This article has been accepted for inclusion in a future issue of this journal.
Content is final as presented, with the exception of pagination.
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON POWER DELIVERY
Analysis of Buckling Strength of Inner Windings in
Transformers Under Radial Short-Circuit Forces
Amit Bakshi and S. V. Kulkarni, Senior Member, IEEE
Abstract—The buckling of conductors of inner windings in
transformers is one of the major causes of their failures. It can
occur when a large magnitude of radial short-circuit electromag-
netic force acts on them. In this paper, initially, mechanical strains
developed during winding processes and due to radial short-cir-
cuit forces have been determined. The two mechanical strains viz.
the short-circuit induced strain and the winding process-induced
strain are algebraically added to obtain their resulting strain.
The stress corresponding to the resulting strain has been deter-
mined by using the Ramberg–Osgood stress-strain relation. The
critical buckling stress has been calculated and compared with
the resulting stress. The analytically obtained result of the strain
induced in the winding conductor during its winding process has
been verified using the finite-element method. A case study has
been described in which the factor of safety against the buckling
strength is determined.
Index Terms—Buckling, short-circuit force, strain, stress,
transformers.
I. INTRODUCTION
P OWER transformers should have sufficient mechanical
strength to withstand short-circuit forces. Due to growing
generating capacities and interconnections in power systems,
the short-circuit duty of transformers becomes severe. A large
amount of current flows in their windings during short-circuit
events. The interaction of the circumferential component of the
short-circuit current density with the axial component of the
leakage flux density produces the radial component of the force
density. For midheight conductors of an inner winding, the force
density decreases from its outer surface to inner surface.
The effect of radial forces on an outer winding is to produce
tensile hoop stresses in its conductors, and they produce com-
pressive hoop stresses in an inner winding which must be ad-
equately supported to avoid its failure [1], [2]. Inner windings
generally fail due to a buckling phenomenon [3]–[5]. Buckling
failures are of two types, viz. free buckling and forced buck-
ling. The free buckling mode is considered as an unsupported
type of failure, that is, there are no constraints present at the
inner surface of the winding, which implies that the clearance
between the axial-supporting spacers and the winding is appre-
ciable. Also, the portion of conductor buckle does not have any
Manuscript received January 01, 2013; revised April 11, 2013; accepted June
10, 2013. Paper no. TPWRD-00001-2013.
The authors are with the Department of Electrical Engineering, Indian Insti-
tute of Technology Bombay, Mumbai-400076, India (e-mail: amitbakshi@ee.
iitb.ac.in; svk@ee.iitb.ac.in).
Color versions of one or more of the figures in this paper are available online
at http://ieeexplore.ieee.org.
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/TPWRD.2013.2272102
0885-8977/$31.00 © 2013 IEEE
1
relation to the span of the spacers. In the forced buckling mode,
considerable stiffness is provided by the inner support struc-
ture to the winding, and the conductor buckles between adjacent
axial-supporting spacers are all along the circumference [6]–[9].
The supports can be considered as hinges, and the problem do-
main is considered as a uniformly compressed circular arch with
hinged ends [6], [7], [10]–[12].
During the winding process, an appreciable strain is devel-
oped in conductors. This is due to the applied bending mo-
ment on the conductors during the process. The process-induced
strain was not included in the analysis reported in the previous
literature.
In this paper, the aforementioned strain has been taken into
account along with the short-circuit-induced strain to determine
the resulting stress in the winding conductors.
This paper reports the buckling analysis of a winding sector
between two axial-supporting spacers; the sector is considered
as a circular arch with hinged boundary conditions. The second
section elaborates in brief the governing buckling theory. The
procedure for taking into account the process-induced strain is
described in Section III. The corresponding stress calculation
is explained in the subsequent section. Finally, an FEM-based
study is given, which verifies the analytical results.
II. BUCKLING ANALYSIS OF AN INNER WINDING
As discussed in Section I, the buckling of an inner winding of
a transformer can be analyzed by considering a winding sector
between two axial-supporting spacers as a circular arch with
hinged boundary conditions. The critical buckling load for
this problem is given by [6], [7], [10]–[12]
(1)
where
tangent modulus of elasticity (in N/m );
mean radius of the conductor (in meters);
is the number of axial-supporting spacers;
area moment of inertia (in m ).
The constants and are the radial thickness and the axial
height of the inner winding conductor, respectively, in meters.
The critical pressure can be obtained by dividing (1) by
the axial height of the conductor and by substituting the values
of and . Therefore, the expression of is given by
(2)
 This article has been accepted for inclusion in a future issue of this journal. Content is final as presented, with the exception of pagination.

