FUNDAMENTALS OF CREEP, TESTING METHODS AND DEVELOPMENT OF TEST RIG FOR THE FULL-SCALE CROSSARM: A REVIEW

Abstract

Most of transmission line (TL) towers are designed and fabricated in the form of lattice using galvanized steel. The crossarm of the TL is made of Neobalanocarpus or Chengal wood. Recently, it has been reported by an electrical corporation situated in Malaysia that mechanical performance of the wooden crossarm declined below their service life of 40 years due to the extreme tropical weather in Malaysia. At present, composite crossarm made of glass fibre reinforced polymer composite were introduced as substitute in the 132 kV TL tower. However, the research findings lack of information on creep life estimation for the full-scale crossarm. Hence, a new test rig has to be developed to cater the testing operation using the uniaxial tension creep test. The primary objective of this review is to provide an overview of the creep theory and the existing creep testing methodology.