IEEE Guide for Slip and Pull-Out

Strength Testing of Bolted Dead End

Strain Clamps

IEEE Power & Energy Society

Sponsored by the
Transmission and Distribution Committee

IEEE
3 Park Avenue IEEE Std C135.64™-2012
New York, NY 10016-5997
USA

8 June 2012

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 IEEE Std C135.64™-2012

IEEE Guide for Slip and Pull-Out

Strength Testing of Bolted Dead End
Strain Clamps

Sponsor

Transmission and Distribution Committee

of the
IEEE Power & Energy Society

Approved 14 May 2012

IEEE-SA Standards Board

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 Abstract: Test procedures for the slip and pullout strength certification testing of bolted dead end
strain clamps for use on overhead transmission and distribution lines are covered by this guide.
Keywords: certification, IEEE C135.64, strain clamps, testing

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Copyright © 2012 by The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.

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 Participants
At the time this IEEE guide was completed, the Overhead Line Structural, Materials, and Hardware
Working Group had the following membership:

Keith E. Lindsey, Chair

Thomas McCarthy, Vice Chair

Dick Aichinger Kyle Gilbreath Scott Monroe

Mehmet Arslan Erich Gnandt Roger Montambo
Gordon Baker Waymon Goch George B. Niles
Tony Baker Tom Grisham Juan Nuño
Yair Berenstein Asim Haldar John J. Olenik
Allen Bernstorf Joe Hallman Carl Orde
Nelson G. Bingel, III Bryan Hanft Bob Oswald
Tom Bozeman Doug Harms Mohammad Pasha
Derrick Bradstreet Linda Harrison Jason Payne
Michael Brucato Steve Harrison Chad Pederson
Dave Bryant Ibrahim Hathout Robert Peters
Bill Calhoun Jennifer Havel Douglas Proctor
Steve Casteel Donald G. Heald Brian Reed
John Chan Randy Hopkins Rafael Rios
Neal Chapman Michael Hudgens Jack Roughan
Jerry Cheeks Magdi F. Ishac Karen Rowe
Allen Clapp Mark Isom Ron Rowland
Eric Cleckley Arjan Jagtiani Robert Santarsiero
Mike Clodfelder Doug Jones Brian Share
Rich Collins Jacob Joplin David Shibilia
Len Consalvo Mark Jurgemeyer Ross Smith
Lena Cordell Peter Kapinos Steve Smith
Glenn Davidson Tim Kautz Brent Smolarek
Mike DellaVecchia Kenneth Keller Paul Springer
Nicholas DeSantis Robert Kluge Eric Stemshorn
Tony DiGioia Samy Krishnasamy Andrew H. Stewart
Corrine Dimnik Brian Lacoursiere Carl R. Tamm
Keith E. Dinsmore Hong-To Lam Phu Trac
Seydou Diop Ling Lan-Ping Vinh N. Tran
Doug Dodson Jim Larkey Larry Vandergriend
Michael Dolan Ming Lu Jack Varner
Dennis Doss Otto Lynch Bruce Vaughn
Michael Fick Gary McAllister Jeff Wang
Alan Fleissner Ray McCoy Nathan Washburn
Bruce Freimark Casey Miller Ed West
Ross Gableman Steven Miller Bob Whophom
Michael Garrels May Millies Dan Wycklendt
Jeff Giffen Robert J. Millies Nancy Zhu

The following members of the individual balloting committee voted on this guide. Balloters may have
voted for approval, disapproval, or abstention.

Saleman Alibhay Randall Dotson Jeffery Helzer

Harvey Bowles Gary Engmann Lee Herron
William Byrd Fredric Friend Werner Hoelzl
James Chapman David Gilmer Magdi F. Ishac
Robert Christman Waymon Goch Gael Kennedy
Glenn Davidson Edwin Goodwin Robert Kluge
Gary Donner Randall Groves Joseph L. Koepfinger

vi
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 Jim Kulchisky Carl Orde Stephen Rodick
Chung-Yiu Lam Lorraine Padden Bartien Sayogo
Keith E. Lindsey Bansi Patel Jerry Smith
William McBride Robert Peters Gary Stoedter
Thomas McCarthy Douglas Proctor John Toth
Arthur Neubauer Keith Reese John Vergis
Michael S. Newman Michael Roberts

When the IEEE-SA Standards Board approved this guide on 14 May 2012, it had the following
membership:

Richard H. Hulett, Chair

John Kulick, Vice Chair
Robert M. Grow, Past President

Satish Aggarwal Paul Houzé Ted Olsen

Masayuki Ariyoshi Jim Hughes Gary Robinson
Peter Balma Young Kyun Kim Jon Walter Rosdahl
William Bartley Joseph L. Koepfinger* Mike Seavey
Ted Burse John Kulick Yatin Trivedi
Clint Chaplin David J. Law Phil Winston
Wael Diab Thomas Lee Yu Yuan
Jean-Philippe Faure Hung Ling
Alexander Gelman Oleg Logvinov

*Member Emeritus

Also included are the following nonvoting IEEE-SA Standards Board liaisons:

Richard DeBlasio, DOE Representative

Michael Janezic, NIST Representative

Julie Alessi
IEEE Standards Program Manager, Document Development

Erin Spiewak
IEEE Standards Program Manager, Technical Program Development

vii
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 Introduction

This introduction is not part of IEEE Std C135.64-2012, IEEE Guide for Slip and Pull-Out Strength Testing of Bolted
Dead End Strain Clamps.

The purpose of this guide is to provide a repeatable and standardized methodology for performing
mechanical slip and pull-out strength testing for a bolted dead end clamp and a conductor combination. A
bolted dead end clamp and a conductor combination tested in accordance with this guide should give
reasonable assurance to the user that the clamp and conductor combination will perform in a satisfactory
manner, provided they have been installed in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations.

viii
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 Contents

1. Overview .................................................................................................................................................... 1
1.1 Scope ................................................................................................................................................... 1
1.2 Purpose ................................................................................................................................................ 1
1.3 Application .......................................................................................................................................... 2

2. Normative references.................................................................................................................................. 2

3. Definitions .................................................................................................................................................. 2

4. Performance criteria ................................................................................................................................... 3

5. Test preparation .......................................................................................................................................... 3

5.1 Sample size .......................................................................................................................................... 3
5.2 Sample preparation .............................................................................................................................. 3
5.3 Test procedure ..................................................................................................................................... 4
5.4 Suspension clamp slip testing .............................................................................................................. 4

6. Test and test reports.................................................................................................................................... 5

7. Modifications.............................................................................................................................................. 6

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 IEEE Guide for Slip and Pull-Out
Strength Testing of Bolted Dead End
Strain Clamps

IMPORTANT NOTICE: IEEE Standards documents are not intended to ensure safety, health, or
environmental protection, or ensure against interference with or from other devices or networks.
Implementers of IEEE Standards documents are responsible for determining and complying with all
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This IEEE document is made available for use subject to important notices and legal disclaimers.
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http://standards.ieee.org/IPR/disclaimers.html.

1. Overview

1.1 Scope

This guide defines testing procedures for the slip and pull-out strength testing of bolted dead end strain
clamps for use on transmission and distribution lines. This guide covers initial certification testing. For
routine acceptance testing, refer to IEEE Std C135.61TM. 1

1.2 Purpose

The purpose of this guide is to provide a repeatable and standardized methodology for performing
mechanical slip and pull-out strength testing for a bolted dead end clamp and conductor combination. A
bolted dead end clamp and conductor combination tested in accordance with this guide should give
reasonable assurance to the user that the clamp and conductor combination will perform in a satisfactory
manner, provided they have been installed in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations.

1
Information on references can be found in Clause 2.

1
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 IEEE Std C135.64-2012
IEEE Guide for Slip and Pull-Out Strength Testing of Bolted Dead End Strain Clamps

1.3 Application

Due to the large variety of transmission and distribution conductors (i.e., ACSR, ACSS, AAAC, AAC,
Smooth Bodied Compacted Conductor, Greased Conductor, etc. galvanized or aluminum clad steel
earthwire), it is not prudent to expect a bolted dead end clamp designed and tested to hold a certain
percentage of ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of one type and stranding of conductor, to be capable of
holding the same percent UTS of another conductor, even though the conductor fits within the clamp
diameter range. On transmission or distribution lines where a bolted dead end clamp may be expected to
hold close to the UTS of the conductor (e.g., 95%), the user may wish to certify the combination of clamp
and conductor. On high ampacity distribution lines where the UTS of a larger conductor may greatly
exceed design strength requirements, the user may only need, or have room for, a smaller or in-line dead
end clamp (e.g., with a 60% UTS). Again, the user may wish to certify the combination of clamp and
conductor meets this requirement.

This guide can also be used to certify the minimum slip strength of suspension clamps.

It is expected that the user will select and use suitable safety factors in applying these clamps based on
experience and knowledge of applicable codes, standards, and the environment and materials involved.

2. Normative references
The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document (i.e., they must
be understood and used, so each referenced document is cited in text and its relationship to this document is
explained). For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of
the referenced document (including any amendments or corrigenda) applies.

