To have gotten that far one would have already taken two sets of written tests problem solving and math , sat for an oral interview, had a physical and taken a drug test. The first phase of testing took place in a tall office building in downtown Detroit.
The day I took mine, hundreds of people had shown up early in the morning on a Tuesday and were divided into groups of forty or fifty to be administered the tests in two parts, math and problem solving. At least half of the applicants were weeded out during that part of the process. Those who passed the intelligence tests were then given some simple physical tests, which weeded out more people.
The rest of us were cleared to proceed to "pole climbing school". Now, here I was at pole climbing school. It was early October and mild. Cool mornings, sunny and pleasant by midday.
We students had all been through the testing and the physical and the piss test and were now going to learn how to climb poles using leg gaffs. Gaffs are metal spikes which fit to your instep attached to rigid metal splints and are strapped to your lower leg. The spike, or gaff itself is surprisingly short; about an inch and a half long. When you are climbing a pole the gaff rarely actually sinks more than a half inch into the wood.
If you lean in too close and hug the pole, a natural instinct, you will cut out and fall, collecting a whole bunch of splinters on the way down.
But when I do gaff, I always use the body belt on the way up and down. In class we were required to climb without the aid of the belt.
In order to pass we had to "free hand" up to the work station, then attach the belt, then detach the belt and free hand back down. It is so counterintuitive to lean away from the pole. Every instinct in your body wants to hug it.
But if you do that, you fall. Just looking at those poles was frightening. The next morning there were three less people in class. There was a lady in my class, Sherry, who I felt so sorry for. She was one of only two women in the class in fact. The other girl was one of the three who dropped out after the first day.
Sherry was probably about fifty but looked older. She told me she had worked in an office position for the phone company for twenty-two years and had recently been informed her job was being eliminated and that if she ever wanted to reach full retirement she was going to have to learn to be a line technician.
This poor lady was absolutely terrified of heights. For our first drills we were working only six feet off the ground and she was barely able to get through it. She would be shaking like a leaf, white as a ghost and crying softly to herself. She told me she had three kids and that her husband was on disability and that she had to, absolutely had to , keep her job.
Since actual initial retention levels of the poles were not known, the calculated retention data must be viewed as advisory only. The utility poles in four different areas of Artvin vicinity were inspected visually according to AWPA M [ 15 ], a guideline for the physical inspection of poles in service standard method, and were also inspected to determine internal defects using increment core, IML Resistograph, and IML Micro Hammer.
According to visual inspection as well as semi- or nondestructive tests results, white-, brown-, and soft-rot fungi were determined Figure 3. Wang and Zabel [ 19 ] proposed and illustrated the common locations and 6 different patterns of decay seen in the groundline zone of utility poles in the eastern United States.
Similarly, based on our observations in this study, 4 different decay patterns might be proposed. It was usually seen especially in study area I at the beginning of the decay or when the utility poles were exposed to extremely high moisture: outer zone of utility poles becomes softer Figure 4 a.
These kinds of decay patterns usually developed due to fungi mycelium entering inner untreated zones through cracks and checks Figure 4 b. This was the advance form of small decay pockets Figure 4 c. This decay pattern may result from an advancement of the in-between type or a decay fungus that has escaped the preservative treatment.
In this type of decay, fungi mycelium usually enters center of the pole before preservative treatment. In addition, because top of a utility pole is usually exposed to extreme sunlight and rain repeatedly, this type of decay pattern was seen on the top of utility poles Figure 4 d. Based on visual and nondestructive inspections, the following remarks about deterioration and degradation of utility poles were made. While the most insect-attacked wood poles were observed in the study area I, the least insect-attacked wood poles were found in the study area IV Table 1.
Insect attacks were usually seen on the utility poles whose cambium and outer bark sections were not properly removed before impregnation. In addition, intense insect attack was also observed on the utility poles which were already degraded by decay fungi Figure 5. The outer and inner bark, which need to be peeled away from softwoods after being cut, protect the tree from fungi and insects and from drying. Bark must be removed from poles during processing because it attracts many wood-boring insects, retards drying, and prevents preservative treatment.
Peeling wooden utility poles is necessary to enable the wood to dry quickly enough to avoid decay and insect damage and to permit the preservative to penetrate satisfactorily. Even strips of the thin inner bark may prevent penetration. Patches of bark left on during treatment usually fall off in time and expose untreated wood, thus permitting decay to reach the interior of the member [ 20 ].
Interestingly, a few fire-damaged poles were also observed in the study areas. In particular, poles located out of city centers suffered from this damage. Because of the fire at the bottom of the utility poles, outer zones of utility poles near groundline which were more sensitive for fungi and insects attack were damaged and this leaded to shorter service life of utility poles than expected.
Fire damage can make poles useless. Extreme care should be taken in burning rubbish or brush along rights-of-way where treated poles are spotted. After poles are set in the ground, the immediate area should be cleared of weeds and grasses.
Fire-retardant coatings may also be used to protect poles from fire. When a chemical weed killer is to be used, a soil-sterilant, water-soluble type that will keep weeds down for a 3-year period is recommended [ 21 ].
