AGED ACSR CONDUCTORS

Part I - Testing Procedures for Conductors and Line Items

by

D.G. Havard, G. Bellamy, P.G. Buchan, H.A. Ewing,

D.J. Horrocks, S.G. Krishnasamy, J. Motlis, K.S. Yoshiki-Gravelsins

Ontario Hydro, Toronto, Canada

Abstract - This paper describes field and laboratory tests of ACSR
conductors and related line items from many of Ontario Hydro's
older transmission lines. A non-destructive corrosion detector was
modified for live line measurement of the loss of galvanizing from
the steel cores of the ACSR conductors. Samples of conductors
tested in the field have also undergone laboratory metallurgical
investigation, and tests of fatigue, tensile strength, torsional ductility
and electrical performance. Extensive environmental studies
identified corrosion products of ACSR conductors, the atmospheric
province wide field sampling and testing in both the laboratory and
the field, has been completed1. The findings, conclusions and
recommendations of this program have been used to develop Ontario
Hydro's tactical plan2 for refurbishment of old transmission lines and
are described here and in the companion paper'. Figure 1 shows the
scope of the definition phase program. ·
I DEANITION PHASE REFURBISHMENT PROGRAM

factors responsible for corrosion, and the mechanisms by which [ '

FIELD STUDIES I I
•
LABORATORV TESTING I
--, •
corrosion takes place. It is concluded that the corrosion detector
serves as a useful indicator of impending end of conductor life while
•
CONDUCTOR I ACSR CONDUCTORS I
I
I LINE ITEMS

~
.
CORROSION
the torsional ductility tests serve as a more precise condition SURVEY VISUAL EXAMINATION· 1 u:aLTS 7
indicator and can provide a guide for scheduling conductor I I ~I I
I 11 CONDUCTOR
CORROSION
ENVIRONMENTAL
STUDIES PRODUCTS JC!NTS
replacement. Test results and details of their interpretation are given
~
I AND PROCESSES

I
in the companion paper "Aged ACSR Conductors, Part II - ,I
~l J
FATIGUE IIN SUL.ATORS
AIR
POLLUTANTS TEST
Prediction of Remaining Life". T STEEL
ENVIRONMENTAll
CORROSION
TORSIONAL
DUCTILITY
I SCANNING
STRUCTURES

Key words: ACSR conductor, aging, corrosion, refurbishment,

overhead line, testing
INDEX TESTS ELECTRON
MICROSCOPE SUSPENSION
CLAMPS
I
METALLUFGtCAL
EXAMINATION X-RAY
DI F,FRA Cl ION
I FOUNDA1'IONS I
INTRODUCTION
II XRAY
FWORESCENCE
,I
By the end of the century, more than one-third of Ontario
I mANSMISSION LINE DATA BASE
• I
Hydro's transmission lines will exceed their 50 year design life.
Currently, conductors on about 800 circuit kilometres of lines '
ANAL YSIS,CONCLUSIONS,RECOMMENOATIONS
I
I PLANNING AND OTHER INPUTS

operating at 115 kV, have exceeded their forecasted mean useful life.
The major consequences of decreased reliability of aged lines are
reductions in: system operability and maintainability; supply
reliability; and public safety.
The principal supply reliability consequence of the poor
performance of older lines is the increased potential for more
frequent and longer duration customer supply interruptions. Early
studies showed that non weather related outages on 115 kV lines
increased from less than 1 per year per 100 cct km for 10-30 year
old lines, to between 3 and 5 on 70-80 year old lines 1• The primary
safety risks to the public are from the increased probability of falling
conductors, increased exposure to step and touch potentials as a
result of more frequent ground faults, and increased incidences of
inadequate electrical clearances due to outmoded design practices,
encroachment and increased. sags, due to ice loads and possibly
conductor creep. Recognizing the importance and the scale of the
work involved. and the need to improve our knowledge on the aging
of transmission lines, a comprehensive three year program, including
I ONT ARIO HYDRO TACTICAL PLAN
Fig. 1. Scope of the definition phase of the pverhead line
refurbishment program.
ACSR CONDUCTOR TESTING
In-situ Detection of Steel Core Galvanizing Loss
For ACSR conductors, the degradation begins as a loss of
zinc from the galvanized steel core wires. This loss can be detected,
non destructively, using the overhead line conductor corrosion
detector4, as shown in Figure 2. Loss of galvanizing is detected and
quantified by an eddy current sensor built into a radio-controlled.
motorized electronic package that can travel along the conductor

