Reliability of Wood and Composite Distribution Poles

The structural reliability of wood and composite distribution poles is investigated on the basis of bending strengths determined from full-scale tests. Two types of wood (Western Red Cedar and Southern Yellow Pine) and two types of composites (modular and pultruded) were considered. All analyses referred to 13.7m (45 ft.) tangent poles with standard embedment. Applied loads referred to a distribution pole with four conductors subject to 193 kmph (120 mph) wind. Numerical values of reliabilities for the poles were computed and compared. The study showed that composite poles offer more than four times the structural reliability of wood poles and are ideally suited for meeting the resiliency and replacement demands in hurricane-prone areas.