Anchor Rod Inspection System

Many thousand of miles of high-voltage electric transmission power lines are supported by guy wire attached to anchor rods. The anchor rods ranged from 0.5 to 1.5 inches in diameter and from 7 to 10 feet in length and embedded in soil or concrete. These anchor rods are subject to corrosion and, when the corrosion progresses to unsafe levels, could result in catastrophic failure of the transmission power lines.

With collaboration from EDM International Inc. and the Electric Power Research Institute, SwRI^® scientists successfully applied MsS technology to anchor rods to detect underground corrosion. Using longitudinal guided waves at 32 kHz, hundreds of anchor rods in a variety of operating environments across the United States were inspected, successfully proving the MsS system for assessing degrees of corrosion. The MsS system for anchor rod inspection was commercialized in 2005 and has been used by inspection service companies. Our company (GWA) also provides buried anchor rod inspection services. For more detailed information about anchor rod inspection services, please click here.

The MsS technology provides inspection data of the entire anchor rod taken from a point that rests above ground, eliminating the need for excavation. The sample data shown illustrates one good rod and one corroded rod.