Fig. 2. The overhead line corrosion detector in use on a 115 kV line.

0-7803-0219-2/91/0009-0835$01.00 © 199 IIEEE
from tower to tower. The device relays its findings to a to failure, with the number of turns being recorded. From extensive
ground-based computer for storage and subsequent analysis. Until testing on overhead ground wires, it had been determined that the
recently, use of the corrosion detector has been restricted to length of wires tested according to E55 8, which is intended for tests
unenergired lines and this has caused many delays and costs because on new wires, is not suitable for used wires. In old conductors,
of the difficulties involved in scheduling line outages. With the corrosion and the aggregation of corrosion products, tend to occur
agreement of the Canadian licensee of the conductor corrosion more on the bottom of a layer and often, on only a few of the wires.
detector, Ontario Hydro converted the equipment to live-line Having a test length of at least one lay length is then important to
operation5. The incentive was a time-limited opportunity to complete include at least one of these weaker areas. While ASTM E558
a field corrosion survey of all transmission lines built before 1950. provides a test length in the range of 50 to 100 wire diameters, the
Previous attempts to operate this device live-line resulted in serious Ontario Hydro test method uses a standard 120 diameters. The wires
noise interference and electronic damage. Those attempts led to are not straightened as required by ASTM E558 since this would
various shielding and radio-frequency filtering techniques that were further weaken or fracture any' wires with corrosion pitting. A
finally successful. Several spans each of about 90% of the lines separate test program showed that sttaightening the wires was not
with conductors older than 40 years were surveyed. After necessary.
modification, this device provided an approximate indication of line
condition rapidly, without damage to the conductors and without The testing program on overhead ground wires showed that
needing a power outage. the torsional strength test was a good indicator of the reduction of
the ductility w the conductors resulting from corrosion pitting. This
Locating Corrosion wfrh an Infrared Camera is particularly important with overhead ground wires since the old
wire must have reasonable ductility to allow it to survive the torsion
The conductor corrosion detector described above is very and flexure encountered when it is used to pull in the new wire
successful as a loss-of-zinc detector but requires direct contact with during ground wire replacement. A minimum value of 4 turns is
the conductor in a labour intensive process that permits only judged to be suitable for this. With ACSR conductors this may be
piecewise sampling along the line. An infrared camera might make somewhat conservative since the steel core carries only about 50%
it practical to check the conductor from the ground or even from a of the load Similar requirements will be developed for the
moving vehicle or helicopter. The idea is not a new one and aluminum wires, which show lower turns in the few cases where
depends on the detection of non-uniform heating along the conductor there is corrosion pitting. However, this could be masked by
due to corrosion on the core and other factors such as broken or annealing, which increases the ductility, and number of turns, while
corroded aluminum strands. The concept would fail for situations reducing the strength of the aluminum wires.
where there was a uniform loss -of zinc but any variability or
patchiness might show up as longitudinal dappling of the infrared
image. Some credibility was given to these notions by two
Table 1. Typical Conductor Test Report
independent observations by maintenance workers who reported
seeing anomalous warm spots during routine infrared field surveys
of compression joints. Sample: 336.4 kcmil, 30n ACSR conductor, installed 1910
Tower 159, Circuit Bl2, Brant TS x Homing Mountain Jct.
Laboratory experiments were successful in detecting a patch
of missing zinc under carefully controlled conditions but adjustments STEEL REINFORCING WIRES
of the camera were critical and would not be practical under field
No. 1% FLONGATION ULTIMATE TORSIONAL
conditions. Variations in surface emissivity gave the illusion of
DUCTILITY
varying temperature and, therefore, the infrared cameras gave a false
indication of corrosion. For these reasons the infrared method does LOAD STRESS LOAD STRESS TURNS
not look practical with presently available technology. N kPa N kPa
lb tsi lb tsi
Laboratory Conductor Mechanical Testing
l 3940 4090 6.6
All conductors were visually examined for evidence of the 885 920
less common types of damage. These include arcing damage and 2 3780 3830 2.1
localired annealing, caused by lighting strikes, phase-to-phase or 850 860
phase-to-ground arcing, hot joints, and unusual corrosion. These 3 3780 3830 2.3
observations and a general description of the appearance of the 850 860
conductor were recorded.
4 4630 814 4890 861 6.1
1040 118 1100 125
Conductor tensile strength was determined using the
individual wire method of CSA 49.1 6 and CSA 22.2, No.0.37 5 3600 634 3740 657 1.3
Standards. This method offers the advantage of not requiring special 810 92 840 95
end fittings and gives a comparison of the strength distribution of the 6 4070 4230 4.7
aluminum and the steel, as well as that of the outer versus inner 915 950
layers, and of the individual wires within a layer. Especially with
7 4360 767 4450 782 37.5
conductors manufactured over 40 years ago, it is not uncommon to (CORE) 980 114
111 1000
find- differences between the strengths and corrosion condition of
individual wires. In many cases, these differences can be traced AVE. 4020 709 4150 730
back to irregularities during manufacturing of . the conductors. 900 103 930 106
Finally, individual wires were tested for torsional ductility using a TOTAL 28160 29060
modified version of ASTM E558 method8• For this test, the wire is 6330 6530
held with a tensile load of 1% of the maximum strength and twisted

