Transmission Tower Foundation Assessment
The importance of electricity transmission tower foundation assessment cannot be overstated. Utillix is an expert in this field and our clients benefit substantially from our non-intrusive and non-destructive assessment methods.
Maintaining the integrity of steel lattice overhead transmission lines is vital to ensuring the integrity and reliability of an electricity transmission network. Considerable time and effort is used to inspect the above ground steelwork. However, costly and time-consuming excavation of foundations has meant that transmission tower foundation assessments are rarely done. The ability to test the integrity of foundations, through non-intrusive methods, has therefore proven an invaluable tool in overcoming traditional challenges in transmission tower foundation assessments.
We use the latest in non-intrusive, trenchless technologies such as Linear Polarisation Resistance (LPR) to provide indication of the presence and relative extent of corrosion in tower leg components below ground level, and Transient Dynamic Response (TDR) to locate anomalies including shaft restraints, over break, cracks, reductions in sections and zones of poor quality concrete of both pre-cast and cast in-situ concrete piles.
This analysis yields an overall assessment of the condition of the foundation and allows the owner to make informed and timely asset management decisions. These include decisions on foundation upgrades, repairs, or even full tower replacements, depending on condition.
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Key Benefits of Transmission Tower Foundation Assessments
- Non-intrusive, cost-effective condition assessment
- Determine the structural integrity of the foundation
- Assess the potential life of steelwork
- Understand the risks associated with each tower
- Ensure towers are safe to work on
- Determine the foundation load-bearing capacity
- Develop risk-based asset intervention and maintenance plans
Transmission Tower Foundation Assessments Can Be Used for the Location of:
- Foundation toe level
- Shaft restraints and overbreak (increases in shaft section)
- Waisting (reductions in shaft section)
- Cracks and significant reductions in section
- Zones of poor-quality concrete
- Concrete voids
- Steel corrosion rates
Typical Transmission Tower Foundation Failure Mechanisms
- Insufficient embedment of stubs into the block and lack of cleats resulting in uplift failure
- Excessive foundation settlement due to compressible soils, mining subsidence or landslides
- Corrosion of the embedded tower steelwork
- Concrete defects (spalling, cracking etc.) conducive with expected deterioration mechanisms
- Concrete quality defects, including honeycombing, insufficient concrete cover etc
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