Mon, 19 June, 2023
TWI, working as part of the Materials Integrity Technology Transfer (MITT) programme provided support to Tees Valley SME, Pollywood, for the analysis of a wooden composite pole design concept.
Pollywood sought TWI support in demonstrating the viability of their design concept using finite element analysis (FEA).
TWI Support
Our experts simulated the mechanical behaviour of a Pollywood composite pole using Abaqus software against the specified design requirements.
Several representative models of a Pollywood composite pole were created using different configurations based on Pollywood’s design specifications. These were then assessed using real world use-case scenarios.
TWI were able to show that the Pollywood concept was able to meet the stiffness requirements for a utility pole with thinner wall section than initially expected.
Further, TWI showed that by modifying the set-up, it is possible to tailor the design for different load case scenarios.
Next Steps
The findings mean that Pollywood are now in a position to investigate manufacturing strategies and review other possible applications where their material may be applicable.
You can find out more about the work of the MITT programme at the dedicated website, here.
The Materials Integrity Technology Transfer (MITT) programme is a component of the Tees Valley Centre for Materials Integrity Programme, which is part-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020) and Tees Valley Combined Authority.