Because a single pole or tower failure can be catastrophic, it is essential for electric utilities, wireless telecommunication tower site owners, municipalities, commercial property owners and other individuals responsible for public safety to routinely retain the services of NACE-certified inspectors. Matergenics Services, Inc., provides structural integrity inspection and risk assessment services for aging infrastructure including T&D towers, power poles, cell towers, monopoles and high-mast lighting towers, in addition to a wide range of similarly critical structures.
TOWERS, POLES, LATTICE & ANCHOR ROD INSPECTIONS
· Transmission Tower x Inspection | · Pole/Lattice Tower Inspection |
· Communication Tower Inspection | · Galvanized, Cor-Ten and Painted |
· Corrosion Inspection and Analysis | · Failure Investigations & FEA |
· Cathodic Protection Inspection | · Anchor Rod Inspection and Failure |
· Non-Destructive Inspection | · Evaluation of Pack Out |
· Paint and Coating Inspection | · Technical Audit of Pole Plants |
· Remaining Life Estimations | · Pole/Lattice Integrity Assessment |
· Quality Control Inspection | · Computerized On-Site Inspections |
· Crack Growth Monitoring | · Visual On-Site Inspections |
· Hurricane Damage Evaluation | · On-site and Laboratory Investigation |
Matergenics Services has years of experience in all aspects of on-site and laboratory inspection and assessment of utility and traffic poles plus lattices and transmission towers. Our team includes Ph.D.s, registered professional engineers, and certified inspectors from a variety of technical disciplines, including mechanical engineering, paint inspection, chemistry, metallurgy and materials science. We also have a comprehensive array of laboratory and field testing equipment, all calibrated on a routine basis in accordance with both national and international standards. This team is ready to be put to use at a moment’s notice for inspection and investigation of:
1-Galvanized and Cor-ten Utility Poles and Transmission Lattice Towers
2-Galvanized and Cor-ten Traffic and High Mast Lighting Poles
3-Aluminium Traffic and Light Pole
Corrosion on transmission-line towers and poles is directly related to the atmospheric and soil conditions present for the unique location of a given pole structure, as well as to the materials of manufacturing and the quality of these materials.
1-Internal corrosion due to the presence or entrapment of corrosive water (electrolyte)
2-External corrosion due to corrosive atmospheric and environmental conditions
3-Fatigue of Traffic and Light Poles due to wind loading and inadequate design
4-Manufacturing defects and improper paint coating selection and application
5-Little or no maintenance in corrosive environment
6-Accumulation of debris and soil under base plate
We provide the following services:
* GIS Corrosion Mapping and Drone Inspection and Thermographic Imaging for Tower Condition Assessment
* Paint Coating Selection for Above Ground and Underground Applications
* Custom-designed cathodic protection systems with deep well design for tower facilities
* Remaining Life Modeling and Estimation for Underground Assets
* Monopole Fatigue, Fatigue Sensor and Fatigue Mitigation
* Why stray current is an important issue in corrosion and How to detect it?
* Corrosion Engineering Training
Our condition assessment considers:
Physical inspections and UV thickness measurements are performed to determine steel member thickness using Ultrasonic Thickness Gauge. The towers are checked at the ground level and at any location that appears questionable with a three-point check that covers the leg and the braces on either side of it Coating thickness is also checked at these points using an Elcometer 456 Coating Thickness Gauge. ASTM A-123A is referenced for coating thickness requirements. Galvanized Thickness and protective organic coatings are measured as well.
Concrete foundations and anchoring hardware are visually checked for wear and damage.Concrete hardness tests are performed using Digital Concrete Test Hammer. Two hardness measurements are taken per foundation corner – one set of four readings on the top of the foundation (vertical reading) and one set of four readings on the side (horizontal reading).
MATERGENICS provides corrosion inspection/monitoring services, and corrosion risk assessment for different types of telecom structures including:
If corrosion is not detected and mitigated at its early stages, shortly it will lead to expensive refurbishment of corroded members, while in a longer time it can affect tower safety and increased risk for injuries, and fatalities. Periodic corrosion inspection and risk assessment is a cost-effective method to bring certainty to core asset safety. Team Matergenics can assist you on these tasks. At your request we can provide a comprehensive. presentation on our approach and experience in this important field
We can assist you with the following important tasks:
Team Matergenics is able to provide many unique services to assess the corrosion risk and to determine the remaining life of towers and anchors. We are also able to provide best-in-class CP design for helical anchors and special situations where installation of galvanic anodes is not feasible. What distinguishes us from our competition are the following:
Items 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6 are unique to team Matergenics and we do not know of any other firm performing these tasks. Please see the onsite photos attached to this document for examples of our work.
MATERGENICS’ corrosion inspection for telecom structure, involves three different stages:
Prior to site visits and field measurements, based on the project requirements, a desk study must performed to complete the following tasks:
Our NACE certified inspectors collect the key corrosion indicator data at tower base and anchor footings, and perform site-specific tests to characterize the service environment, including:
Collected samples during site visits must be examined in a controlled environment to identify:
All inspection findings and recommendations are included in a comprehensive report, that includes:
Engineering analysis and repair recommendations.
Matergenics is able to design, install, test, and monitor cathodic protection systems that prevent any further corrosion and extend the life of buried assets for at least 15 years. Compared to oil and gas industry, the tower industry as a whole is behind on implementation of CP method of extending in-service life of the assets. The oil and gas pipeline industry has been using this method successfully for many years to prevent failures and reduce inspection and maintenance costs.
