Platform assemblies for radio transmission towers
Platform structures and platform assemblies are provided for supporting a plurality of radio frequency (RF) antennas and the weight of one or more workers. One platform structure provided herein includes a steel radial beam extending from an RF tower and a plurality of steel arms welded to the radial beam. The platform structure also includes a first front plate having a front facing portion and an angled portion, where the front facing portion of the first front plate is welded to a first steel arm. Also included is a second front plate having a front facing portion and an angled portion, where the front facing portion of the second front plate is welded to a second steel arm. The platform structure further includes a first side plate having a side facing portion and an angled portion. The side facing portion of the first side plate is welded to a third steel arm. The platform structure also includes a second side plate having a side facing portion and an angled portion, where the side facing portion of the second side plate is welded to a fourth steel arm.
1. A platform assembly comprising:
first, second, and third trapezoidal platform structures, each platform structure respectively including a radial beam and a grating supported by the radial beam, the radial beam constructed to connect to and extend substantially horizontally away in a radial direction from a vertical support structure and to support a weight of a human, each platform structure respectively defining at least four vertical mounting plate surfaces arranged in three intersecting vertical mounting planes, including a first front vertical mounting plate surface spaced apart from a second front vertical mounting plate surface defined in at least substantially co-planar relationship in a front vertical mounting plane of the three intersecting vertical mounting planes, the first front vertical mounting plate surface defining at least a first aperture positioned on a first side of the radial beam, the second front vertical mounting plate surface defining at least a second aperture positioned on an opposite second side of the radial beam, at least one first side vertical mounting plate surface defined in a first side vertical mounting plane of the three intersecting vertical mounting planes, and at least one second side vertical mounting plate surface defined in a second side vertical mounting plane of the three intersecting vertical mounting planes, wherein the front vertical mounting plane is perpendicular to the radial direction of the radial beam, the first aperture is configured to support a first antenna support configured to support a first vertical antenna, the second aperture is configured to support a second antenna support configured to support a second vertical antenna, and the first aperture is spaced a distance apart from the second aperture to provide for adequate spacing between the first and second vertical antennae to ensure proper function of the first and second vertical antennae;
a first side pipe having a first end and a second end, the first end of the first side pipe connected to the at least one first side vertical mounting plate surface of the first platform structure, and the second end of the first side pipe connected to the at least one second side vertical mounting plate surface of the second platform structure;
a second side pipe having a first end and a second end, the first end of the second side pipe connected to the at least one first side vertical mounting plate surface of the second platform structure, and the second end of the second side pipe connected to the at least one second side vertical mounting plate surface of the third platform structure;
a third side pipe having a first end and a second end, the first end of the third side pipe connected to the at least one first side vertical mounting plate surface of the third platform structure, and the second end of the third side pipe connected to the at least one second side vertical mounting plate surface of the first platform structure, wherein each one of said side pipes is respectively configured to support a plurality of antenna supports; and
wherein the first, second, and third platform structures are connected together such that the front vertical mounting planes, the first side vertical mounting planes, and the second side vertical mounting planes of the first, second, and third platform structures are hexagonally arranged whereby the first side vertical mounting plane of each of the first, second, and third platform structures is coplanar with an adjacent second side vertical mounting plane of a directly adjacent platform structure of the first, second, and third platform structures.
2. The platform assembly of claim 1 , wherein the front vertical mounting plate surfaces are each defined by a separate plate.
3. The platform assembly of claim 1 , wherein each of the front vertical mounting plate surfaces is connected to the radial beam.
4. The platform assembly of claim 3 , wherein each of the front vertical mounting plate surfaces is connected through one or more arms to the radial beam.
5. The platform assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first front vertical mounting plate surface is connected through an angled plate to the at least one first side vertical mounting plate surface.
6. The platform assembly of claim 5 , wherein the second front vertical mounting plate surface is connected through a second angled plate to the at least one second side vertical mounting plate surface.
7. The platform assembly of claim 1 , wherein said platform assembly comprises a respective one of said first antenna support connected to each respective one of said first front vertical mounting plate surfaces, and a respective one of said second antenna support connected to each respective one of said second front vertical mounting plate surfaces.
8. The platform assembly of claim 1 , wherein each one of the front vertical mounting plate surfaces is connected directly to one of the side vertical mounting plate surfaces through an angle.
9. The platform assembly of claim 1 , wherein the at least one first side vertical mounting plate surface includes a first side forward vertical mounting plate surface and a first side rear vertical mounting plate surface defined in at least substantially co-planar relationship in the first side vertical mounting plane of the three intersecting vertical mounting planes, and wherein the at least one second side vertical mounting plate surface includes a second side forward vertical mounting plate surface and a second side rear vertical mounting plate surface defined in at least substantially co-planar relationship in the second side vertical mounting plane of the three intersecting vertical mounting planes.
10. The platform assembly of claim 1 , wherein the antenna supports are arranged in a substantially vertical configuration, each antenna support configured to support a radio frequency antenna.
11. The platform assembly of claim 1 , wherein the vertical support structure is a tower.
12. The platform assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first platform structure is configured to support a weight of a human independently of the second and third platform structures, the second platform structure is configured to support a weight of a human independently of the first and third platform structures, and the third platform structure is configured to support a weight of a human independently of the first and second platform structures.
13. The platform assembly of claim 1 , further comprising first, second, and third side rails, wherein the first side rail is connected to the plurality of antenna supports that are connected to the first side pipe, the second side rail is connected to the plurality of antenna supports that are connected to the second side pipe, the third side rail is connected to the plurality of antenna supports that are connected to the third side pipe.
14. The platform assembly of claim 1 , further comprising first, second, and third side gratings, the first side grating connected between the first platform structure and the second platform structure, the second side grating connected between the second platform structure and the third platform structure, the third side grating connected between the third platform structure and the first platform structure.
15. The platform assembly of claim 1 , further comprising 15 antenna supports connected to and supported by the platform structures.
16. The platform assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first, second, and third side pipes are connected to the surfaces by U-bolts, nuts, and mounting hardware.