- UF researchers found that aluminum light poles damaged during Hurricane Ian failed not because of extreme winds alone, but due to a combination of manufacturing defects, design features and installation errors that reduced their built-in safety margins.
- Hidden air pockets inside the metal weakened the pole bases by as much as 25%, while small installation issues added stress that pushed the structures beyond what they could safely handle.
- The study shows that meeting design codes does not always guarantee real-world performance and highlights the need for better quality control, installation practices and modest design changes to improve hurricane resilience.
When Hurricane Ian moved across Florida in 2022, several aluminum light poles on a Central Florida bridge collapsed or cracked, even though wind speeds remained below the structures’ design limits. A new University of Florida study reveals how hidden flaws in design and installation contributed to their unexpected collapse.
Researchers from UF’s Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering found that the failures were not caused by extreme winds alone, nor by long-term fatigue. Instead, the damage resulted from a dangerous combination of manufacturing defects, stress-concentrating design features and installation-related errors that sharply reduced the poles’ safety margin under hurricane conditions.