TOWERS

IsoTruss designs telecommunications towers according to the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA®) standard 222. For other applications such as utility poles, IsoTruss uses the applicable codes such as International Building Code (IBC) or American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM). When TIA or other standards do not include specific consideration for composite materials, IsoTruss uses American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) standards to calculate composite material properties and performance.

Yes. Each IsoTruss® lattice tower is designed and manufactured to meet the client’s required “build-to-order” specifications for each site. With the unique geometry of IsoTruss® lattice structures, there is more latitude and a great deal of flexibility in customizing IsoTruss® cell towers to customer specifications.

IsoTruss® lattice structures feature modularity in design, painting is optional, and no electrolysis is required. Both fire retardant resins and lightening arresting systems—to give any lightning a quick direct path to the ground—can also be customized.

IsoTruss® towers do not require any additional foundation design, training, or equipment for installation compared to steel towers. In fact, IsoTruss® towers are easier and less expensive to install because they are so lightweight. Labor and installation costs are lower, too, as a smaller crane, or even a ladder, can be utilized by small crews to lift the tower all at once, significantly decreasing the time, expense and environmental impact of heavy equipment and large installation crews required for equivalent steel cell tower build-outs, deliveries, and installations.

Those reductions together decrease cell tower carbon emissions by 70% to substantially lower the total cost of ownership (TCO).

IsoTruss® towers are built with modular sections, typically 20 ft long. Each section is cured into a solid composite structure, robust enough to withstand the demands of the tower construction environment. In service, the redundant pattern of IsoTruss® structures ensures that one local failure won’t result in immediate global failure. Composite structures are not field repairable if damage occurs but, with IsoTruss®, a single section can be replaced rather than the entire tower.

IsoTruss® towers are made with composite materials which, unlike steel or wood, are not susceptible to corrosion, rot, or rust even in the harshest environmental conditions.

The composite materials used in IsoTruss® products have been flammability tested with ASTM D635 which found that the material does not propagate flames.

Carbon fiber composites are completely opaque and not susceptible to ultraviolet (UV) degradation. The material has been tested in ASTM D4239.

IsoTruss® structures are climbable without any additional add-ons. All safety requirements for climbers are followed according to TIA standards.

Whether to prevent unauthorized climbing access, protect of cabling and equipment, or comply with area ordinances, the open lattice structure of IsoTruss® has the option to be covered or shielded.