Civil 101

Basic Overhead Design

Principles

Last Updated June 27, 2019

by Dean Krumes
Civil 101
Basic Overhead Design Principles
Civil 101
Basic Overhead Design Principles

P
Pole
ExW
erc
Wire
A Anchor

ise
S
Soil
G F Grounds
Force
Civil 101
Basic Overhead Design Principles

Knowledge Findings from Exercise

G
• Purpose of Grounding

Grounds • Grounding Systems

Earth Return System
• Rural Areas for 1 phase and 3 phase.
• Hazard if Ground wire breaks
• Transformer Pole grounding system:
– Transformer Pole & Adjacent structure.
– At least 15m between grounding
electrodes
– Maximum overall resistance of:
• 6 ohms (winter)
Earth Generator
• 4.5 ohms (summer)

Ground
Conductor
Electrode

Transformer
 Multi-grounded Neutral System
S10-01
• Multi-grounded Neutral System used based on Grounding: Design Guidelines

connected load or poor grounding conditions

All new construction that meets the following criteria requires the installation of a multi-grounded neutral:
 All three phase main feeders and/or extensions with a phase conductor size of 3/0 or larger
 All single phase and three phase lines within 2 km of a substation
 All single phase and three phase lines within the boundaries or within 2km of the boundaries of an urban area
 All residential and commercial subdivisions
 All three phase taps with confirmed or committed peak loads exceeding 500 kVA
 All three phase taps built on government road allowance with a foreseeable future peak load exceeding 500 kVA
 All single phase taps with a confirmed or committed peak load exceeding:
o 75 kVA in a 14.4 kV circuit; or
o 50 kVA in an 8 kV circuit
 All single phase taps built on government road allowance with a foreseeable future peak load exceeding:
o 75 kVA in a 14.4 kV circuit; or
o 50 kVA in an 8 kV circuit
 Areas of high grounding resistance where a multi-grounded neutral has been installed historically due to high soil
resistivity, (e.g. rocky or sandy soils)
 All single phase and/or three phase lines installed on the same side of the road as TELUS (typically south and west
portion of range/township roads) for 350 meters or longer
 All lines directly adjacent to a dairy operation with a transformer within 1 km of the dairy operation
 All lines with non-linear loads exceeding 150 kVA (if directed by the Power Quality group)
 All communication (i.e. TELUS, Shaw) joint use structures
 Along isolated MGN systems that are bridged by telecommunication circuits
 When rebuilding a line where neutral exists, a neutral shall be included in the rebuild
 Grounding Requirements Wiki Page

• Located in the Hub

1. Plan/Design Phase
2. Wiki
3. Technical Design and
Approvals
4. Grounding
Requirements Wiki
S10-01 Updates
 P
• Common Rating System
Poles • Identification – Pole Stamp
• Setting Depths
• Alignments
• Space usage
• Shipping
• Maintenance / Treatment
Common Rating System
• CSA 015-15: Wood utility poles and reinforcing
standard
015-15 Wood Utility Poles And Reinforcing Stubs

• Classifies Poles Based on Breaking Strength and

Height
– Strength and stiffness properties by species (table 3)
– Dimensions based on species (tables 4-23)
– Lengths from 25’ to 90’ are in increments of 5’
– Class is determined based on the pole species,
circumference at the top of the pole and the
circumference 6 feet up from the butt
 Common Rating System
• FortisAlberta Standard:
– Pole Species
– Pole Heights and Classes

• Pole Stamp
• Setting Depth
– Normally 10% + 2 feet
 Poles Facts
• Alignments
– North and East side of road
– 2’ or 0.61m on road

• Space usage
– Climbing Space
– Joint Use Poles

• Shipping
1 to 10 poles = DSL
10 + = Acheson
Break Time!!
 • Types

W
Wire
• Sag & Tension
 Conductor Types
Can you name all of standard conductors FortisAlberta uses?

Primary Overhead (ACSC): Underground:

• #2 (Haddock) • #1 Aluminum
• 3/0 (Pigeon) • 500MCM
• 477 (Pelican) • 750MCM

Secondary Overhead: Underground:

• #6, #2 Duplex • 1/0, 4/0, 300MCM 2/c Aluminum
• #4, #2, 1/0 Triplex • #4 Aluminum 1/c Streetlight
• #2, 1/0, 4/0 Quad • #2 Aluminum 2/c Streetlight
• #4, #2, 1/0, 3/0, 266 Poly
 Sag & Tension
Parabola
• Introduction to the Catenary Curve Catenary

– Shape that the cable assumes upon its

Parabola
own weight when supported at ends.
• Sag
– Initial
– Final

• Tension
H = Horizontal
– Initial D = sag (m) Tension (N)

– Final

• Swing
W = Weight of conductor (N/m)
• Aeolian Vibration WS2
D=
8H

S = Span length (m)

