Communications Towers
Communications towers have been subject to the zinc metal spray process for decades. This procedure is completed in order to improve safety and long service life to both the workers as well as the equipment.
A typical example of current trends is provided by a 30.48m (100ft) mast commissioned for the North Thames Gas Board UK, for installation at its headquarters. The days of the simple, straight up and down radio mast have gone and the North Thames Gas Board structure is built up of a series of short interconnected mild steel tubes growing on a modular basis of triangular and oblong sections. The two hundred feet long sections are connected on an octagonal platform fabricated into the ends of each section.
Structural work was carried out by S.A.S. Structures of Chichester in association with Mr A H Beer, Constructions Engineer for the North Thames Gas Board. Fabricated from steel tubes the mast presented the obvious problem of maintaining it in sound structural condition. It was decided that zinc spray offered the best solution to this problem, and the sections of the mast have been sprayed with 100 microns (0.004”) Zinc (at the Pear Tree Lane, Dudley, Plant of Metallisation Service Ltd). The protection applied to both the steel tube formation of the mast and the welded joints is paramount to safety and long service life.
