Free vibration analysis of tapered FRP transmission poles with flexible joint by finite element method

Since relatively low elasticity modulus of the FRP materials results in lower natural frequencies, it is necessary to study the free vibration of FRP transmission poles. In this paper, the free vibration of tapered FRP transmission poles with thin-walled circular cross-section is investigated by a tapered beam element. To model the flexible joints of the modular poles, a rotational spring model is used. Modal analysis is performed for typical FRP poles with/without joint and they are also modeled by ANSYS commercial finite element software. There is a good correlation between the results of the tapered beam finite element model and those obtained from ANSYS as well as the existing experimental results. The effects of different geometries, material lay-ups, concentrated masses at the pole tip, and joint flexibilities are evaluated. Moreover, it is concluded that using tougher fibres at the inner and outer layers of the cross-section, results in higher natural frequencies, significantly.