 • Anchoring System

A
Anchor • Anchor Types
Anchoring System
Attachment to Pole
Distribution Standard
Structures Manual
• 2800 Series
• Attachment to pole
Guy Wire
• Guy Wire (5/16” or 7/16”)
• Anchor

Anchor
 Anchoring Types

Overhead Guy

Sidewalk

Downhaul
 Anchoring System
How does the downhaul angle affect tension? P = Resulting downward force
imposed on pole by guy.
For Tc=10.0 kN and n=1
n * Tc
n = number HOA= 8m θ β (degrees) Tg(kN) P(kN)
of conductors  Tg (degrees)
H
P
L= 16 63.4 26.6 11.2 5.0

Level L = 12 53.1 36.9 12.5 7.5
Grade
L L=8 45 45 14.1 10.0
L=6 33.7 56.3 18.0 15.0
L=4 26.6 63.4 22.4 20.0

Note: For m = 1, downward tension on pole is equal

to tension of conductor(s)
 • Soil Classification and

S
Soil Characteristics
– Organic
– Cohesionless
– Cohesive

• Load Capacity of Soils

– Bearing
– Lateral
Soil Mechanics
Organic Soils

Top soil and peat

• Typically spongy
• Crumbly
• Compressible
• Fibrous structure
• Brown or black when moist
• Most often has a characteristic odour

Undesirable for use in supporting

structures.
Soil Mechanics
Cohesionless
(Granular) Soils

Soil particles do not tend to stick together

Have little or no strength when dry or wet

Get their structural strength from sliding

and rolling friction and the resistance
offered by interlocking among the soil
particles
 Soil Mechanics
Cohesive soils

• Fine grained materials

• Consists of clays and possible
silts
• Particles tend to stick together
 Soil Mechanics
Summary

• As much information as possible should be

gathered prior to determining soil class

• Caution should be exercised when making

design assumptions

• Talk to individuals with local area knowledge

• Use field research, dig holes, hand augers, soil

probes.

• Soil properties can change over a small

distance and generalizing is a rough guess at
best.
Load Capacity of Soils

Two types of soil capacity

Bearing
Capacity

Lateral
Capacity

Screw Pile Installation

Screw Pile Installation 700 (Final).avi

 Load Capacity of Soils

Bearing Capacity

The soil has a bearing

capacity through the pole
butt cross section and the
skin friction of the pole
 Load Capacity of Soils
Lateral Capacity • The soil’s ability to prevent the leaning of a pole.
Vertical Force Vertical Force
Pressure = Pascal = N
Lateral Force
m 2
Lateral Force

m2
m 2

Larger poles or deeper poles have more surface

area to push against the soil. Larger surface area
means less pressure on the soil.
 Load Capacity of Soils
Lateral Capacity

• FortisAlberta uses the procedures outlined by Broms’ method of soil

analysis.
• Different formulas are used for cohesionless and cohesive soils.
Cohesionless Soils

Cohesive Soils
 • Loading Conditions

F
Force • Transverse Loading
• Column Loading
• Longitudinal Loading
 Forces

A pole experiences loads acting in 3

directions:
• Transverse Loading
• Column (Vertical) Loading
• Longitudinal Loading
 Loading Conditions
• Conditions which apply a force to
distribution lines:
– Ice
– Wind
– Temperature
• Weather conditions depend on location
• CSA specifies loading conditions
C22.3 No. 1-06
– Condition A
 Loading Conditions
• FortisAlberta specified loading standards
(Wind Loading Map)
- Condition B
 Transverse Load

• Load acting perpendicular

to the mainline
• Caused in 3 ways:
– Wind blowing on pole
– Wind blowing on conductor
– Un-guyed tap tensions, angle deflections
 Column (Vertical) Load
#2 ACSR-SB Haddock
• Bare Conductor = 1.77 N/m
• With Ice (6.5mm) = 2.64 N/m
• With Ice (12.5mm) = 7.21 N/m

• Load acting vertically on the pole

• Caused by:
– Weight of conductors (iced)
– Weight of equipment (Transformer)
– Vertical load imposed by guying
system
 Column (Vertical) Load

• A structure subjected to column loading

has the potential to buckle.

• Buckling is most likely to occur at 7/9th

the height from the design ground line
to the bottom restraint

• The minimum circumference to support h

this weight can be calculated and
compared to the actual circumference. 7/9 h
Longitudinal Load

Conductor Tension at Deadend

 Non-Linear Analysis

CSA C22.3 No.1-15 Overhead Systems

Clause 8.1.3
“The method of analysis for structures shall be the non-linear
method including stability (buckling) check.”

• Alberta Electrical Utility Code (AEUC) adopted this CSA code in April 2016
– FortisAlberta is mandated to perform structural analysis in this way
• Takes all effects on a structure in to consideration at the same time
• Previously FortisAlberta used Linear Analysis
? Questions?