Geomechanics and Engineering
Volume 41, Number 2, 2025, pages 287-295
DOI: 10.12989/gae.2025.41.2.287
Prediction of steel tower foundation specifications using non-destructive testing method
Hee-Hwan Ryu , Suyoung Choi , Eun-Soo Hong , Shin-Kyu Choi
Abstract
Transmission tower foundations play a critical role in supporting and preventing the collapse of tower structures. In Korea, 12,000 tower foundations require additional reinforcement due to the recent design standard changes for wind speed pressure as a result of climate change. However, several challenges arise when attempting to determine appropriate methods of reinforcement, especially in the case of approximately 1,500 towers that lack any records of foundation specifications. In this study, the electrical resistivity survey, one of the non-destructive testing methods, is employed to accurately determine foundation specifications, which can in turn be used to strategically develop reinforcement plans. Using electrical resistivity survey data obtained through both laboratory and field experiments, an algorithm capable of extracting foundation specifications was developed. The system was then applied to 47 transmission tower foundations. According to the results, the electrical resistivity survey achieved a prediction accuracy of 91.5% for depth of the tower foundation, 98.6% for width of the base slab, and 95.6% for thickness of the base slab. These findings suggest that the method is particularly effective at predicting the width and thickness of the base slab, with width predictions being the most accurate. This research is expected to aid in the creation of maintenance and reinforcement plans for transmission tower foundations while also enabling cost-effective specification assessments for various buried civil engineering structures.
Key Words
electrical resistivity survey; foundation; non-destructive test; specification; transmission tower
Address
- Hee-Hwan Ryu and Shin-Kyu Choi — Power System Research Laboratory, Korea Electric Power Research Institute,105 Munji-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34056, Republic of Korea
- Suyoung Choi — Department of Mathematics, Ajou University, 206 World cup-ro, Yeongtong-gu, Suwon 16499, Republic of Korea
- Eun-Soo Hong — Harmony Blending and Creativity (HBC), 138 Dunsanjung-ro, Seo-gu, Daejeon 35209, Republic of Korea
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