One of the defects observed on utility poles in the study areas was the deep cracks and checks Figure 6. It was reported that checks may extend into the pole beyond the shell of treated wood.
Fungi, termites, and carpenter ants enter the poles through the exposed untreated wood and may cause extensive internal deterioration within 10 years after installation [ 22 ]. The deep cracks, splits, and checks thereafter cause the internal deterioration of treated poles because the untreated center portion of the pole is exposed to fungi and insects.
Although internal decay may occur above ground as a result of checks or holes drilled after treatment, the critical groundline zone of poles is most subject to such deterioration because moisture conditions near and below groundline are most favorable to growth of wood-destroying organisms [ 21 ].
In addition to deep cracks and checks, damage by people and wood peckers may also affect the service life of utility poles. According to visual inspections in this study, damages on utility poles due to people and wood peckers were observed Figure 7.
Preboring all holes used for attachments such as guy wires or cross-arms should be made before impregnation because it helps to protect the preservative-treated shell from damage. Drilling in the field after impregnation exposes untreated wood, creating the potential for aboveground decay.
However, based on our investigations, it was found that preboring holes were made after impregnation Figure 8. In addition, poles were cut in length after impregnation which causes untreated cross sections of utility poles exposed to fungi and insects.
Therefore, service life of treated poles may become shorter than it should be. The depth of preservative CCA penetration was measured nearest mm from the increment core samples taken from CCA-treated utility poles in both service in 4 study areas and storage area.
Figure 9 and Table 1. Utility wood poles are usually treated with either oil- or water-based preservatives using empty or full cell pressure treatment process in order to achieve a certain desired depth of penetration at a level or retention that provides biological protection against fungi and insects. The proportion of sapwood varies greatly with wood species, and this becomes an important factor in obtaining adequate penetration. Penetration requirements differ according to the wood species, amount of sapwood present, and the ease with which it can be treated [ 20 , 23 ].
The proper penetration and retention levels of wood preservative are very important to protect wood poles. The retention and penetration obtained in application determine the effectiveness in protecting wood materials against decay and insects. Preservative effectiveness depends on many factors such as the protective value of the preservative chemical, the method of application, and extent of penetration and retention of the preservative in the treated wood.
Even if the wood preservative is very effective, good protection cannot be ensured with poor penetration or substandard retention levels. Colley and Amadon [ 24 ] studied the relation between penetration and decay in utility poles treated with creosote and inspected around poles in the field ages up to 26 years.
They found that They reported that in the sections of the lines that were inspected the incidence of decay was definitely correlated with the depth of penetration of the creosote and the percent of sapwood penetrated. Some resistograph outputs of the utility poles inspected in four different study areas in Artvin vicinity are given in Figure As is seen in Figures 10 a and 10 e , although there was no visible decay or deterioration on the utility poles when they were inspected visually, decay pockets and hollow parts in the interior zone of the utility poles were determined when they were inspected by resistograph.
It was assumed that the reason for the decay pockets and hollow parts inside the utility poles was the presence of the deep cracks and splits. Although utility poles were treated with wood preservatives, because of these deep cracks and splits, fungi mycelium and insects might easily get into the interior location of the utility poles where the penetration depth of wood preservative is limited.
In addition, these deep cracks and splits could affect mechanical and strength properties of utilities which might cause failure of utility poles. Therefore, it is very important to detect the defects inside the utility poles. As is seen in Figures 10 c , 10 d , 10 e , 10 f , 10 g , and 10 h , although there was no visible decay or deterioration on the utility poles when they were inspected visually, small decay pockets and hollow parts in the interior zone of the utility poles were determined when they were inspected by resistograph.
Thanks to resistograph inspection, determination of early stage of decay and deteriorations might be possible. The lifetime of utility poles in service could be increased by periodical inspections and determining the decay and deteriorations at early stage using bandage and other remedial treatments.
While this method shows good results in assessing utility poles, it only provides health assessment at the location of drilling. Even though the hole size produced is relatively small, repeated drilling may weaken the pole locally. The utility poles in four study areas were inspected by Micro Hammer and the results are given in Table 2.
In one study by Robert et al. Pellerin et al. They found a strong correlative relationship between stress wave speed and the compressive strength parallel to the grain of exposed wood. Rutherford [ 28 ] also showed similar results. Increment core samples were collected from 30 utility poles for each study area and analyzed for Cu, Cr, and As amounts by X-RF. The results are given in Table 3. For example, if the tongue can carry 4, lbs.
W of 16, lbs. The Department of Transportation DOT also has requirements for transporting utility poles on public highways. Depending on what chemicals were used, poles may be recycled, taken to lined landfills, or dropped off at unlined landfill facilities. At Next Exit Logistics, we believe the right choice is to leave utility pole hauling to us. We take care of the entire business from end to end, including permits, routing, and special equipment like cranes or boom trucks.
To learn more about our services , call Next Exit Logistics at or contact us via e-mail. Get a Free Quote. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
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