Topography Optimization and Buckling Test of Tension Plates in UHVDC Transmission Lines

Based on the dynamic response of a typical UHVDC transmission line section after ice-shedding and the topology optimization of the tension plate, topography optimization of the tension plate to maximize buckling load is carried out to obtain the optimized schemes with stiffener. Considering the optimization results and manufacture cost, three optimized schemes of the tension plate with stiffener, whose buckling load enhances more than 40% with a bit of weight increase, are proposed. Reduced-scale modeling method for tension plates was presented and the buckling tests of the reduced-scale original and one optimized tension plates were performed. It is demonstrated that the buckling loads of the tension plates measured by the tests are consistent with those by the numerical simulations, which verifies the correctness and efficiency of the numerical simulations for the nonlinear buckling and the optimization of the tension plate. The optimized tension plates with stiffener are efficient and can be utilized in real transmission lines.