Optimizing the Geometric Configuration and Manufacturing Process of High Mast Illumination Poles

This work presents the development of a high-fidelity model that accounts for the cumulative effect of welding and hot- dip galvanizing on the determining the resulting residual stresses and deformations induced during the manufacturing process of high mast illumination poles (HMIPs). This model is meant to elucidate the root causes of weld toe cracks in HMIPs. A TxDOT pole-to-base plate connection detail was used as the reference model in the analysis. Welding was modeled using the plug-in Abaqus Welding Interface (AWI), which automatically implements a series of sequential thermal and mechanical analyses. Then, the welding stress results were used as initial input to the galvanizing analysis. The cumulative stress results were compared against simulations that only considered the galvanizing process. A parametric study was then conducted to quantify the variation in the residual stresses and equivalent plastic strain magnitudes induced during the welding and galvanizing of HMIPs due to changes in welding and galvanizing practices. The results revealed that the cumulative effects of the different processes involved in the manufacturing of HMIPs contribute to the formation of galvanizing cracks in HMIPs. Also, increasing the dipping submersion speed during galvanizing and lowering the torch temperature magnitude during welding results in fewer zones prone to cracking. Altering the angle of inclination effect did not have a significant impact on the results. Performing variations in the manufacturing practices used for the fabrication of HMIPs can contribute to reducing the extensive inspection procedures conducted post-galvanizing to identify cracks.