase I SBIR program which resulted in the identification and feasiblity demonstration of a filament wound FRC utility pole design with enhanced energy absorption capability. The proposed Phase II program includes detailed design development, prototype fabrication, environmental strength and pendulum impact testing and full scale crash testing in accordance with NCHRP Report 350 criteria.
Anticipated Results/Potential Commercial Applications of Research::The proposed research will result in the development of an economical energy absorbing composite utility pole design which offers improved safety compared to existing timber poles and reduced costs compared to breakaway timber pole devices. Other uses of the technology developed herein include highway sign supports, luminaire supports, traffic signals and crash cushions.Key Words: utility poles, energy absorption, composite materials, finite element analysis, impact crash simulation, safety.
