At present, multifaceted supports are becoming increasingly popular in many countries, including Russia - they perfectly resist the adverse effects of the environment, are easy to install, transport, durable, do not require complex maintenance.
Product Features
Manufacture multifaceted metal poles from low alloy steel. In production, only special steel grades are used. Bolts or welding are used to connect individual elements. To prevent corrosion and oxidation, all steel elements are subjected to one of the following processes:
- Coloring with special paints. This option is the final stage of production. Pros - fast coloring. Cons - the need to constantly inspect products and periodically repaint them.
- Hot dip galvanized. To do this, the manufactured elements are immersed in containers containing molten zinc. Its temperature is about +450 degrees. Thanks to the protective layer, the thickness of which is only about 120 microns, the structures will not be subject to corrosion for at least 25 years. Pluses - it is not necessary to observe and repair zinc-coated structures. Cons - higher cost.
Application of structures
Multi-faceted supports made of metal are an excellent alternative to products made from other materials - wood (impractical), reinforced concrete (short-lived - products crack and chip under the influence of the environment).
What is important for installation - the products are produced unassembled, making them much easier to deliver to the installation site. This, in turn, reduces the cost of transportation: it is not necessary to hire special equipment for delivery. Already in place, using bolts or welding, the structures are assembled.
Who makes the props?
Manufacture of steel structures for power lines is carried out by a variety of companies in Kazan, Orenburg, Podolsk, Yekaterinburg and many other Russian cities. Such a large number of enterprises is caused by the demand for this type of product: many power lines are in need of reconstruction, so metal structures are constantly in demand.
The Ural Plant of Multifaceted Supports is one of the most famous manufacturers. In order to be able to produce the highest quality products using hot dip galvanizing, the plant has installed the latest Italian production lines. This isallows galvanizing structures weighing up to 8 tons.
Because the factory was founded recently, it was originally developed according to today's requirements. Thanks to the well-coordinated work of carefully selected personnel, using the best world developments in their work, the Ural ZMO has become one of the best enterprises producing the highest quality metal structures.
Product types
Currently, for double-circuit and single-circuit power lines, multifaceted supports of various types are manufactured. All of them can be easily modified by:
- Wall thickness.
- Design diameter.
- Height and other parameters.
Classify supports into categories and by purpose, design, number of circuits. Products are:
- Anchor-angled. With their help, they equip the lines where they change direction, change the section
- Tip. They are used where it is necessary to compensate for the tension at the end of the segment.
- Transitional. Used when the line passes through special facilities or natural obstacles.
- Intermediate. Necessary to provide support to cables and wires. Mounted on straight sections of tracks. Not suitable for heavy duty straight runs.
- Transpositional. Used to transform the wire.
- Branch lines. Set for branch lines.
- Cross. Use structures for mounting at the intersection of two lines.
Differentproducts and design features, according to which products can:
- Be free standing.
- Have braces.
- Have custom sizes.
Design features
To produce polyhedral power transmission line supports, the original steel sheets are bent on special equipment into a closed profile with a polyhedral section. The transverse indicators of the elements do not have a stable indicator: they are much larger at the base and decrease as they move towards the top. The profile is fixed into a single element by automatic welding.
Several sections are made for each pore, from which they then make up a structure using a telescopic or flange connection.
When fixing the structure with flanges, it is necessary to mount the reinforcement using stiffeners. Due to this, all loads will be distributed along the length of the entire support. The conical shape of the product provides a lowering of the center of mass of the support and at each section - the optimal load. Traverses for carrying wires are made either in the form of gratings or in the form of insulation.
Benefits
Metal polyhedral poles have many important advantages that analogues from other materials lack:
- Durability, reliability. Zinc-coated metal can last at least 70 years.
- Cost reduction. Multi-faceted support structures are highly durable, so they can be installed in large increments. Due to this, it decreasesthe complexity of installation and material consumption.
- Easy transport. To transport telescopic sections, they are placed one inside the other.
- Adaptability. The use of a single technology and the use of automated design systems is a guarantee of the rapid manufacture of structures for specific conditions.
- Shorter installation times. If we compare the installation of multifaceted products with reinforced concrete or wooden counterparts, the figures obtained may differ by 4 or more times. So, it may take about one hour for a team of 7 people to connect the sections. Additionally, it will take about 40 minutes to fix the traverses and the same amount of time to install the product on the base and then fix it.
- Reducing the cost of land acquisition. As the distance between supports increases, fewer structures will need to be installed on the line.
- Relative lightness - the structures are not monolithic products, so their weight is much less than the same reinforced concrete counterparts.
- Ability to withstand severe environmental conditions, including cyclic and dynamic loads, high/low temperatures, various types of precipitation.
- Easy repair or refurbishment - products are easy to dismantle and upgrade by reducing/increasing the number of sections.
Ease of transportation
Conical telescopic poles have a special design. Thanks to this, loading and unloading and transport operations are significantly reduced: in order to transport the structure to the right place, it is not necessaryspecial equipment, support carriers, platform couplings. Each section has a length of no more than 11.5 m, so they can be transported using ordinary gondola cars or trailers for this purpose. During the movement of loading / unloading, the products retain their integrity and are not damaged.
Installation work
Installation of metal supports is quite simple and convenient. Since one section weighs no more than a ton, and a double-chain support no more than 2,200 kg, they do not need to use complex and expensive lifting equipment to install them. In addition, to install multifaceted overhead lines, a large space is not needed. This indicator is very important when products have to be installed in settlements, especially in cities.
When installing the structure, use one of the following methods:
- Into the drilled pit.
- On the anchor foundation.
- On a tubular foundation. To do this, a pipe of the desired diameter is buried in the ground. Then a support is attached to the flanges.
The choice of the most suitable method depends on the type of soil, region and climate.
Important points
Scientists and designers have conducted a series of studies and made the following conclusions:
- Products are more profitable to use in those areas that are characterized by difficult conditions of transportation, construction and severe climatic conditions of operation
- Considering the cost of construction, conical poles are more profitable. compared to reinforced concreteor lattice.
- It is best to use multifaceted lighting poles in projects where they can be used most effectively. Such areas can be considered not only urban conditions, but also mountainous, remote and northern regions.
The topic is rather complicated. However, if you delve into it, everything becomes quite clear.
