Maintenance Cost Reduction by Improved Methods for Condition Assessment of wood poles

This paper describes methods for condition assessment of wood poles in the electricity distribution network. It is shown that there is a need to improve currently used methods for condition assessment, because the methods applied today do not take into account all relevant parameters that influence the remaining strength of the poles. The paper suggests several new methods for condition assessment, and their advantages and disadvantages are discussed. Furthermore, the paper will present a case study where one of the methods is applied. The case study show how the methods can be used as
basis for estimation of remaining lifetime of the poles. The use of the new methods improves the accuracy of the condition assessment, leading finally to cost savings and better estimates of the remaining lifetime