Environmental effects of tower design

 

tower fundamentals 1

Fig.1  Fig. 2

 

Wind flows smoothly around a round object (Fig. 1). Wind creates more force and turbulence around a flat object (Fig 2); this increased force requires a significant increase in tower structural capacity just to support the tower itself, in addition to the capacity required to support the antennas and lines.

tower fundamentals 2

 Fig. 3

 Ice buildup is greater on flat objects than on round objects because there is more surface area (fig 3).

Angle leg square towers require more material and labor than round member triangular towers efficiently designed for the same antenna capacity.

If you choose a square tower you choose...

 
  •    An increase in materials.
  •    An increase in maintenance costs.
  •    An increase in assembly labor.
  •    An increase in foundations.
  •    An increase in weight.
  •    An increase in cost. 
... an approximate increase of 33.33%!