Valmont

Customers who need substation structures can rely on Valmont-Newmark for a full complement of standard steel, concrete and hybrid structures, along with our full-service engineering group to develop a custom solution for any special need. We offer lower installed costs, better structural performance, and aesthetically pleasing installations by building tapered tubular supports for major members.

Tapered tubular structures save costs.

They provide a large strength to weight ratio. Material is used only where it is needed. Large diameters are at the highest stressed base and smaller diameters are at the lower stressed top. This results in a very light yet strong structure.
Since tapered tubes are so strong and stiff, they allow the designer to minimize the number of foundations needed in the substation. It is not unusual to use a single column (and therefore, one foundation) to support a switch-stand or bus-support where a similar design in lattice or side flange would require two, or even four foundations.
The installation of tapered tube structures is fast and simple. For example, a single bay A-frame deadend normally uses only 24 fasteners to assemble.

The structural performance of tapered tubes is also superior. Closed sections (as opposed to I-beams or lattice structures) offer inherent, predictable torsional and translational stiffness. This allows our customers greater flexibility to lay out a substation with larger dead-end take-off angles and higher tensions. In fact, full tension deadends in a tapered tube substation eliminate the need to dead end the transmission line separately.

In addition to their superior structural performance, tapered tubes offer a clean aesthetically pleasing installation. The low profile, uncluttered appearance is the one of choice in areas where public acceptance is critical.