ABSTRACT
The telecommunication industry is one of the fastest growing industries; consequently the telecommunication industry focuses on the towers for supporting the antennas. The focus is particularly on the total costs as well as production and erection time of the towers. However, aesthetics become more and more important since building permits become more difficult to achieve. Steel lattice towers are primarily produced of tubular or angular profiles. Compared to lattice towers of angular profiles the towers of tubular profiles have the advantages of lower wind resistance, increased buckling capacity and more aesthetic appearance. On the other hand, towers of angular profiles are easier to produce and demand less skilled people in the shop. Finally, angular profiles are less expensive per kilogram than tubular profiles. In practice the towers of tubular profiles are up to twice as expensive per kilogram as towers produced of angular profiles. However, towers of tubular profiles can compete with towers of angular profiles, but this calls for intelligent design and innovative solutions by the tower designer. This paper gives an overview of advantages and disadvantages of using tubular profiles compared to angular profiles as well as some practical examples on innovative connection details to reduce production costs. Furthermore some aspects regarding maintenance and problems regarding ice are mentioned. Finally, the difference between use of hot-rolled, cold-formed and welded profiles is discussed.
