Project title: Fatigue failure and cracking in high mast poles

792948083Technical report; Sept. 2010\uc2\ubfAug. 2011.PDFTech ReportFHWA/TX-12/0-6650-10-6650-10-6650CrackingPavement crackingFatigue crackingStreet lightingLighting columnsTexasUniversity of Houston. Dept. of Civil and Environmental EngineeringGoyal, RakaDhonde, Hemant B.Dawood, MinaUniversity of Houston. Dept. of Civil and Environmental EngineeringTexas. Dept. of Transportation. Research and Technology Implementation OfficeUnited States. Federal Highway AdministrationNTL-HIGHWAY/ROAD TRANSPORTATION-Pavement Management and PerformanceNTL-HIGHWAY/ROAD TRANSPORTATION-MaterialsNTL-OPERATIONS AND TRAFFIC CONTROLS-OPERATIONS AND TRAFFIC CONTROLSUS Transportation CollectionThis report presents the findings of a comprehensive research project to investigate the fatiguecracking and failure of galvanized high mast illumination poles (HMIP). Ultrasonic inspection ofpoles throughout the state has revealed the presence of weld toe cracks at the shaft-to-base-plateconnections of some galvanized poles that the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)owns.However, the effect of these galvanization-induced cracks on the fatigue life of the poles has notbeen clearly defined. The first phase of this research involved extensive review of published andunpublished data, to identify key factors that contribute to galvanization-induced cracking. Bestfabrication practices to minimize such cracking are recommended. In the second phase, acomprehensive reliability analysis of several TxDOT pole configurations was conducted fordifferent regions in Texas to predict the fatigue lives of the cracked poles. Critical poleconfigurations and locations are identified to facilitate cost-effective decisions related toinspection, repair, and replacement of poles