836
 Fatigue Tests on Old Conductors
ALUMINUM WIRES

OUTER LAYER INNER LAYER To evaluate the remaining fatigue life of conductors, seven
samples from the Guelph, Smiths Falls, Oakville and Otiawa areas,
BREAKING TENSILE BREAKING TENSILE
along with one new conductor were tested under fatigue loading9.
LOAD STRENGTH LOAD STRENGTH
The typical arrangement for the fatigue tests is shown in Figure 3.
N kPa N kPa The fatigue test conditions, the vibration amplitude, frequency and
lb ksi lb ksi the total number of loading cycles, were chosen to provide vibration
LOW 796 140 756 133
exposure equivalent to that of 50 years in service life. The test
179 20.3 170 19.3 frequency averaged about 60 Hz and up to about 108 cycles at strain
levels up to 425 x 10·• were applied. At the end of each test, the
HIGH 979 172 854 150 conductor was visually checked for any damage and fracture.
220 25.0 192 21.8
Except for one conductor sample from the Guelph area, which failed
at about 15.6 million cycles at an average strain level of 413 x ur•,
AVE. 863 152 814 143 all samples withstood the fatigue loading without any apparent
194 22.0 183 20.8 physical damage. Both of the samples from Guelph had been
significantly damaged due to corrosion prior to the test. It was
TOTAL 15532 9772 concluded that the life of a conductor will be significantly reduced
3492 2197 only if it is damaged by atmospheric corrosion due to some kind of
pollution source. A detailed analysis of the fatigue process is given
Aggregate Breaking Load (at 1% elong'n): 53.46 kN (12019 lb) in the companion paper.
Rated Brea.king Strength: 76.03 kN (17050 lb)
Metallurgical Analysis
Notes: Examination of the conductor sample showed that the outer
and inner aluminum wires are covered by a heavy contaminate. Microstructural evaluations were performed on transverse
However, these wires are in good condition. The outer steel sections from hot dip galvanized CSA 040.21 grade 330 above
reinforcing wires contain moderate to severe rust and pitting. The ground structural steel L-sections, ASTM B498 class A zinc coated
galvanizing on the core wire has partially oxidized. The aggregate steel conductor core wires and from ASTM B230 aluminum
breaking strength of the conductor is 30 per cent below the rated conductor wires'°. Samples of each were obtained following 61 to
breaking strength. The torsional ductility of the steel reinforcing 69 years of in-service exposure to rural, semi-rural and
wires is poor. Due to the degree of corrosion present on the outer urban-industrial Ontario environments. Corrosive action on the
steel reinforcing wires and the poor ductility characteristics the structural steel zinc coatings produced a predictable pattern in which
conductor is not considered to be mechanically reliable. total loss occurred only in areas of relatively high surface-to-mass
ratio, i.e external corners. Elsewhere remaining zinc coverage in the
The results of the tests show that the conductor age is only three zones of exposure averaged 0. 30 mm, 0.125 mm and 0.005 mm
one of several factors which determine their condition.. Manufactur- respectively. In no case was there significant damage to underlying
ing irregularities and local conditions are also important in steel. However, in zones of more severe exposure the structural
determining service life. Because these factors can interact, final members had been painted at some time. Corresponding residual
assessment of a conductor remaining life often requires careful visual zinc coverage values for conductor core wires are 0.051 mm, 0.033
examination, as well as careful analysis of the strength and the mm and zero mm respectively. Aluminum conductor wires suffered
torsional ductility tests. As described in detail in the companion corrosion pitting damage. The rural, semi-rural and urban-industrial
paper, these torsional ductility tests provided the most sensitive exposures produced maximum pit depths of zero, 0.060 mm and
indicator of conductor refining life. The data from a sample 0.115 mm respectively. Figures 4 and 5 illustrate median surface
conductor test report are presented in Table 1. conditions for steel core and aluminum conductor wires.

