Many years ago, at school, I remember seeing the illustration of how you
could move the world if you had a long enough lever. It occured to me
recently that the same idea could be used to construct self-supporting tower
bases, but, as I'm not an engineer, I thought I'd come to Towertalk to be
proved wrong.
The idea is: Instead of the usual cube of concrete, how about using a
horizontal cross. Maybe 2 feet deep, and 2-3 feet wide, with an internal
rebar cage to prevent snapping. The length of each arm of the cross to be
determined by whatever formulas you guys use - I was thinking along the 12
foot mark, as a discussion-opener.
You will note that I haven't mentioned tower height, as obviously all the
parameters inter-relate. If you must have a figure, lets say 40-60 feet.
The reason for this ? Well, I was thinking 'outback', and 'developing world'
here, where a mechanical digger isn't always available. Easier to dig slit
trenches than a big pit. Less problems from cave-in too.
Sit down, take one of these beers, and discuss.
73s, Tim EI8IC
www.qsl.net/ei8ic
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