Analysis of Steel Flanged Connections for Two-Piece Prestressed Concrete Poles

Since the creation of the light bulb, electricity has been in high demand, peaking in 2025, as the need for electricity grows with today’s technology. To meet this need, powerlines are constructed from a variety of materials, including prestressed concrete, steel, fiberglass, and wood. Typically, prestressed concrete transmission poles are manufactured as single-piece poles up to one hundred forty feet, which may not be compatible with the terrain or construction limitations where they are installed. Supplying a multi-piece prestressed concrete pole spliced together with steel flanges is a solution; however, there are no current documented design methods for this type of connection.

This study explored the flange connection design methods used by the steel industry, as well as a proposed flange design method for tubular steel poles. This thesis further examined the fabrication and components of prestressed concrete transmission poles, enabling the manufacturing process to be understood in relation to the attachment of a steel flange to a prestressed concrete pole.

The steel industry’s current design methods were then transformed into three proposed new methods for prestressed concrete poles, combining industry-standard methods with knowledge of prestressed concrete pole components. Step-by-step algorithms for each proposed method are documented in this paper. A study was then conducted, examining 10 unique splice designs and comparing the proposed methods to determine the preferred method and results were compared.