CONDUCTOR
rDEADENO ASSEMBLY
I

SHAKER
ELECTROMAGNET!~

i-----17.7m (58ft)
-1- - 17.7m (58fl)---
LffiEl:ill.
TC = THERMOCOJPLE
SG = STRAIN GAUGE i----------- 35.4m (116ft) - - - - - - - - -
A =ACCELEROMETER

,____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 42. 7m (140ft) _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___,

Fig. 3. Set up for fatigue test of aged conductor,

837
Fig. 4. Residual zinc coating on a conductor steel core following Fig. 5. Surface corrosion pitting of an aluminum conductor wire
semi-rural exposure (x HlO). following semi-rural exposure (x 100).

Corrosion of ACSR Conductors EVALUATION OF AGED LINE ITEMS

A variety of analytical methods were employed to identify the Electrical Tests on 115 kV Conductor Joints
corrosion products of the conductor samples collected from three
sites: Port Colborne, Guelph and Smith Fallsu. X-ray fluorescent Seven compression-sleeve joints and two samples of
analysis supported presence of amorphous products on the surfaces conductor were removed for electrical testing from 115 kV circuits
of the aluminum and galvanized steel wires of each sample. X-ray that were built in the Guelph area around 191013 • It is uncertain how
diffraction analysis of the surface layers scraped from the inner and many joints are originals since the sleeve design and method of
outer aluminum and galvanized steel wires identified the crystalline crimping vary. ·Joints collected from the field included a 2 metre
structures. The presence of fluoride, chloride, nitrate and sulphate length of conductor at each end to facilitate electrical testing.
in the loose deposit on the outer aluminum wires from Port Colborne Several metres of additional, but physically detached, conductor were
was . determined by ion chromatography. Scanning electron also collected from the field at the same time for use as the
microscopy indicated thicker corrosion product layers on the surfaces reference conductor. While the initial objective was 10 measure only
facing the ambient atmosphere. The presence of FeO(OH) on the the DC resistance of each joint/conductor combination, a heat-run
galvanized steel wires from Guelph confirmed failure of the zinc test at rated current and zero tension was also made. Testing under
coating. In contrast, hydroxide and carbonate products on galvanized full tension is preferred but the cost is prohibitive. Each test
steel wires located in Port Colborne and Smith Falls, respectively, assembly was fitted with four thermocouples; one attached to the
are stable at near-neutral pH and are known to be passivating. These centre of the joint, one at each joint-end, and the fourth to the
passivating layers have offered significant protection against conductor. A thermocouple was also attached to the reference
corrosion since the respective ages of the Guelph, Port Colborne and conductor to provide a true reference temperature beyond the
Smith Falls conductors are 46.9, 64 and 60.8 years and yet negligible influence of the joint.