2 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON POWER DELIVERY

The critical buckling stress is [12]

(3)

where is the mean diameter of the conductor. The ratio

is known as the slenderness ratio. The higher its value,
the higher will be the value of the critical buckling stress [2],
[12].
Mathematically, in (2) and (3) is given by the derivative
of the stress with respect to the strain in the Ramberg–Osgood
relation for copper [7], [10], [12]

(4)

where is the tangent at the origin of the stress-strain curve of

the conductor material. The values of and are 5.4, 74.53
MPa, and 11.6, respectively.
To determine the critical buckling stress , the value of
as given by (4), with in the denominator term replaced by ,
is substituted in (3) [10]. The final equation is given by

(5)
Fig. 1. (a) Conductor section without bending moment [13]. (b) Conductor
with a bending moment due to the winding process [13].
In this paper, the Newton–Raphson method has been used to
determine the value of for the given values of parameters in
(5) which is a nonlinear equation. The length is the arc of a circle with radius , the angle
The next section gives a methodology to compute the strain subtended by the arc , and its length is given by
induced in a conductor during its winding process.

III. INDUCED STRAIN IN CONDUCTORS DURING

THE WINDING PROCESS (7)
Transformer windings are generally circular and are made
Similarly, the angle subtended by the arc and its length
on special mandrels. During their winding process, the applied
is given by
bending moment produces a strain in conductors. Under the
action of the applied bending moment , there is shortening
of inner surface fibers and stretching of outer surface fibers in
the conductors. On the plane perpendicular to the plane of
(8)
bending ( plane) as shown in Fig. 1(a), fibers are free of strain
and the plane is called neutral surface. The intersection of this
Now, by substituting the values of and from (7) and
surface with the plane of bending gives the deflection curve [13].
(8) in (6), we obtain [13]
Therefore, the length of the fibers lying on the neutral surface
is unchanged. Hence, the length of a fiber in Fig. 1(b),
which is on the neutral surface, remains equal to as
shown in Fig. 1(a).
Also, the deformation in the plane can be neglected [13]. or (9)
Therefore
Equation (9) gives the strain in the winding conductor at any
and
distance from the neutral surface during the winding process.
The strain in the fiber is given by [13]
IV. INDUCED STRAIN AND STRESS IN CONDUCTORS UNDER
SHORT-CIRCUIT CONDITIONS
The inner winding conductor cross section is thin; therefore, it
(6)
can be considered as a thin-walled cylinder. The hoop stress
 This article has been accepted for inclusion in a future issue of this journal. Content is final as presented, with the exception of pagination.

