In this article, we will consider interesting and unusual elements of power lines, the functions and purpose of which you probably did not know. And let's start with these "dumbbells" (see the picture below).
1. "Dumbbells"
What it is? When we see these "dumbbells" next to the insulators of high-voltage power lines, then you should know - these are vibration dampers!
Vibrations that act on the wire very strongly loosen the suspension elements and can even destroy the garland of insulators and more... Therefore, vibration dampers are installed at the ends of the span closer to the insulator to the suspension point. The vibration wave reaches and is extinguished in these "dumbbells". Their design is specially adapted for this.
2. "Hedgehogs, combs"
The second place is taken by these incomprehensible "hedgehogs, combs" (see the picture below). And what is it anyway?
And this is nothing more than bird protection devices on power lines. Power engineers protect power lines from birds and birds from power lines :) Just with the help of these devices. Because a bird that sits on a power line, especially a large one, is, for example, a stork, which can create a short circuit with its wingspan or feces on an insulator.
As a result, the power line will turn off, the stork will simply burn out, and the settlement will be de-energized. Of course, the automatic reclosing of the line will turn it back on, but there may be damage to the power line, and you can't bring the bird back ...
3. Red or white balloons
These balloons are nothing more than color-coded small aircraft to warn these small aviators not to fly here.
Basically, they are installed on a lightning protection cable, which goes at the highest point of the power transmission line support. For reference: this lightning cable also contains a fiber-optic cable, which is designed to transmit necessary signals and information necessary to control substations and protection of this line power transmission.
4. "Baskets"
The baskets, of course, are peculiar, but this is just a coil - a filter element of a high-frequency trap. Together with the capacitor, they form a filter, that is, the coil filters out high-frequency currents, does not allow them to pass to the substation and branches them into a special device - into the receiver and then they are already processed, separated and sent to the required device protection.
In this case, power lines serve not only as conductors of electric current, but also communications!