Software for progressive failure analysis of transmission line structures under the action of downbursts and tornadoes

下暴流和龙卷风属于局部性风暴的一种，被称为高强度风(HIW)事件。在过去因HIW事件而遭受重大破坏的结构中，输电线路就是其中之一。由于它们的长度很长，龙卷风或下击暴流袭击支撑这类线路的其中一座塔的可能性非常高。此外，一座塔楼的倒塌可能会引发多座塔楼的倒塌，产生多米诺骨牌效应。西方大学的研究人员在全球范围内对HIW事件以及此类事件对输电线路结构的影响的研究处于世界领先地位。WESTERN的这项研究大约在15年前通过与马尼托巴省水电公司的合作开始，当时19座塔楼由于1999年温尼伯附近发生的下击暴流而倒塌。由于安大略省许多塔楼的倒塌，安大略省第一水电随后资助了一项相关研究计划的第一阶段；这笔资金由NSERC和安大略省卓越中心利用。这项研究导致了世界上唯一可用的软件，可以预测作用在输电塔上的力以及这样的塔对HIW事件的反应。该项目还在独特的WindEEE设施中进行了世界上第一个涉及在下击暴流下测试多跨输电线路系统的实验。在目前的研究中，将通过考虑整条线路的行为而不是单个塔的行为来将研究提高到更高的水平。该软件将进一步开发，以便它将有能力预测在HIW事件期间从一座塔到另一座塔的故障进展。这一数字发展将通过将在WindEEE进行的一项新测试来验证。这项研究的结果将为海德鲁一号提供独特的工具，使该公司能够在升级现有生产线或设计新生产线时做出最优的工程决策，以将与HIW事件相关的破坏性损失降至最低。其他北美公用事业公司也将受益。事实上，影响将是全球性的，因为申请者在许多与这一主题有关的国际委员会任职。

Downbursts and tornadoes belong to a category of localized windstorms that are called High Intensity Wind (HIW) events. Among structures that have suffered significant damage due to HIW events in the past are transmission lines. Because of their extended length, the probability of a tornado or a downburst hitting one of the towers, which supports such lines, is very high. Moreover, the failure of one tower can trigger the collapse of many towers in a domino effect. Researchers at Western University are taking the lead worldwide in the area of HIW events in general and the impact of such events on transmission line structures in particular. The research at Western started about 15 years ago through collaboration with Manitoba Hydro after the failure of 19 towers due to a downburst that occurred in 1999 near Winnipeg. Triggered by the failure of many Ontario towers, Hydro One Ontario subsequently funded the first phase of a related research program; this funding was leveraged by NSERC and the Ontario Center of Excellence. This research led to the only software available in the world that can predict the forces acting on a transmission tower and the response of such a tower to an HIW event. The first experiment in the world involving the testing of a multi-span transmission line system under downbursts was also carried-out in the project at the unique WindEEE facility. In the current study, the research will be taken to a higher level by considering the behaviour of entire line rather than that of an individual tower. The software will be further developed so that it will have the capacity to predict the progression of failure from one tower to another during an HIW event. This numerical development will be validated using a novel test to be conducted at WindEEE. The output of this research will provide Hydro One with unique tools that will allow that company to make the most optimum engineering decisions in either upgrading an existing line or in designing a new line in order to minimize the devastating losses associated with HIW events. Other North American utility companies will benefit as well. In fact, the impact will be global as the applicant serves on numerous international committees related to this subject.