BAKSHI AND KULKARNI: ANALYSIS OF BUCKLING STRENGTH OF INNER WINDINGS IN TRANSFORMERS 3

induced in the conductor due to the action of radial short-circuit

forces is given by [13]

(10)

where is the average compressive radial pressure acting on

the outer surface of the conductor (its calculation is given in
Section V of this paper) and is the mean radius of the con-
ductor.
The strain corresponding to the stress can be deter-
mined from the Ramberg–Osgood stress-strain relation for the
winding material (copper), which is given as [7]

(11)

where and are the stress and strain values in the conductor,
and , and are the empirical constants having values of
0.0006755 and 74.53 MPa, and 12.6, respectively.
An algorithm is given below to determine the critical buck-
ling stress.
Algorithm:
1) Compute the magnitude of the maximum value of the
strain induced in the conductor during the winding
process by using (9).
2) Compute the hoop stress induced in the conductor
under the action of radial short-circuit forces by using
(10).
3) Compute the short-circuit strain corresponding to
by using the Ramberg–Osgood stress-strain relation
given in (11).
4) Add the two strains, that is, the strain due to the
winding process (obtained from step-1) and the strain
due to the short circuit force (obtained from step-3), to
obtain the resultant strain.
5) Corresponding to the resultant strain, compute the
resultant stress from the relation given in (11). In this
step, and in (11) are the resultant strain (obtained
from step-4) and the resultant stress, respectively. In
this paper, the Newton–Raphson method has been used
to determine the stress as explained in Section V.
6) Calculate the critical buckling stress from (5).
7) Calculate the factor of safety against buckling.
V. CASE STUDY
A 200-MVA, single-phase 21-kV generator trans-
former has been analyzed under a worst-case short-circuit con-
dition. The low-voltage (LV) winding of the transformer is split
into two parts, that is, top and bottom, and the high-voltage (HV)
winding has a center-line lead arrangement. Further, each LV
part is split into two layers with end-on arrangement. The LV
winding is built with an epoxy-bonded continuously transposed
cable (CTC) conductor. The analysis has been performed on a
bottom-level conductor in the first layer of the LV top winding
(close to the core).
Fig. 2. Magnetic vector potential plot.
ANSYS-EMAG software has been used for electromagnetic
analysis. It is assumed that the ampere-turns of the LV and HV
windings are balanced, and the core has a high value of perme-
ability.
The vector Poisson’s equation given in (12) is solved in terms
of the magnetic vector potential to determine the radial elec-
tromagnetic short-circuit forces
(12)
where and are the magnetic permeability and the current
density vector, respectively. Dirichlet boundary conditions are
applied on the outer core boundaries. Fig. 2 shows the magnetic
vector potential plot. In each finite element, the radial compo-
nent of the force is calculated by
distance from the axis of symmetry
(13)
where is the circumferential component of the current den-
sity, is the axial component of the magnetic flux density,
and is the area of an th finite element. Average pressure
can be calculated by summing all of the radial forces in each fi-
nite element as given by (13) in the bottom-level conductor and
dividing the sum by the outer surface area of the conductor
(14)
where and are the outer radius and the height of the con-
ductor having values of 766.5 mm and 16.5 mm, respectively.
The conductor radial thickness and the mean radius are 54.5
mm and 739.25 mm, respectively. From the analysis, the values
of the numerator of (14) and are 135090.5 N and 1.7 MPa,
respectively.
Fig. 3 shows the distribution of strain induced in the winding
conductor, during the winding process, along the radial direction
calculated by using the winding data and (9). Here, the winding
 This article has been accepted for inclusion in a future issue of this journal. Content is final as presented, with the exception of pagination.
4 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON POWER DELIVERY
Fig. 3. Strain distribution in the winding conductor.
Fig. 4. Bending of the winding conductor due to the applied bending moment.
is built with an epoxy-bonded CTC conductor having 49 strips,
