Materials System Specification

14-SAMSS-600 1 June 2014

Material, Manufacture and Preservative Treatment of Wood Poles
Document Responsibility: Electrical Systems Designs and Automation Standards
Committee

Saudi Aramco DeskTop Standards

Table of Contents

1 Scope............................................................. 2
2 Conflicts and Deviations................................. 2
3 References..................................................... 2
4 General Requirements................................... 3
5 Conditioning and Treatment........................... 4
6 Testing and Inspection................................... 5

Previous Issue: 20 October 2008 Next Planned Update: 1 June 2019

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Primary contact: Bugshan, Jamal Ahmed on +966-13-8809650

Copyright©Saudi Aramco 2014. All rights reserved.

Document Responsibility: Electrical Systems Designs and Automation Standards Committee 14-SAMSS-600
Issue Date: 1 June 2014
Next Planned Update: 1 June 2019 Material, Manufacture and Preservative Treatment of Wood Poles

1 Scope

This Specification defines the mandatory requirements for the material, manufacture,
and preservative treatment of wood utility poles.

2 Conflicts and Deviations

2.1 If there are any conflicts between this Specification and associated purchasing,
project or engineering documents, this specification shall take precedence.

2.2 Direct all requests to deviate from this Specification in writing to the Company
or Buyer Representative, who shall follow internal company waiver procedure.

2.3 The designation “Commentary” is used to label a sub-paragraph that contains

comments that are explanatory or advisory. These comments are not mandatory,
except to the extent that they explain mandatory requirements contained in this
SAMSS.

3 References

The following is a summary of all the documents which have been mentioned within
this Specification. The specific part(s) of these documents which are applicable have
been identified throughout this Specification.

3.1 Saudi Aramco References

Saudi Aramco Inspection and Testing Requirements

175-142100 Wood: Utility Pole

3.2 Industry Codes and Standards

American National Standards Institute

ANSI 05.1 Wood Poles - Specifications and Dimensions

American Society for Testing and Materials

ASTM D4442 Standard Test Methods for Direct Moisture Content
Measurement of Wood and Wood-Based Materials

American Wood Preservers Association

AWPA C1 All Timber Products-Preservative Treatment by
Pressure Processes
AWPA C4 Poles - Preservative Treatment by Pressure Processes

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Document Responsibility: Electrical Systems Designs and Automation Standards Committee 14-SAMSS-600
Issue Date: 1 June 2014
Next Planned Update: 1 June 2019 Material, Manufacture and Preservative Treatment of Wood Poles

AWPA M1 Standard for the Purchase of Treated Wood Products

AWPA M2 Standard for Inspection of Treated Timber Products
AWPA M4 Standard for the Care of Preservative-Treated
Wood Products
AWPA P1 Standard for Coal Tar Creosote for Land and Fresh
Water Use
AWPA P8 Standard for Oil-Borne Preservatives

4 General Requirements

4.1 Wood poles shall be provided in accordance with ANSI 05.1 and AWPA M1 as
supplemented by this specification. The pole class shall be as specified in the
purchaser order.

4.2 Only poles of the following species shall be acceptable:

- Douglas Fir, Coastal (Pseudotsuga menziesii)
- Southern Yellow Pine

4.3 Moisture Content. Moisture content shall be determined in accordance with

ASTM D4442 at a depth of 50 mm below the pole surface midway between the
top and butt ends of each pole using a resistance-type moisture meter with
insulated electrodes. When poles are kiln dried, the moisture content before
preservative treatment in the outer 50 mm shall not exceed 25%. When poles
are conditioned by Boulton drying or heating in the preservative, the moisture
content in the outer 50 mm shall not exceed 25% after preservative treatment.

4.4 All poles shall be neatly sawed at the top with a 15° slant roof and at the butt
along a plane which shall not be out of square with the axis of the pole by more
than 50 mm per 0.3 m of diameter of the sawed surface.

4.5 Anti splitting devices, such as “star-lock” may be used at pole tops.

4.6 Each accepted pole shall be legibly stamped in the top end before preservative
treatment with the Inspection Agency's monogram and Inspector's number and
again in the butt end following preservative treatment with the “after treatment”
Inspection Agency's monogram and Inspector's number.

4.7 Poles shall be burn-branded on the face with all information required by
ANSI 05.1. Butts of poles shall be marked with the true circumference-class
numeral and numerals showing the length of the pole by a burn-brand or a
non-corrosive metal tag.

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Document Responsibility: Electrical Systems Designs and Automation Standards Committee 14-SAMSS-600
Issue Date: 1 June 2014
Next Planned Update: 1 June 2019 Material, Manufacture and Preservative Treatment of Wood Poles

4.8 Poles shall be handled in accordance with AWPA M4 and this specification.
Poles shall be prepared for handling by stacking nose to butt in bundles not
exceeding 5 tons per bundle. Each bundle shall be handled using specialized
pole handling equipment to eliminate damage to the poles during handling and
lifting.

5 Conditioning and Treatment

5.1 Poles shall be conditioned prior to preservative treatment in accordance with the
requirements of the AWPA C1 and AWPA M1 except as modified or
supplemented by AWPA C4.

5.2 Where Douglas fir poles are cut more than 90 days prior to conditioning and/or
treatment, the cycle shall include subjection of the poles to temperatures of not
less than 82°C and not exceeding the temperature ranges permitted for the
particular conditioning or treatment cycle for a total time of not less than 20 hours.

5.3 Air-seasoning of Douglas Fir poles is limited to a maximum of six months

period prior to conditioning and/or treatment.

5.4 The preservative used in treatment shall be either coal tar creosote in accordance
with AWPA P1 or pentachlorophenol in accordance with AWPA P8.

5.5 Preservative retention shall be in accordance with AWPA C4, minimum

retention shall be as indicated in Table 1.

Table 1
Preservation Retention
Wood Type 3
Type Treatment (lb/ft )
Douglas Fir Creosote 12.00
Douglas Fir Pentachlorophenol 0.60
Southern Pine Creosote 9.00
Southern Pine Pentachlorophenol 0.45

5.6 Poles shall not be retreated more than once.

6 Testing and Inspection

6.1 All material Furnished under this specification shall be subject to inspection
before preservative treatment by a representative of Saudi Aramco. In addition,
all material shall be subject to inspection before, during and after preservative
treatment in accordance with the AWPA M2 by a representative of Saudi
Aramco.

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Document Responsibility: Electrical Systems Designs and Automation Standards Committee 14-SAMSS-600
Issue Date: 1 June 2014
Next Planned Update: 1 June 2019 Material, Manufacture and Preservative Treatment of Wood Poles

6.2 A certificate providing the information recommended by AWPA M2 for the

inspector's report shall be provided.

6.3 Wood Poles are subject to Inspection Requirement Form 175-142100, attached
to the Purchase Order.

Revision Summary
1 June 2014 Revised the Next Planned Update, reaffirmed the content of the document, and reissued as
major revision.

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