corrosion was observed for the Smith Falls sample. Studies on the
atmospheric corrosion of ACSR conductors indicate that more Tests were conducted at three different current levels
complete environmental data are necessary to determine atmospheric corresponding to various daily load conditions for the transmission
corrosivities of locations across Ontario. A brief field study 12 was line. The test currents were kept constant until the reference
conducted to determine the air quality, including: suspended particle conductor temperature stabilized, at which point the final joint
chemistry, SO2 concentration in air, precipitation, fog chemistry, and temperature was measured and the current turned off. After this
meteorological conditions such as: temperature, relative humidity, period joint temperatures had not always reached equilibrium but
and wind speed and direction, at sites in Etobicoke, Port Colborne, were close enough to determine if thennal runaway was imminent.
Guelph and Smith Falls. The key environmental parameters· are One to three hours was usually adequate since the thermal time
shown in Table 2. The results of this study were used to develop an constant of the joints averaged about 1.3 hours, at 130 amperes in
environmental corrosion index described in the companion paper. still air. The results of the DC resistance measurements correlate
reasonable well with the results of the heat-run tests. A joint resist-
ance higher than the conductor resistance generally results in a
higher joint temperature rise under load, although the relative
Table 2. Key Environmental Parameters
temperature rise is not always predictable from resistance
measurements. This is probably because a resistance measurement
Location is an average of the whole joint resistance while the temperature rise
can be localized at one spot due to a local high resistance.
Corrosive Etob- Pon Guelph Smiths Threshold
Agent icoke Colbome Falls Value
Suspension Clamps
sot** 9.35 8.34 3.3 2.45 4.1
Three designs of suspension clamp were evaluated from five
c1· ** 0.57 0.66 0.34 0.41 0.33
old line sections14. The clamps, and other hardware, removed from
NH,.** 1.28 0.63 0.61 0.47 0.59 these line sections were examined for physical and electrical damage,
defects, wear, corrosion and annealing. The suspension clamps were
SO2 (ppb) 3.95 8.15 3.61 0.87 4.9
mechanically loaded to simulate service loading. For this test a rigid
Ca2• * 3.05 1.01 7.63 0.3 0.74 rod replaced the conductor in the suspension clamp. The breaking
strength tests were performed on a 53.4 kN (12000 lb) capacity
Corrosion 5 5 3 I universal testing machine. Visual examination of the suspension
Index clamps showed that they are partially or fully rust covered but do
:suspenoeu arucles [µgtm'J. n Prec1p11auon (mg/LJ not contain any significant wear. Tests results show that the average
breaking strength of suspension clamps of all three designs is at least
as high as the rated strength of the suspension insulators. The

