Embedded Pre-Stressed Poles

Pre-stressed concrete poles are generally direct buried, eliminating the cost and time delays of setting anchor base footings.

Under normal conditions, a concrete pole can be set directly into an augured or bored hole. Backfilling can be accomplished using crushed aggregate, concrete or virgin soil. Embedment designs are recommended for most installations, but specifically for heavy or unbalanced loads and where soil bearing strengths are in question. Accord offers foundation design services performed by a Registered P.E. based upon assumed soils or customer supplied geotechnical surveys.

	Save Time - a directly embedded concrete pole can be set in minutes or hours as compared to anchor base structures set time of days or weeks.
	Save Money - direct embedments eliminate the material, labor, and delay costs of anchor base foundations.
	Aesthetically Pleasing - with no unsightly base plates, studs or nuts to cover, simply pave or install sod around the pole to provide a neat, clean, uncluttered appearance.

INSTALLATION

Direct burial of poles is the most economical installation, however, when wood and steel are placed directly into the around. they are immediately exposed to the effects of corrosion and decay. Due to the materials used and the construction design of concrete poles, the only elements in contact with the soil or moisture are inert and do not react with outside influences.

Anchor Base applications; while very specific in their design strength are also very expensive when compared to direct burial. Anchor base designs require the additional cost of placement of a steel reinforced cage encased in concrete with an exposed bolt pattern at the ground line for bolting the pole upright.

LIFE

	Concrete - 50+ years
	Concrete by nature, continues to increase in strength throughout its life. The vast majority of concrete poles placed in service are still doing their job. Most of those not in service have been removed due to damage inflicted by man, not nature.
	Wood - 5 - 20 years
	Studies have shown this to be a reasonable estimate due to effects of weather, insects, decay and woodpeckers.
	Steel - 15 - 30+ years
	This varies with the environment the pole is placed. Harsher salt air and constant moisture and humidity can cause a substantial reduction due to the onset of corrosion.

OUR ENVIRONMENT

Even though the benefits of steel are used to generate a large percentage of the strength in pre-stressed concrete poles, the steel used is a small percentage of the total materials that make up each pole. The vast majority of the total substance of a pre-stressed concrete pole comes from inert products that have gone through little if any transformation prior to their use in production. All of this coupled with the reasonably low energy consumption required to produce concrete poles, allows for a consistent product that is environmentally conscientious from start to finish.

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
Research and Development has always been an important part of Accord Industries. Under Hughes Supply, advances in static cast technology were continuous from the beginning in 1963. When the centrifugally spun production facility was added in 1985, we remained on the leading edge of the industry. Accord's personnel continue to work closely with our customers to assist in writing and modifying production and quality specifications that reflect today's technology.

We continue to stay on the forefront of concrete technology as exhibited by some of our more recent areas of interest.

As a normal policy, testing is done for three reasons.

1. Our staff has developed a new product and prior to presenting it to the market place, we perform full-scale destructive tests to document its merit. The full costs are born by Accord.
2. At the request of a valued customer, we develop a product that is outside of the normal parameters of our designs and this customer requires a full-scale destructive test to verify the design. The costs of the product and testing are normally the responsibility of the customer.
3. Testing of a standard design product is performed on occasion to either satisfy our engineering staff of the value of a minor modification or at the request of a customer. If our customer requests this, we expect them to compensate Accord for the product and testing costs

QUALITY CONTROL

Quality is a responsibility that is never taken lightly at Accord Industries. While we believe there is an art as well as a science to the manufacture of pre-stressed concrete poles, we are distinctly aware of the need for statistical and scientific controls to assure the measurability of the materials used in the manufacturing process as well as the final product.

Quality Management, like engineering procedures, must be allowed to evolve. This evolution takes place partially due to technical and scientific advances, but most quality improvements come directly from production and our customers.

Our Quality Management Manual was recently re-written to include many advances in technology, as well as provide a more specific reference document to ensure the consistency of the products we supply to our customers. The complete text is considered "Proprietary", however it is available for your review at our plant in Winter Park, Florida.

ACCORD INDUSTRIES warrants its concrete poles to be free from defects in material and workmanship for a period of thirty years from the date of delivery. Supplemental hardware, which is warranted to be free from, defects in material and workmanship for a period of one year from the date of delivery. Nuts and bolts are not included in this warranty.

Accord Industries' sole responsibility under this warranty is to repair or replace, at its option, any defective product that is returned to Accord during the warranty period. Any defective product will be repaired or replaced FOB Accord's Winter Park, Florida location. Accord is not responsible for any removal, transportation, or installation charges.

Accord's warranty does not apply to damages resulting from improper handling or installation; unauthorized alterations, vandalism or abuse; impact (such as being hit by a motor vehicle or vessel); or Acts of God such as wind exceeding the design parameters set forth in Accord's specifications, or other extreme weather conditions.

THE FOREGOING WARRANTIES ARE IN LIEU OF ALL OTHER WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL ACCORD BE LIABLE FOR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES.