AU2014265049B1 - Tower installation - Google Patents

Abstract

Embodiments relate generally to a free-standing tower installation, comprising: a base frame comprising a central portion and at least three wings extending radially from the central portion; a pole or tower to support equipment, the pole or tower supported on and affixed to the central portion of the base frame; and at least one ballast module disposed at and coupled to an outer end of each of the at least three wings; wherein the base frame and the ballast modules anchor the pole or tower against wind loads and wherein the installation is anchored by the base frame and the ballast modules without any sub-ground footings.

Description

AUSTRALIA Patents Act 1990 ICS Industries Pty Ltd COMPLETE SPECIFICATION Title. Tower installation The invention is described in the following statement: 1 Technical Field Embodiments generally relate to pole or tower installations and methods of their fabrication and/or erection. Some embodiments relate specifically to communications installations. 5 Background Towers or poles are sometimes required to be erected to provide a high vantage point, for example for lighting or communications purposes. Such towers or poles generally require a stable ground support to resist falling over. For areas where it is not uncommon to experience high winds, a particularly strong and stable ground support 10 system is needed to maintain the tower or pole upright. Such towers or poles and their ground support infrastructure may be described as a tower installation. One example of a tower installation is a communications installation. Certain areas may have communications needs that are not serviced by existing communications infrastructure. For example, wireless mobile telecommunications signals may not 15 reach such areas, particularly if they are remote from populated areas. Accordingly, it is sometimes necessary to build a local communications installation in order to facilitate electronic communications into and out of certain areas. Such communications installations may have a pole or tower extending high into the air with an antenna on top of the pole. Typically, such communications installations 20 require that the pole be held upright and anchored against wind loads, with such anchoring being provided by concrete footings provided in the ground prior to installation of the pole and other surface infrastructure. Providing such concrete footings is relatively costly and time consuming, particularly where the installation is located in a remote area, since excavation and plant hire is required and materials and 25 plant require transport to and from the site. Further, concrete footings require time to set. Because of labour and plant costs, the more time required to fabricate or erect the communications installation on site, the higher the cost. Additionally, where concrete 2 footings are used to secure an installation, that installation becomes impractical to relocate and hence represents a significant sunk cost once it is no longer required at the particular location. Further, installations requiring concrete footings more be more difficult to have a standard design for, since the ground conditions for each site can 5 vary significantly. Where underground services exist in the in the location planned for the installation, the excavation for, and creation of, the footings can interfere with those services. It is desired to address or ameliorate one or more shortcomings or disadvantages associated with prior communications installations or their methods of fabrication or 10 erection, or to at least provide a useful alternative thereto. Throughout this specification the word "comprise", or variations such as "comprises" or 'comprising", will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps, but not the exclusion of any other element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps. 15 Any discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles or the like which has been included in the present specification is not to be taken as an admission that any or all of these matters form part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the present disclosure as it existed before the priority date of 20 each claim of this application. Summary Some embodiments relate to a free-standing tower installation, comprising: a base frame comprising a central portion and at least three wings extending radially from the central portion; a pole or tower to support equipment, the pole or tower supported on 25 and affixed to the central portion of the base frame; and at least one ballast module disposed at and coupled to an outer end of each of the at least three wings; wherein the base frame and the ballast modules anchor the pole or tower against wind loads and 3 wherein the installation is anchored by the base frame and the ballast modules without any sub-ground footings; wherein the central portion comprises an anchor portion; wherein the anchor portion comprises concrete and a plurality of beams, the concrete having embedded therein a plurality of reinforcement elements; and wherein the 5 reinforcement elements extend through the concrete and through the beams. Some embodiments relate to a kit for erecting an installation, comprising: base frame components to form a central portion, at least three wings extending radially from the central portion and an anchor portion in the central portion, wherein the anchor portion comprises concrete, a plurality of beams and a plurality of reinforcement elements, the 10 beams defining apertures so that when the anchor portion is assembled, the reinforcement elements are embedded in the concrete and extend through the beams; a pole or tower to support equipment, the pole or tower to be supported on and affixed to the central portion of the base frame; and at least one ballast module to be disposed at and coupled to an outer end of each of the at least three wings; wherein when the kit is 15 assembled, the base frame and the ballast modules anchor the pole or tower against wind loads and wherein the installation is anchored by the base frame and the ballast modules without any sub-ground footings. The installation may be a communications installation. The equipment may comprise communications equipment. The ballast modules coupled to the wings may at least 20 partly define an outer perimeter of the installation. The ballast modules may comprise prefabricated concrete modules resting on the ground. The at least one ballast module coupled to each wing may comprise an upright ballast module that forms part of a vertical barrier around the installation. The at least one ballast module coupled to each wing may comprise a base ballast module disposed 25 on the ground adjacent the upright ballast module. The installation may further comprise a plurality of fence panels disposed between the upright ballast modules to complete the vertical barrier. 4 Each of the wings may comprise structural members to transfer downward anchoring moments from the at least one ballast module to the pole or tower. The structural members may comprise a plurality of steel beams. The central portion may comprise an anchor portion. The anchor portion may comprise concrete and a plurality of beams, the 5 concrete having embedded therein a plurality of reinforcement elements. The reinforcement elements may extend through the concrete and through the base frame beams. The pole or tower may be affixed to the anchor portion so that moments applied to the pole or tower are transferred to the at least three wings by the concrete, the plurality of 10 beams and the reinforcing elements. The base frame, the pole or tower and the ballast modules may be sized to all fit on one truck. The installation may further comprise a housing supported by the base frame to house equipment, such as electrical equipment. 15 The base frame may comprise at least four wings extending radially from the central portion. The at least four wings may comprise at least two pairs of opposed wings. Some embodiments relate to a method of providing a communications installation, the method comprising: disposing a base frame on a prepared ground surface, the base frame comprising a central portion and at least three wings extending radially from the 20 central portion; coupling at least one ballast module to an outer end of each of the at least three wings; and affixing an upright pole or tower on the central portion to support communications equipment; wherein the base frame and the ballast modules anchor the pole or tower against wind loads without the use of any sub-ground footings; wherein the central portion comprises an anchor portion; wherein the anchor portion comprises 25 concrete and a plurality of beams, the concrete having embedded therein a plurality of reinforcement elements; and wherein the reinforcement elements extend through the concrete and through the beams. 5 The method may further comprise erecting a barrier around a perimeter of the communications installation, the perimeter being at least partly defined by the at least one ballast module. The at least one ballast module may comprise an upright ballast module disposed at the outer end of each of the at least three wings and the upright 5 ballast modules may comprise part of the barrier. The method may further comprise transporting the base frame, the pole or tower and a plurality of the ballast modules to a site of the installation on a single transport vehicle. The base frame may be partially pre-fabricated prior to transporting it to the site. The method may further comprise fabricating and transporting a second plurality of the 10 ballast modules separately. 5a Brief Description of Drawings Embodiments are described in further detail below, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is an elevation view of a communications installation according to some 5 embodiments; Figure 2 is a perspective view of a lower part of the communications installation of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a partially exploded perspective view of parts of the communications installation of Figure 1; 10 Figure 4 is a perspective view of a base frame of the communications installation of Figure 1; Figure 5 is an exploded perspective view of parts used in forming a base of the communications installation of Figure; Figure 6 is an elevation view in partial cross-section of the base of the communications 15 installation; Figure 7 is a close up of an outer perimeter portion of the base, showing connection of the base frame to the ballast modules; Figure 8 is an exploded perspective view of one of the ballast modules, illustrating an arrangement of reinforcing elements provided within the ballast module; and 20 Figure 9 is schematic illustration in elevation view of the ballast modules according to some embodiments. 6 Detailed Description Embodiments generally relate to tower installations and methods of their fabrication and/or erection. Due to their size and weight, such installations are intended to be permanent or semi-permanent installations, not mobile installations, although they can 5 be disassembled and removed from site using the same transport means and equipment as that used to initially install the installation. The poles of the installations are of a height and size to require a significant amount of ballast to resist toppling over under wind loads in remote areas. Referring firstly to Figure 1, there is shown a communications installation 100 10 according to some embodiments, as one example of a tower installation. The communications installation 100 comprises a base section 110 and a pole (or tower) 120 coupled to the base section 110 and extending vertically upwardly therefrom. The base section 110 rests on a prepared ground surface 105 that is free of any concrete footings or other below ground anchoring structure. 15 In some embodiments, the base section 110 comprises a barrier 112 around a perimeter of the base section 110. The barrier 112 comprises a plurality of fence panels 113 cooperating with a plurality of upright ballast modules 136 to form the barrier 112. The fence panels 113 and upright ballast modules 136 may extend from the ground level up to a high of about 6 feet, for example. The upright ballast modules comprise 20 part of a ballast system 130 located at the outer ends of wing parts of the base section 110 to anchor the pole 120. In some embodiments, the fence panels 113 or the barrier 112 may be omitted. In such embodiments, the upright ballast modules 136 may also be omitted. The base section 110 further comprises a shelter 115, acting as an enclosure or other 25 form of housing to house equipment, for example such as electrical equipment to support telecommunications functions of the communications installation 100. At least some of the electrical equipment may be electrically coupled to antennae 125 positioned at the top of pole 120. The shelter 115 is supported on a base frame 118. The 7 shelter 115 is not necessarily sized to shelter a person and may be formed as cabinet. In some embodiments, the shelter 115 may be omitted. The pole 120 is elongate and oriented generally vertically (once installed) with a plurality of antennae 125 coupled to an upper end 122 of the pole 120. The pole 120 is 5 coupled to the base section 110 at a lower end 121 of the pole 120. The base section 110 further comprises a base frame 118, shown in further detail in Figures 2 to 6. The base frame 118 has a plurality of wings extending radially therefrom. At least three such wings are required in order to be able to provide the desired stability for the pole 120, but four, five, six or more wings may be provided as 10 part of the base frame 118 of the installation 100 instead of three wings. For purposes of illustration, the embodiments of installation 100 shown and described herein comprise four such radial extending wings, 322, 324, 326 and 328 (Figure 3) extending radially from a central portion 315 of the base section 110 in an approximate cruciform shape. 15 Each of the first, second, third and fourth wings 322, 324, 326 and 328 has a ballast system 130 including at least one ballast module disposed at and coupled to an outer end of the respective wing. In some embodiments, the at least one ballast module may comprise a single ballast module 132, acting as a low profile ballast module serving to define (or at least partly define) a perimeter around the outside of the base section 110. 20 In such embodiments, such base ballast modules 132 may be longitudinally extended to contact each other towards the lengthwise ends thereof or to at least come relatively close to each other. In other embodiments, such as those shown in the drawings, the ballast system 130 includes multiple ballast modules. For example, base ballast module 132 may be used 25 in combination with an upright ballast module 136 that serves to provide greater ballast for anchoring the pole 120 and also serves to at least partly define a vertical barrier around the installation. 8 The central portion 315 of the base frame 118 is configured to support the pole 120 and to connect the ballast systems 130 with the pole 120 via the respective wings 322, 324, 326 and 328. As the central portion 315 requires significant strength in order to be able to support the pole 120 and serve as a connection to the ballast systems 130, the central 5 portion 315 comprises a plurality of first beams 415 running in parallel in a first orientation and a plurality of second beams 416 running in a second orientation perpendicular to the first orientation. Additionally, reinforcement elements 315, for example in the form of iron/steel reinforcement bars, extend through the central portion 315 in groups. In particular, ones of the reinforcement elements 330 extend through 10 respective apertures 331 formed in vertical faces of selected ones of the first beams 415 and second beams 416. The reinforcement elements 330 are configured to extend substantially throughout the central portion in a roughly square configuration that means that some groups of the reinforcement elements pass through two of the first or second beams 415 or 416. This is illustrated best in Figure 5, which shows the 15 reinforcing elements 330 in a exploded perspective view, while also showing an example of the configuration of the beams 415 and 416 and the position of the apertures 331 therein. With the first and second beams 415 and 416 of the central portion 315 in place, together with the reinforcing elements 330 and a plurality of anchor bolts 418 (for 20 coupling the central portion 315 to the pole 120 via base plate 318), the central portion 315 is filled in with a ballast material, such as concrete. The central portion 315 thus acts to securely form a strong central anchoring mass of sufficient strength to support the weight of the pole 120 and transmit moments along the wings to the ballast systems 130. The ballast systems 130 are configured to have a size and weight to resist 25 movement thereof due to the moments transmitted through the pole 120 under high wind loads. The precise size and weight of the ballast systems is configured according to the wind loading required for a particular geographical area. As shown in Figure 5, the beams 415 in the first orientation may be relatively elongate (for example 7-8 metres in length) and four such parallel beams may be provided, the 30 central parts of which form part of the central portion 315 and the outer parts of which 9 form parts of the first and second wings 322 and 324. The inner two beams 415 have the apertures 331 formed therein, while the outer two beams 415 do not have such apertures formed therein. The beams 416 of the second orientation effectively act as connecting cross beams to interconnect the elongate beams 415 through the central 5 portion 315. The beams 415 of the first orientation and beams 416 of the second orientation may be welded together, for example. The beams 415 of the first orientation may be formed as I-beams, for example, while the beams 416 of the second orientation may be generally shaped as I-beams, but with modified edge profiles to facilitate welding thereof to the first beams 415. 10 Once the central portion 315 is formed and the reinforcing elements 330 and bolts 418 are in place, the ballast material (e.g. concrete) can be filled into the central portion 315. As part of this, the base plate 318, which is sized to fit in the inner square defined by the innermost beams 415, 416, can be welded to the upper inside edges of those beams 415, 416 to additionally stabilise the base plate 318 with respect to the rest of the 15 central portion 315. The base plate 318 has a series of apertures formed therein to allow the bolts 418 to project therethrough, so that the base section 121 of the pole 120 can be securely affixed to the central portion 315. As illustrated in Figure 4, the first wing 322 of the base frame 118 comprises end parts 342 of the elongate beams 415. These end parts 342 are arranged in parallel and an end 20 beam 432 is coupled to the outer end 332 of the first wing 322, for example by welding. The end beam 432 has an angled coupling plate 433 attached thereto, for example by welding or bolting, and each of the end beam 432 and coupling plate 433 has apertures formed therein for receiving respective bolts 714, 712 (Figure 7) to bolt the ballast components 132, 136 of the ballast system 130 to the outer end 332 of the first wing 25 322. Four such spaced bolts 712, 714 may be used to couple the ballast system 130 to the end section 332 of the first wing 322. The second wing 324 of the base frame 118 comprises end parts 344 of the elongate beams 415. These end parts 342 are arranged in parallel and an end beam 434 is coupled to the outer end 334 of the second wing 324, for example by welding. The end 10 beam 434 has an angled coupling plate 435 attached thereto, for example by welding or bolting, and each of the end beam 434 and coupling plate 435 has apertures formed therein for receiving respective bolts 714, 712 (Figure 7) to bolt the ballast components 132, 136 of the ballast system 130 to the outer end 334 of the second wing 324. Four 5 such spaced bolts 712, 714 may be used to couple the ballast system 130 to the end section 334 of the second wing 324. The third wing 326 of the base frame 118 comprises a series of beams 346 coupled at one end to one of the elongate beams 415. These beams 346 are arranged in parallel and an end beam 436 is coupled to the outer end 336 of the third wing 326, for example 10 by welding. The end beam 436 has an angled coupling plate 437 attached thereto, for example by welding or bolting, and each of the end beam 436 and coupling plate 437 has apertures formed therein for receiving respective bolts 714, 712 (Figure 7) to bolt the ballast components 132, 136 of the ballast system 130 to the outer end 336 of the third wing 326. Four such spaced bolts 712, 714 may be used to couple the ballast 15 system 130 to the end section 336 of the third wing 326. The fourth wing 328 of the base frame 118 comprises a series of beams 348 coupled at one end to one of the elongate beams 415. These beams 348 are arranged in parallel and an end beam 438 is coupled to the outer end 338 of the fourth wing 328, for example by welding. The end beam 438 has an angled coupling plate 439 attached 20 thereto, for example by welding or bolting, and each of the end beam 438 and coupling plate 439 has apertures formed therein for receiving respective bolts 714, 712 (Figure 7) to bolt the ballast components 132, 136 of the ballast system 130 to the outer end of the fourth wing 328. Four such spaced bolts 712, 714 may be used to couple the ballast system 130 to the end section 338 of the fourth wing 328. The third and fourth wings 25 326, 328 are disposed to extend away from the central portion 315 on opposite lateral sides of the central portion 315 and each may be coupled thereto once all of the installation components have been transported to the site of the installation. Lifting lugs or plates 450 may be provided on outer faces of beam portions 342 and 344 (at opposed ends of outer ones of the first longitudinal beams 415) to allow the central 11 portion 315 and the first and second wings 322, 324 to be lifted as a unit onto a transport vehicle. Thus, the central portion 315 and first and second wings 322, 324 may be pre-assembled to form a single longitudinally extending assembly unit. Referring in particular to Figures 6 to 9, aspects of the ballast system 130 are now 5 described in further detail. The base ballast module 132 as shown in more detail in Figure 8, while the upright ballast module 136 is shown in more detail in Figure 9. Figure 7 illustrates in a side elevation in cross-section how the ballast system 130 couples to the end sections 332, 334, 336 and 338 of the respective wings 322, 324, 326 and 328. 10 In some embodiments, the base ballast module 132 may be formed of a heavy ballast material, such as concrete 812, in combination with a set 810 of reinforcement elements 811, for example in the form of iron/steel reinforcing bars. The reinforcing elements 811 are set inside the concrete 812 in a conventional manner. The base ballast module 132 has a rear face 820 to abut an outer surface of a respective end 332, 334, 336 and 15 338 of the wings, a lower face 821 to rest on the ground surface, an outwardly and downwardly sloped upper face 824 and a ridge 823 along one back edge of the upper face 824 that transitions downwardly into a recessed ledge 822 positioned towards the back face 820. The recessed ledge 822 serves to receive, hold and align a lower portion of the upright ballast module 136, as shown in Figure 7. A packing or grout material 20 may be provided intermediate the upper face of the ledge 822 and the lower contacting face of the upper ballast module 136. Bolt anchors may be provided in the back face 820 of the base ballast module 132 in order to receive bolts 714 to couple the base ballast module 132 to the end of the respective wing. A series of such bolt anchors and bolts 714 along the longitudinal 25 extent of the base ballast module 132 serves to sufficiently strongly couple the base ballast module 132 to the end of the respective wings 322, 324, 326 and 328. As an additional ballast, the upright ballast modules 136 are coupled to the respective ends of the wings 322, 324, 326 and 328 via respective angled end plates 433, 435, 437 and 439 through which are received a series of coupling bolts 712. These coupling bolts 12 712 may be received by suitable bolt anchors in the upright ballast module, accessible through the inwardly facing surface of the upright ballast module 136. This is illustrated best in Figure 7. As is shown in Figure 7, the lower end of the upright ballast module 136 is held 5 securely on one side by a ledge (defined by ridge 823 of the base ballast module 132) that lies against the outside of the upright ballast module 136 and on the other side by the end section and angled coupling plate 433/435/437/439 that abut or lie against the inside face of the upright module 136. In alternate embodiments, for example where no perimeter fence 112 is required, the upright ballast module 136 can be omitted in 10 favour of a larger base ballast module 132, extended either in the lengthwise direction, the width wise direction or both. As shown in Figure 9, the upright ballast module 136 may comprise a series of reinforcing elements 911, for example in the form of iron/steel bars set into the concrete material of the upright ballast module 136. The upright ballast module 136 15 may be formed as a generally rectangular panel, with an encased mesh layer extending internally through the planar middle section of the panel. The reinforcing elements 911 that are arranged to overlap each other in parts in a framing manner around the parameter of the upright ballast module 136. A series of horizontally spaced apertures 912 are positioned in a lower portion of the upright ballast module 136, with further 20 reinforcing elements 915 disposed about the apertures 912 for improved reinforcement purposes. The apertures 912 receive the coupling bolts 712 to fasten the upright ballast module 136 to one of the angled end plates 433, 435, 437 or 439. The reinforcing elements 915 may be approximately V-shaped, with a vertex of the V-shape positioned a small distance below the respective aperture 912 and the remainder of the reinforcing 25 element 915 extending upwardly on either side of the aperture 912. As mentioned previously, bolt anchors may be disposed inside the upright ballast module 136 in communication with the aperture 912 so that the bolts 712 may be suitably secured to the upright ballast module 136. 13 Figure 9 also illustrates a series of horizontally spaced apertures 914 in the back face 820 of the base ballast module 132. These apertures 914 are to receive the fastening bolts 714 and allow communication of the ends of the bolts 714 to the internally disposed bolt anchors (discussed previously) within the base ballast module 132. The 5 apertures 914 may be positioned to generally vertically align with apertures 912 when the outer edges of the base and upright ballast modules are aligned. As an example, four or more apertures 912 may be provided in the upright ballast module 136, while four or more aligned apertures 914 may be provided in the base ballast module 132. The coupling bolts 714 are arranged to extend through a vertical part of the adjacent 10 end beam 432/434/436/438, through a facing plate 432a/434a/436a/438a (which may act as a spacer to effectively outwardly extend the vertical part of the end sections 432/434/436/438, which may be formed as I-beams) and into the aperture 914 in the base ballast module 132. In other embodiments, other ballast configurations may be used, having a different 15 orientation and/or connection mechanism. The described ballast configuration (of multiple spaced ballast systems 130) is therefore to be considered as one example of how the ballast for the installation can be implemented. However, as a minimum, adequate ballast for the installation 100 should be at least somewhat spaced from the base of the pole 120. 20 For the example installation 100 shown and described herein, example dimensions and weights are given for illustration purposes only. The base frame 118 may be formed of steel, with the central portion 315 and first and second wings 322, 324 (without any ballast received therein) together weighing about 4500 kg and the concrete in the central portion weighing about 10,000 kg. Each of the third and fourth wings 326, 328 25 may weigh about 1500 kg, without any ballast received therein. The upright ballast modules 136 may weigh about 3000kg each, while the base ballast modules 132 may weigh about 1500 kg. The upright ballast modules 136 may have a top edge that stands about 2200 mm above the ground level. The width of the base ballast modules 132 may be about 750 mm, while the width of the upright ballast modules 136 may be about 180 30 mm. The fence panels 113 may total about 2700 mm wide. A height of the beams 415, 14 416 may be about 460 mm. A width of the end sections 332, 334, 336 and 338 across the ends of the beams 342, 344, 346 and 348 may be about 3200 mm. Each of the wings 322, 324, 326 and 328 may extend from the central portion 315 by about 2300. The pole 120 may be a 40 m pole, having four sections coupled together. The four 5 sections may weigh a total of about 30,500 kg. The pole may be a RoclaTm concrete pole, such as a pole having a product number SR4-BM40-675, for example. Embodiments of the communications installation 100 are shown herein by way of example. Some variation in structure, coupling mechanisms, materials, components, proportion or configuration may be permitted while still achieving the same or a similar 10 purpose or function as the structures, coupling mechanisms, materials, components, proportions and configurations described herein. This description is therefore to be understood as being provided by way of example, not by way of limitation. For example, the beams described and depicted in this disclosure may be formed of a suitable steel. Spacers may be used where appropriate for coupling elements together 15 and some of the elements may be attached to each other by removable fastening means such as bolts, or by non-removable means, such as by welding. Further, while the ballast systems 130 are disposed at outer ends (i.e. around the parameter) of the wings, further ballast may be provided, for example in the form of a third ballast module coupled to or associated with the base and upright ballast modules 132, 136 and 20 positioned at or around the installation perimeter. Additionally, ballast material may be disposed between the beams of each of the wings 322, 324, 326 and 328 in a similar manner to the concrete ballast material disposed in the central portion 315 (and optionally employing reinforcing elements in a similar manner) to provide further ballast to anchor the pole 120 against wind loads. The arrangements described herein 25 to provide ballast for the communications installation 100 allow the communications installation 100 to be erected quickly on-site as no below-ground concrete footings are required. Rather, the installation 100 can be erected on cleared and flattened ground that may have only minimal preparation, such as a gravel layer applied over the ground. Since no concrete footings are required, excavation for such footings is 15 avoided and time and money is saved, since the plant and labour associated with the provision of those concrete footings is also avoided. Further, the communications installation 100 is constructed of components that can be transported on a single transport vehicle, such as a truck, with relatively minimal 5 assembly time needed once the components are transported to site. For example, some embodiments allow the installation 100 to be erected in a day. The central portion 315, wings 322, 324, 326, 328, base ballast modules 132, enclosure 115 and pole 120 (possibly in multiple sections) can be loaded as a kit onto a single transport vehicle for assembly on-site. Optionally, the upright ballast modules 136 can also be prefabricated 10 and loaded onto the transport vehicle along with the other components or such upright ballast modules 136 can be fabricated at a location significantly closer to the remote site and transported to the site independently of the remainder of the components of installation 100. Because of the relatively straightforward design of the rectangular reinforced concrete structure of the upright ballast modules 136, fabrication of such 15 modules by an independent contractor closer to site is readily achievable. Depending on the size of the pole 120 for a particular communications installation 100, the components of two of the installations 100 can potentially be transported to two (relatively close) remote sites on a single transport vehicle, representing a further cost saving. 20 16

Claims (19)

1. A free-standing tower installation, comprising: a base frame comprising a central portion and at least three wings extending radially from the central portion; a pole or tower to support equipment, the pole or tower supported on and affixed to the central portion of the base frame; and at least one ballast module disposed at and coupled to an outer end of each of the at least three wings; wherein the base frame and the ballast modules anchor the pole or tower against wind loads and wherein the installation is anchored by the base frame and the ballast modules without any sub-ground footings; wherein the central portion comprises an anchor portion; wherein the anchor portion comprises concrete and a plurality of beams, the concrete having embedded therein a plurality of reinforcement elements; and wherein the reinforcement elements extend through the concrete and through the beams.

2. The installation of claim 1, wherein the ballast modules coupled to the wings at least partly define an outer perimeter of the installation.

3. The installation of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the ballast modules comprise prefabricated concrete modules resting on the ground. 17

4. The installation of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the at least one ballast module coupled to each wing comprises an upright ballast module that forms part of a vertical barrier around the installation.

5. The installation of claim 4, wherein the at least one ballast module coupled to each wing comprises a base ballast module disposed on the ground adjacent the upright ballast module.

6. The installation of claim 4 or claim 5, further comprising a plurality of fence panels disposed between the upright ballast modules to complete the vertical barrier.

7. The installation of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein each of the wings comprises structural members to transfer downward anchoring moments from the at least one ballast module to the pole or tower.

8. The installation of claim 7, wherein the structural members comprise a plurality of steel beams.

9. The installation of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the pole or tower is affixed to the anchor portion so that moments applied to the pole or tower are transferred to the at least three wings by the concrete, the plurality of beams and the reinforcing elements.

10. The installation of any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the base frame, the pole or tower and the ballast modules are sized to all fit on one truck.

11. The installation of any one of claims 1 to 10, further comprising a housing supported by the base frame to house equipment.

12. The installation of any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the base frame comprises at least four wings extending radially from the central portion, wherein the at least four wings comprise at least two pairs of opposed wings. 18

13. A method of providing an installation, comprising: disposing a base frame on a prepared ground surface, the base frame comprising a central portion and at least three wings extending radially from the central portion; coupling at least one ballast module to an outer end of each of the at least three wings; and affixing an upright pole or tower on the central portion to support communications equipment; wherein the base frame and the ballast modules anchor the pole or tower against wind loads without the use of any sub-ground footings; wherein the central portion comprises an anchor portion; wherein the anchor portion comprises concrete and a plurality of beams, the concrete having embedded therein a plurality of reinforcement elements; and wherein the reinforcement elements extend through the concrete and through the beams.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising erecting a barrier around a perimeter of the installation, the perimeter being at least partly defined by the at least one ballast module.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the at least one ballast module comprises an upright ballast module disposed at the outer end of each of the at least three wings and the upright ballast modules comprise part of the barrier. 19

16. The method of any one of claims 13 to 15, further comprising transporting the base frame, the pole or tower and a plurality of the ballast modules to a site of the installation on a single transport vehicle.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the base frame is partially pre-fabricated prior to transporting it to the site.

18. The method of claim 16 or claim 17, further comprising fabricating and transporting a second plurality of the ballast modules separately.

19. A kit for erecting an installation, comprising: base frame components to form a central portion, at least three wings extending radially from the central portion and an anchor portion in the central portion, wherein the anchor portion comprises concrete, a plurality of beams and a plurality of reinforcement elements, the beams defining apertures so that when the anchor portion is assembled, the reinforcement element are embedded in the concrete and extend through the beams; a pole or tower to support communications equipment, the pole or tower to be supported on and affixed to the central portion of the base frame; and at least one ballast module to be disposed at and coupled to an outer end of each of the at least three wings; wherein when the kit is assembled, the base frame and the ballast modules anchor the pole or tower against wind loads and wherein the installation is anchored by the base frame and the ballast modules without any sub-ground footings. 20