This is a two year research program in response to the joint NSF/EPRI program announcement on ADvanced Polymeric Materials. Strong, durable, and lightweight composites are suitable materials for construction of electrical transmission structures. This research is aimed toward the development of composite members with superior properties at reasonably low cost for construction of power transmission tower structures. A novel composite processing method will be studied which combines the braiding process with the pultrusion process to make composite members with a uniaxially reinforced core and a braided sheath. Composite structural members from such process will be evaluated and compared with pultruded (uniaxial reinforcement only), pultruded with ordinary off-axial reinforcement (e.g. winding), and braided parts. The evaluation will include theoretical analysis and experimental assessment of joint strength, shear resistance, and compressive behavior. Aging study (e.g. UV, temperature, humidity), field test, and cost- benefit analysis will also be conducted, in corporation with the Transmission and Distribution Research Laboratory of the Georgia Power Company.
