Telecommunications Masts

& Towers
By S.Thananjayan
Contents
Introduction
Design Concept
Typical Tower Components
Existing Tower Mast Structures






Summary


Empire State Building
Willis Tower
CN Tower
Tokyo Sky Tree
Petronas Twin Tower
Lotus Tower
Lotus & Petronas Mast Comparison
Introduction
Towers can be classified into four categories which are
Monopole, Lattice(Self Standing), Guyed or
Stealth
Antenna Tower Masts are structures made of Steel
Hollow sections or Lattice Type placed on top of
skyscrapers which are used to fix the Telecommunication,
TV broadcasting antennas(UHF or VHF) and Radio
broadcasting antennas

Design Concepts
References: Eng. Vasantha Kumuthu; Communication Masts by Brian W.S
1. To design an antenna mast first we should identify the
requirements that is the place, number of broadcasters to be
placed, type of broadcasting and strength
2. Designing the transmission antennas according to the
requirements
3. Mast designer will design the antenna tower mast
considering the parameters(Minimum Height, Section size
and shape required) from antenna designer and structural
loads :- Dead and Wind(Predominant)

Design Concept : Flow
Location
Type of broadcasting i.e. TV or
Radio
Type of Signal i.e. Analogue or
Digital
Frequency & Capacity
Regulatory Body Decides the Frequency
Intended Application
Social issues

Environmental issues

Cost
Antenna Manufacturer will design the Antenna Geometry
i.e. Antenna Cross Section and the Antenna Height
Antenna Mast Designer will design the Mast including all
the requirements from the Antenna Manufacturer and
Loadings
Cont..
Typical Drag Coefficients for regular geometries and
pressure distribution around a cylindrical body submerged in
to a fluid

Ideal Fluid
Real Fluid
Cont..
In the actual situation, antenna carries many antenna panels.
Therefore the drag force of the wind increases. Further due
to the vortex shedding effect also wind load increases
For a rigorous analysis of the mast, it is needed to conduct an
wind tunnel test to calculate the more accurate wind load on
the structure. It is done using an scaled model

Cont..
Typical antenna components
Cont..
Typical Properties
Antenna Panels
Antenna Cables
Cont..
Antenna Panels
Cont..
Antenna Cables
Typical Tower Components
Existing Tower Mast Structures

Empire State Building
Willis Tower
TV and FM
Transmission
antennas
CN Tower
102 m Height steel mast of 260 mph wind resistance and 10 ton swinging
counterparts mounted on the antenna
Dynamic Peak of the antenna is 68m from the centre
Broadcasting facility : Television(VHF, UHF and Cable)
FM Radio
Microwave Users
Tokyo Sky Tree
Lattice Steel Mast for Television
Broadcasting
139 m Height above 495 m
Elevation
Tokyo Sky Tree Cont...
Petronas Twin Tower
Cont.
Impact damper against excessive
wind-induced vibration
Galvanized anchor chain of 54 kg/m
and 7.3 m length suspended within
the rope of the mast
400 mm dia. s.s. pipe(12 mm thk.)
fixed to the mast to provide uniform
free travel of the damper
Lotus Tower
Lotus Tower mast is composed of Concrete mast
of 27.6 m height & Steel mast of 64.1 m height
having a penetration of 7.0 m into the Concrete
mast.

Cont..
Lotus Tower Mast Sections

Lotus & Petronas Mast Comparison

Petronas Tower
3m
50mm x 250mm S.S
Plate
12mm S.S Plate
Section X-X
X X
Lotus & Petronas Mast Comparison

Lotus Tower
Cont..

Petronas Tower
Summary
Types of Antenna Towers
Monopole, Lattice(Self Standing), Guyed or
Stealth
Types of cables used in
telecommunications
Twisted pair cables, coaxial cable, and fiber
optic cable
Antenna Mast design includes parameters
such as Number of channels, Strength,
Architectural and Structural

References
Telecommunications Masts and Towers
By Brian W. Smith
Eng. Vasantha Kumuthu
Lotus Tower Project
The Structural Design of Tall Buildings
John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.