PhD-level NACE-certified engineers in Matergenics have developed an advance simulation tool to design best-in-class anode bed designs for optimum protection of tower foundation regardless of structural materials and designs.
Matergenics offers innovative cathodic protection solutions to telecom utility companies. Our engineers and technicians are NACE certified professionals and use the latest technology to deliver best-in-class services to our clients.
Matergenics’ engineers and technicians are NACE certified experts in material selection, application, and inspection of coating system specific to below-grade and above-grade members of telecom towers.
We design and Install Cathodic Protection Systems for Tel-communication Towers Based on Corrosion Engineering Principles and By NACE Certified Technical Personnel.
We understand budget limitations and can provide options to fit your budget if you wish.
Another effective way to protect structures against corrosion attack is to use a coating film to shield it from the environment. However, not all coatings are created equally. Matergenics has several coating experts that are equipped to test and analyze coating quality based on common coating failure modes.
Proper coating system and Adequate surface preparation per SSPC and NACE standards are extremely important for atmospheric high elevation zones of the telecom tower. To improve the protection level at foundations of telecommunication structures, Matergenics recommends partial coating application along with CP system installation. This results in improved protection at both deep and shallow burials, also extends the lifespan of anodes. Answers to the following questions are keys for a successful coating application:
ASTM, SSPC, and NACE test procedures are followed to assure that the selected coating will survive and protect the structure as intended. These tests include:
Considering our expertise, Matergenics is the only company that can select coatings that work with cathodic protection systems to guarantee maximum protection to extend the life of any structure.
Dealing with the effects of corrosion is an ongoing struggle for most industries. Because it affects the performance and lifespan of your assets, incorporating a scientifically proven corrosion mitigation program is one of the most important decisions a company can make.MATERGENICS offers a wide array of services in this area designed to mitigate the risk of corrosion and extend the service life of aging assets including poles, towers, anchor rods, tanks, pipelines, and other equipment located in corrosive conditions. These services include cathodic protection to effectively protect underground or submerged metallic structures and materials engineering to improve performance, durability, and cost-effectiveness of both processes and products. Additionally, we offer services designed to produce meaningful data to help in making informed and efficient pre-planning management and purchase decisions. We also offer repair services for damaged coatings, above and below grade and design for structural repair.
Matergenics – Cathodic Protection Brochure – 1
REFERENCE MATERIALS
Recent articles in Materials Performance, the official trade publication of NACE International, were co-authored by Dr. Zee (M. Zamanzadeh, PhD, NACE and ASM Fellow), Director of Matergenics Services’ Corrosion and Materials Engineering, and Lana Gilpin-Jackson, Specialist Engineer in Lines Strategy and Standards for BC Hydro. Packed with useful information, the article educates and informs the reader on many important factors related to the life of galvanized steel structures and corrosion risk assessment. The content of the two-part article is pertinent to anyone responsible for electric reliability and grid asset management at electric utilities.
• Part 1 – Corrosion Risk Assessment of Electric Power Transmission and Distribution Structures
• Part 2 – Corrosion Risk Assessment of Electric Power Transmission and Distribution Structures
Further corrosion inspection information is available. Download free Matergenics white papers to learn more about these relevant topics:
• Laboratory and Field Corrosion Investigation of Galvanized Utility Poles
• Electrochemical Testing on Above and Below Grade Structures
Additional technical papers and resources are available in the Library
The corrosion inspection experts at Matergenics Services provide customers across North America with a thorough, Knowledge-Based Inspection (KBI).
Matergenic’s proven KBI methodology provides an accurate assessment of the current-state condition of aging infrastructure and detects hidden corrosion on the embedded and internal portions of assets such as utility poles, transmission towers, lattice towers, monopoles, light poles and anchor rods without the need for extensive and costly excavation.
Many inspection companies rely on a unreliable “look, dig, see” approach using a hand shovel to determine the likelihood of corrosion on embedded assets. Unfortunately, this approach does not take into consideration internal corrosion or the deeply embedded areas that cannot be visually observed.
Matergenics’s structural inspection process includes time-proven methods from the pipeline industry which include measuring electrochemical potential values and soil resistivity to predict corrosion profiles at lower depths. Our corrosion evaluation staff skillfully identifies structures at risk of corrosion, estimates corrosion rates, makes corrosion life-expectancy determinations and establishes an accurate baseline that can be referenced when future inspections are conducted.
The Matergenics corrosion risk assessment team includes PhDs, registered professional engineers and NACE-certified inspectors from a variety of technical disciplines including mechanical engineering, paint inspection, chemistry, metallurgy and materials science. We also have a comprehensive array of laboratory and field testing equipment, all calibrated on a routine basis in accordance with both national and international standards.
Matergenics customers benefit by receiving the latest skill-sets and technologies in on-site inspection, non-destructive testing (NDT), non-destructive examination (NDE), laboratory testing and engineering analysis which helps them identify potential problems and reduce the likelihood of catastrophic failures.
We are here to help. We respond to all customers promptly by sending a technical proposal to address testing, investigation and the proposal costs. Please call Dr. Zee at 412-952-9441 or Matergenics at 412-788-1263 and let us know how we can assist you. Looking forward to hearing from you!