and each strip has radial thickness of 1.95 mm. In Figs. 3 and 4,
the winding conductor means only one strip.
Also, through the ANSYS structural module, the strain de-
veloped in conductors during the winding process has been de-
termined. The nodes of finite elements at one end of the con-
ductor have been constrained. A moment is applied at the other
end of the conductor, and it is increased until the displacement
of conductor end nodes in the -direction is equal to 766.5 mm
so that the required winding radius is obtained. Fig. 4 shows the
bending of the winding conductor under the action of the applied
bending moment during the winding process. The strain induced
in the conductor is . This value is very close to the
maximum value of obtained from (9) and shown in
Fig. 3 corresponding to the fibers at the inner and outer radii. The
strain induced due to the short-circuit radial compressive force
by using (11) is . This strain corresponds to the
short-circuit stress value of 23.06 MPa obtained from (10). The
strain , under the short-circuit condition, can be algebraically
added to the strain given by (9) which occurs during the
winding process to obtain the resulting strain as . is verified by using FEM-based commercial software. The
Now, in order to determine the resulting stress corresponding to
the resulting strain, from the Ramberg–Osgood stress-strain re-
lation as given in (11), the Newton–Raphson method has been
used. From (11), a function of stress can be written as
(15)
By using the Newton–Raphson method, the solution is given by
(16)
where is the iteration number. is given by
(17)
The computed value of the resultant stress is 80.76
MPa. The value of the critical buckling stress computed by
solving (5) using the Newton–Raphson method is 117.45 MPa.
The LV winding is built with an epoxy-bonded CTC conductor
and, therefore, the full radial depth of the winding ( 54.5
mm) is taken in (5). Also, a large number ( 96 in (5)) of
axial-supporting spacers are provided. These are the two reasons
for obtaining a high value of the stress. If the conductor is not
epoxy bonded, then only the radial depth of one strip should be
substituted in the expression.
The factor of safety of the inner winding against buckling can
be defined as
(18)
The value of is 117.45/80.76 1.45. This value is
on the pessimistic side since the conductor material actually is
of the CPR2 grade—a hardened copper material, for which the
proof stress value can be taken as 180 MPa. Using this proof
stress value, the constants in the Ramberg–Osgood stress-strain
relation, that is, and can be recalculated as 163.34 MPa
and , respectively, using a formula given in [10].
The corresponding factor of safety value is 1.59.
If the strain developed in the conductor during the winding
process is not considered in the analysis, then the strain devel-
oped in the conductor will be only due to the short-circuit forces.
In this case, the value of is around (117.45/23.06
5.0). Thus, the winding process-induced strain should be ac-
counted for, and a numerical procedure for the same has been
elaborated in this paper for the first time to the best of the au-
thors’ knowledge.
VI. CONCLUSION
Failures due to buckling are common in inner windings
of transformers. In this paper, a buckling analysis has been
reported by taking into account the strain induced in conductors
during the winding process. An analytical expression has been
derived, from first principles of mechanics, to determine the
strain developed during the winding process. The strain value
other strain induced in conductors under the action of radial
 This article has been accepted for inclusion in a future issue of this journal. Content is final as presented, with the exception of pagination.
BAKSHI AND KULKARNI: ANALYSIS OF BUCKLING STRENGTH OF INNER WINDINGS IN TRANSFORMERS
short-circuit forces is determined by using the Ramberg-Os-
good stress-strain relation for the conductor material (copper).
Both strains are added to obtain the resultant strain. Corre-
sponding to this strain, the resultant stress value is determined
by using the stress-strain relation of the conductor material.
Finally, the critical buckling stress and the factor of safety
against buckling are determined.
The strain developed due to the winding process increases the