838
clamps show no significant wear and could remain in service for an
indefinite length of time.
The insulator suspension "U" bolt assemblies from the same
five old line sections were examined for wear and corrosion prior
to testing for ultimate strength14. The U-bolts were tested with the
mating ball/eye fitting and with a high strength shackle. A visual
inspection of the insulator "U" bolts and ball/eyes showed that the
majority of these assemblies are fully rust covered. Also, the U-
bolts contain considerable wear at the ball/eye contact point.
However, test results show that ultimate breaking strength of the
worn "U" bolts exceeds the rated breaking strength of the suspension
insulators. Both 12.7 mm (1/2 inch) and 15.9 mm (5/8 inch)
diameter "U" bolts are represented in these tests.
Suspension Insulators
The suspension insulators were examined for mechanical and
electrical damage before being subjected to the combined
mechanical/electrical strength test14. A visual inspection showed that
35% of the insulators contained glazing damage caused by electrical
arcing. Also, the majority of insulator caps were partially to fully
rust covered. There was no significant wear on any of the metallic
components. The insulators were tested in accordance with Section
5.2 of American National Standard C29.1-1976. Test results from
the combined mechanical/electrical tests on the original suspension
insulators show that the average tension load at which the original
insulators fail electrically is 58.7 kN (13200 lb). 23% of all of the
66. 7 kN ( 15000 lb) rated insulators tested failed to meet the
minimum strength requirements. However, insulators are routinely
inspected with infrared detectors within the normal maintenance
program, and faulty units are replaced. Insulators would normally
be replaced as part of the refurbishment of a line.
ASSESSMENT OF TOWER CORROSION
General surveys of towers on lines to be reconductored in
Southern Ontario were made to assess extent of steel corrosion and
to determine the work required to extend their life by 40-60 years15•
Considering their age, the structures surveyed were in good condition
with only superficial evidence of corrosion. Some towers that had
been painted still had an intact red oxide primer coat even though
the finish coat had weathered away almost completely. Overall
rusting was evident on one line. However the oxide layer appeared
dense and tightly adherent and pitting or other metal loss was not
apparent. Above ground tower angles were generally in excellent
condition on a line· in Eastern Ontario. A predictable pattern of zinc
loss was discerned but the towers would have survived for at least
a further 25 years.
Several towers, built in 1911 and 1928, were field tested to
destruction under simulated design loads. That testing program has
been documented in an earlier paper15• In general it was found that
these older towers had not deteriorated significantly in the Ontario
environment and could be reused and upgraded for future system
requirements.
Foundation Corrosion Survey
The condition of pre-1950 vintage structure foundations was
assessed by examining a total of 500 tower sites during a survey of
115 kV separate transmission lines2. 16• Most of the lines were 60 to
80 years old. The survey included: assessment and use of a tower
839
leg integrity monitor to determine the extent of corrosion present;
visual inspection of grillage steel just below ground level; and
occasional detailed inspection by excavation down to the grillage
pad.
Below ground, well drained footings were in pnsttne
condition whilst others were severely corroded. This corrosion
variation is dependent on the pH and resistivity of the soil around
the grillage. Some strength variations of tested footings were
attributed to the variability in compressibility, density and strength
of the backfill material. The principal finding of the foundation
survey is that a large portion of the grillages inspected are still in
good condition. The life of foundations can be extended
significantly and probably without supply interruption, by using
techniques such as reinforcement or replacement of degraded
components, and installation of cathodic protection.
CONCLUSIONS
The extensive field and laboratory tests of ACSR conductors
and other components from Ontario Hydro's older transmission lines
are described. Ontario Hydro has modified for live line work a
non-destructive corrosion detector to measure the loss of galvanizing
from the steel core of the ACSR conductors. 90% of transmission
lines built prior to 1950 have been surveyed using this device. The
comprehensive testing program and special testing procedures,
coupled with the interpretation and analysis techniques describe<i in
the companion paper, developed during this project, concluded that
the ACSR conductors are the component most affected by age and
the need to refurbish Ontario Hydro's lines would generally be
determined by their condition. Other line items, except insulators,
may serve for some more time without replacement. The torsional
ductility test can provide a guide for scheduling conductor
replacement while use of the corrosion detector is an essential first
stage of field studies on overhead lines which are candidates for
refurbishment.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This paper is based on studies carried out by a large number of
Ontario Hydro staff from Design and Development - Transmission,
Power System Operations, Research, System Planning, and
Transmission Operation Divisions, and the Regions Branch. The
authors would particularly like to recognize the contributions of:
D.E. Amm, M.K. Bissada, C.G.Fajardo, D.E. Horrocks, A. Kalvins,
J.R. Meale, F.X. Macedo, O.T. Melo, J.L. Phillips, D.J. Ryan,
G.A. Subject, M. Tabatabai, J.P. Toneguzzo, B.W. Warkentin, and
R.W. Wolfendale,
References
1) D.E. Amm, D.G. Havard, D.E. Horrocks, D.J. Horrocks, F.X.
Macedo, 'Development of a high voltage transmission line
refurbishment program at Ontario Hydro", CIGRE paper No.
22-201, 1990.
2) "Ontario Hydro transmission line refurbishment plan", Task
Group Report - Part I. Summary and Recommendations, July
1990.
3) D.G. Havard, M.K. Bissada, C.G. Fajardo, D.J. Horrocks,
J.R. Meale, J. Motlis, M. Tabatabai, and K.S. Yoshiki-
Gravelsins, "Aged ACSR conductors part Il - prediction of
remaining life", mEE Transmission and Distribution
Conference and Exposition, Dallas, 1991.
4) J. Sutton and K.G. Lewis, "The detection of internal 11)
corrosion in steel-reinforced aluminium overhead power line ·
conductors", UK Corrosion '86, Birrningham, UK, 1986, Vol
1, pp 345-359.
12)
5) Ontario Hydro Research Report No. 90-15-H, April 11, 1990,
"Modification of the Corrnon overhead line corrosion detector
to operate live-line".
6) CSA Standard CAN/CSA-C 49.l-M87 "Round wire,
concentric lay, overhead electrical conductors", 1987.
7) CSA Standard CAN/CSA-C 22.2 No.0.3 -M 1985 "Test
methods for electrical wires and cables", 1985.
8) ASTM Standard E558-83, "Standard test method for torsion
testing of wire", 1989.
9) Ontario Hydro Research Report No. B89-38K, July 26, 1989,
"Fatigue tests on old conductors".
10) Ontario Hydro Research Report No. M88-53-K, July 19,
1988, "Condition monitoring and life assessment on hardware
from 115 kV lines SlK and D90"
David G. Havard (M'78) received his
Bachelor's degree, with first class honours,
in mechanical engineering from Imperial
College, London University, and Master's
and Doctorate degrees in civil engineering
from the University of Waterloo. He is a
Senior Research Engineer in the Mechanical
Research Department of Ontario Hydro,
with over 30 years' experience in utility
research, particularly-on problems related to
underground and overhead power delivery
systems. He is responsible for Ontario
Hydro's research on conductor galloping control and overhead line
refurbishment. Dr. Havard is an active member of technical
committees in the transmission area in IEEE, CEA and CIGRE, the
author of over 90 papers, and a registered Professional Engineer in
the Province of Ontario.
Graham Bellamy completed his
post-secondary education in the U.K. and
received a Ph.D degree in industrial
metallurgy from the University of
Birmingham. His thirty six years of metal-
lurgical engineering experience includes
physical metallurgical research in the U.K
and U.S steel industry including nineteen
years devoted to the materials integrity
problems of electrical utilities together with
teaching appointments in material science,
physical metallurgy and foundry
technology.
840
Ontario Hydro Research Report No. 90-113-K, May 18,
1990, '1dentification of corrosion products and corrosion
processes of. ACSR conductors"
Ontario Hydro Research Report No. 90-199-K, August 14,
1988, "Atmospheric corrosion of transmission line
conductors: environmental field studies"
13) Ontario Hydro Research Report No. 89-23-H, March 3, 1988,