ANSI C119.4, American National Standard for Electric Connectors, Connectors to Use Between
Aluminum-to-Aluminum or Aluminum-to-Copper Bare Overhead Conductors. 2

IEEE Std C135.61, Standard for Testing of Overhead Transmission and Distribution Line Hardware. 3

3. Definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply. The IEEE Standards
Dictionary: Glossary of Terms and Definitions 4 should be consulted for terms not defined in this clause.

non-conforming part: Any unit of product which falls below its specified rated strength (ultimate tensile,
slip, or pull-out) during testing.

pull-out strength: The applied tensile load at which strand breakage occurs or the conductor slides freely
through the clamp with no further increase in applied tensile load.

sample: Specimens are selected by the manufacturer as being representative of a homogeneous population
and are representative of those which will be in production.

2
ANSI publications are available from the Sales Department, American National Standards Institute, 25 West 43rd Street, 4th Floor,
New York, NY 10036, USA (http://www.ansi.org/).
3
IEEE publications are available from The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, 445 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ 08854,
USA (http://standards.ieee.org/).
4
IEEE Standards Dictionary: Glossary of Terms and Definitions is available at http://shop.ieee.org.

2
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 IEEE Std C135.64-2012
IEEE Guide for Slip and Pull-Out Strength Testing of Bolted Dead End Strain Clamps

sample size: A minimum number of three conductor specimens and six dead end clamps are required for
each test, although the manufacturer may elect to perform additional tests.

slip strength: The applied tensile load that results in movement of the outer conductor strands from its
original clamped position at the mouth of the clamp to the maximum allowable slip distance. The
maximum slip distance shall not exceed one diameter of the conductor under test.

ultimate body strength: The threshold load at which a component part of the bolted dead end strain clamp
fractures or otherwise fails when tested in a manner simulating the recommended application in service.

4. Performance criteria
The slip and pull-out rating shall be evaluated per ANSI C119.4 and classified in accordance with a Class
1, 2, or 3. In addition, a Class 1A value of 60% of the conductor rated strength is to be used for clamps so
designated by the manufacturer. See Table 1.

Table 1 —Nominal slip strength designation for bolted dead end strain clamp
Class Slip strength % Designation
1 95% Full tension
1A 60% Normal tension
2 40% Partial tension
3 5% Minimum tension

5. Test preparation

5.1 Sample size

Six samples (three tests) of each clamp and conductor combination shall be tested. The conductor will be
terminated at both ends in identical clamps.

5.2 Sample preparation

Slip and pull-out strength tests shall be performed on three samples of the same clamp and conductor
combination. A new, unused sample of conductor will be used for each test. The conductor is to be
supplied by the user and should be representative of the conductor to be installed (e.g., new and greased if
applicable). Each conductor sample shall be a minimum length as shown in Table 2, or if one longer
sample is provided, it shall be three times the length shown in Table 2. The ends of the cut samples shall be
secured with hose clamp or multiple wraps of a steel wire to prevent unraveling of the conductor. The
conductor shall be shipped to the test location in a manner to prevent it from having its strands loosened or
being damage (i.e., nicked or deformed) by other objects, or degraded by weather.

Once the conductor arrives at the test location, it shall not be altered and shall be stored in a suitable indoor
environment to protect it from the elements. No solvents or abrasive materials shall be used to clean the
conductor before testing. A clean rag may be used to clean dirt or other foreign particles from the
conductor before the test.

3
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 IEEE Std C135.64-2012
IEEE Guide for Slip and Pull-Out Strength Testing of Bolted Dead End Strain Clamps

Table 2 —Conductor sample length requirements

Type of conductor Minimum length of exposed Minimum length of conductor
conductor between dead end sample
clamps
Single metal or single alloy conductors 6 ft (1.83 m) 12 ft (3.65 m)
with 19 strands or less
Single metal or single alloy conductors 10 ft (3.05 m) 18 ft (5.50 m)
with more than 19 strands and multiple
metal or multiple alloy conductors

5.3 Test procedure

Conductor preparation and clamp installation shall be in accordance with the clamp manufacturer’s
recommendations. Those procedures and any exceptions shall be recorded in the test report. If clearly
written recommendations do not exist, the following procedure shall be followed:

Lay a slack portion of the conductor into the bolted section of the clamp.

Hand-tighten all nuts (when nuts are mentioned, bolts could also be tightened).