resultant stress in the winding conductor. This, in turn, reduces
the factor of safety against buckling. If the strain is not included
in the buckling analysis, a high and incorrect value of the factor
of safety is obtained.
Transitional effects occur either during the manufacturing
processes of transformers or due to cumulative effects of short
circuits. These need to be taken into account, for which a much
deeper study is required.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The authors would like to thank M/S Crompton Greaves Ltd.
(India), for providing the transformer data used in this paper,
and giving fellowship to the author (A. Bakshi) for carrying out
the research work.
REFERENCES
[1] M. Waters, Short-Circuit Strength of Power Transformers. London,
U.K.: Macdonald, 1966, pp. 103–108.
[2] S. V. Kulkarni and S. A. Khaparde, Transformer Engineering: De-
sign, Technology, and Diagnostics. Boca Raton, FL: CRC/Taylor &
Francis, 2012.
[3] Ability to Withstand Short Circuit, IEC 60076-5, 2006–02, 3rd ed.
[4] R. P. P. Smeets, L. H. T. E. Paske, P. P. Leufkens, and T. Fogelberg,
“Thirteen years test experience with short-circuit withstand capability
of large power transformers,” in Proc. CIGRE 6th Southern Africa Re-
gional Conf., Paper no. P 501, 2009, pp. 1–7.
[5] K. Hiraishi, Y. hori, and S. Shida, “Mechanical strength of transformer
windings under short-circuit conditions,” IEEE Trans. Power App.
Syst., vol. PAS-90, no. 5, pp. 2381–2390, Sep. 1971.
[6] R. B. Steel, W. M. Johnson, J. J. Narbus, M. R. Patel, and R. A. Nelson,
“Dynamic measurements in power transformers under short-circuit
conditions,” CIGRE Paper No. 12-01, 1972.
5
[7] H. A. Thompson, F. Tillery, and D. U. V. Rosenberg, “The dynamic
response of low voltage, high current, disk type transformer windings
to through fault loads,” IEEE Trans. Power App. Syst., vol. PAS-98,
no. 3, pp. 1091–1098, May/Jun. 1979.
[8] R. Boersma and J. Wildeboer, “The short-circuit strength of the inner
windings of transformers against radial forces,” Paris, France, CIGRE
rep. no. 147, 1962.
[9] G. Bertagnolli, Short Circuit Duty of Power Transformers—The ABB
Approach. Legnano, Italy: Golinelli Industrie Grafiche, 1996, p. 34.
[10] R. M. D. Vecchio, B. Poulin, P. T. Feghali, D. M. Shah, and R. Ahuja,
Transformer Design Principles With Applications to Core-Form Power
Transformers, 2nd ed. New York: Taylor & Francis/CRC, 2010.
[11] S. Timoshenko and J. M. Gere, Theory of Elastic Stability, 2nd Int.
Studies. ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1961, pp. 297–298.
[12] M. P. Saravolac, P. A. Vertigen, C. A. Sumner, and W. H. Siew, “De-
sign verification for evaluating the short-circuit withstand capability
of transformer inner windings,” in Proc. CIGRE, Paris, France, 2000,
Paper no. 12–208.
[13] R. R. Craig Jr., Mechanics of Materials, 2nd ed. New York: Wiley,
2000, pp. 338–345.
Amit Bakshi received the B.E. degree in electrical
engineering from the Kurukshetra University, Ku-
rukshetra, Haryana, India, in 2006 and the M.Tech.
degree in advanced power system and control from
the National Institute of Technology Hamirpur, H.P.,
India, in 2008.
Currently, he is a Research Scholar in the Depart-
ment of Electrical Engineering, Indian Institute of
Technology Bombay, Mumbai, India, working in
the area of short-circuit strength analysis of power
transformers.
S. V. Kulkarni (SM’08) is a Professor in the
Electrical Engineering Department, Indian Institute
of Technology, Bombay, India. Previously, he was
with Crompton Greaves Ltd. and specialized in the
design and development of transformers up to the
400-kV class. He has authored a book Transformer
Engineering: Design, Technology, and Diagnostics
(CRC). He is the author of many professional
publications in reputed journals and conferences.
Prof. Kulkarni is a recipient of the Young Engineer
Award from the Indian National Academy of Engi-
neering. He has also received the Career Award for Young Teachers from All
India Council for Technical Education. He is a Fellow of the Indian National
Academy of Engineering. The Field Computation Laboratory and Insulation
Diagnostics Laboratory have been established by him in the Electrical Engi-
neering Department.
His research interests include analysis and diagnostics of power transformers,
computational electromagnetics, and distributed generation.