"Electrical tests on aged 115 kV conductor joints"
14) Ontario Hydro Research Report No. B89K-8-K, March 28,
1989, "Evaluation of line items from the transmission line
refurbishment program"
15) Krishnasamy, S.G., Senkiw, S.G., Havard, D.G., Pon, C.J.,
Tabatabai, M., Hathout, I., Radhakrishna, H.B., and Tsang,
R.H.K., "Testing of Lattice Towers for Ontario Hydro
Transmission Line Refurbishment Program", IEEE Trans
Power Delivery, Vol 5, No 3, July 1990.
16) Ontario Hydro Research Report No. 90-102-K, April 17,
1989, "Assessment of tower corrosion for the transmission
line refurbishment program"
Paul G. Buchan is a graduate in Electrical
Engineering from the University of Toronto,
has worked at Ontario Hydro Research for
the past thirty one years. During this time
he has conducted numerous studies
involving transmission line problems of an
electrical and mechanical nature. He has
also worked on a wide range of
instrumentation including the development
of electronic analyzers for sulphur dioxide,
carbon dioxide and heavy water. He also
participated in several team project;
involving thermal hot spots in power and distribution transformers
and the effect of lightning on transmission line towers. Mr. Buchan
is a registered Professional Engineer in the Province of
Ontario.without disturbing the outer aluminum stranding'.
Harvey A. Ewing received his B.A.Sc.
degree in Mechanical Engineering from the
University of Toronto in 1967. He is a
Unit Head of the Ontario Hydro Mechanical
Research Department responsible for
research and testing of transmission and
distribution line materials and non-metallic
materials. Previously he was responsible
for testing and developing rigging and
construction equipment with emphasis on
the tension stringing machines and tools.
Prior to joining Ontario Hydro he worked
as a Maintenance Engineer for Canadian Kodak. Mr. H. Ewing is
a registered Professional Engineer in the Province of Ontario.
David J. Horrocks (M'84) received the B.Eng. degree from the
University of Liverpool and the M.Phil. degree from the University
of Southampton, both in electrical engineering. He has 25 years of
experience in transmission line design and development. Since lfJ74
he has been employed by Ontario Hydro where he is now a
Supervising Design Engineer with responsibility for electrical design
of transmission lines. Mr. Horrocks has coauthored a number of
papers on vario1JS aspects of line design. He is a registered
Professional Engineer in the Province of Ontario.
S.G. (Samy) Krishnasamy received his
Bachelor's and Master's degrees from India.
He later received his Ph.D. from the
University of Waterloo, Canada. From
1967 to 1971, Dr. Krishnasamy was an
Assistant Research Professor with the
University of Waterloo, Ontario. Dr. S.
Krishnasamy is c\llTCntly the Unit Head of
the Transmission, Distribution & Structures
Unit of the Applied Mechanics Section,
Ontario Hydro Research Division. He is
responsible for carrying out R&D work on
probability methods applied to overhead transmission structures,
weather related loads on overhead power lines, studies of overhead
conductors, studies of transmission and distribution wood poles and
testing of civil nuclear structures. Dr. Krishnasamy is a registered
Professional Engineer in the Province of Ontario.
841
J. (Yakov) Motlis (M'84, SM'90) received
his M.Sc degree in Power Systems
Electrical Engineering in the Electrical
Power Systems Department of the
Technical University of Lvov, USSR, in
1963. He has over 27 years experience in
various areas of construction and design of
transmission and distribution overhead and
underground lines up to 500 kV. He is
currently a Design Engineer • Specialist in
the Ontario Hydro Transmission Lines
Design Department. He has coauthored
several papers on overhead and· underground lines design aspects.
Mr. Motlis is a registered Professional Engineer in the Province of
Ontario.
Karen S. Yoshiki-Gravelsins received her
Honours BSc in Chemistry from the
University of Toronto in 1977, MASc in
1984 from the Department of Chemical
Engineering and Applied Chemistry, and a
PhD degree in 1989 from the Department
of Metallurgy and Materials Science. She
joined the Research Division of Ontario
Hydro as a postdoctoral fellow in January,
1990 where she participated in studies of
the environmental factors involved in
conductor corrosion. She is currently in
Japan on a postdoctoral fellowship carrying out studies of the
diffusion of Cr in the aqueous CrSO4-~SO4 system.