Start tightening all nuts in an up/down left/right manner as tightening lug nuts on a tire. Care should be
taken to ensure the clamp keeper(s) does not slide off to one side of the conductor. Light tension can be
applied to cable and clamp to hold the clamp in position for tightening.

Tighten all nuts to the recommended torque (+2 ft-lb, -0 ft-lb or +3 Nm, -0 Nm) embossed on the clamp
body. If no torque values are embossed on the clamp body, use the values given in Table 3 (+2 ft-lb, -0 ft-
lb or +3 Nm, -0 Nm).

Table 3 —Nut tightening torque requirements

Nominal bolt size (in) Torque (ft-lb) Torque (Nm)
3/8 25 34
1/2 40 54
5/8 60 81

Hardware used in the application of the load shall be in accordance with Figure 1. Pins or bolts normally
furnished with the clamp shall be used during all tests. This guide applies to straight line loading. Lower
ultimate strengths may occur if loaded in a manner other than shown in this guide.

Pull tension between the clamps until 1000 lbs (4.5 kN) or 10% of the UTS (whichever is lower) is
achieved.

Mark the position of the conductor exiting the mouth of the dead end clamp using tape or an ink marker.

5.4 Suspension clamp slip testing

If this guide is used to certify the slip strength of a suspension clamp and armor rods are required for the
suspension clamp, the user shall supply six sets of armor rods to the testing location. Armor rods shall be
applied to the conductor before proceeding with 5.3. The length of conductor sample required in Table 2
shall be increased by twice the length of the armor rods.

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 IEEE Std C135.64-2012
IEEE Guide for Slip and Pull-Out Strength Testing of Bolted Dead End Strain Clamps

6. Test and test reports

In performing a slip and pull-out test, the load shall begin at 1000 lbs (4.5 kN) or 10% of the UTS
(whichever is lower) and be smoothly increased in a practically stepless manner. The load may be
increased rapidly to approximately 75% of anticipated slip or pull-out strength of the clamp. Load shall
then be smoothly applied at a rate of 25% of rated strength per minute until failure. Design testing shall be
performed to establish the ultimate strength ratings by loading until failure occurs.

Figure 1 —Dimensions of connecting hardware to dead end clamps

All tests shall be recorded in a permanent and organized manner, and those test records shall be maintained
for a minimum of 10 years. Each test write-up shall contain the following:

a) Date of test
b) Location of test

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 IEEE Std C135.64-2012
IEEE Guide for Slip and Pull-Out Strength Testing of Bolted Dead End Strain Clamps

c) Manufacturer’s catalog or part number of the dead end clamp

d) Dead end clamp rating
e) Description of test setup including serial numbers of test equipment, including torque wrench
f) Date of last calibration of test equipment
g) Conductor data, including conductor type, size, condition, and measured diameter
h) Length of exposed conductor between dead end clamps
i) Test values of all three tests and which slip, pull-out, and/or ultimate body strength was achieved,
and a description of the failure mode (i.e., conductor slip, conductor breakage, broken pin, fracture
at clamp clevis, etc.)
j) Any abnormal conditions during the test (i.e., test stopped, test equipment failure, etc.)
k) Signature of all persons performing and/or witnessing the test

All test reports submitted to customers shall by typed and certified. East test report shall contain the
following:

a) Date of test
b) Location of test
c) Objective of test
d) Manufacturer’s catalog or part number of the dead end clamp
e) Dead end clamp rating
f) Description of test setup including serial numbers of test equipment, including torque wrench
(Photographs of test setup are optional.)
g) Date of last calibration of test equipment
h) Conductor data, including conductor type, size, UTS, condition, and measured diameter
i) Length of exposed conductor between dead end clamps
j) Test values of all three tests at which slip, pull-out, and/or ultimate body strength was achieved,
and a description of the failure mode (i.e., conductor slip, conductor breakage, broken pin, fracture
at clamp clevis, etc.)
k) Any abnormal conditions during the test (i.e., test stopped, test equipment failure, etc.)
l) A statement that the dead end hardware and conductor combination conforms to one of the
classifications listed in Table 1. This statement can be made if, and only if, all three tests produced
slip and pull-out strengths above the “Slip strength-%” given in Table 1.
m) The average percent UTS holding capacity of the dead end clamp and conductor combination
n) The lowest percent UTS holding capacity of the dead end clamp and conductor combination
o) Personnel present at the test
p) Signature of one of the personnel present to certify that the “test was performed in accordance with
this IEEE guide.”

7. Modifications
Any modifications to this guide (e.g., quantity of tests to be performed, length of conductor test sample,
etc.) shall be agreed in writing between the user and the dead end clamp manufacturer and/or test
laboratory in advance.

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