Atmospheric Icing of Transmission Line Conductor BundlesT. Wagner, and U. Peil
International Graduate School of Risk Management of Natural and Civilization Hazards on Buildings and Infrastructure, Braunschweig, Germany
Institute of Steel Structures, Technical University Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany
Hazardous for the transmission lines is not only the static ice load, but also the aerodynamic instability of iced cables. It can lead to large amplitude oscillations at low frequencies. Also, twisting due to asymmetrical iced cables may increase the fatigue rate. In extreme events, atmospheric icing can cause severe damage on towers and power lines, resulting in extensive electricity breakdown. Therefore, the shape and the density of the ice forming on the cable are of major interest in investigating the risk of failure. This is the first part of a simulation scheme being developed in order to investigate whole hazard scenarios for transmission lines under a variety of meteorological conditions and conductor bundle characteristics. The simulation scheme is mainly inspired by aerospace engineering, since significant attention has been paid to ice accumulation in aircraft design.