PRE-FABRICATED INTERCHANGEABLE TRUSSES

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention comprise interchangeable pre-fabricated planar trusses, sections, and structures, and methods for efficiently creating the interchangeable pre-fabricated planar trusses, sections and, structures. Embodiments of the method comprise determining the application needs; designing the interchangeable pre-fabricated planar trusses for the application needs; continuously producing the interchangeable pre-fabricated planar trusses through in-line processing; galvanizing the interchangeable pre-fabricated planar trusses; transporting the interchangeable pre-fabricated planar trusses to the assembly site with reduce transportation costs; and assembling the trusses on site with a reduced labor costs.

Description

FIELD

This invention relates generally to the field of trusses, and more particularly embodiments of the invention relate to truss structures that can be used in various support applications and methods of manufacturing such structures.

BACKGROUND

Trusses are structural components that have one or more triangular, square, rectangular, etc. units constructed with chord members and web members that are secured together in various patterns. Trusses are used as structures for a variety of applications. For example, trusses can be utilized in structures such as bridges, buildings, electrical towers, wind towers, conveyer supports, cellular telephone towers, solar supports, construction scaffolding, etc. External vertical, transverse, moment, and torsion forces act on the trusses in the structures and place the members in tensile and/or compressive stress. The forces can be caused by wind, ice, heat, gravity, support loading, etc. In most applications trusses must be specifically tailored to the application for which the trusses are used. The different forces applied in each type of application dictate the different types, sizes, number, etc. of the trusses and members needed for a particular application. The specialized truss designs increase the design costs, production costs, transportation costs, assembly cost, etc., which all significantly increase the overall cost of a structure that utilizes trusses. Alternatively, specialized truss designs may lower the material costs in some applications due to reduced weight and reduced sizes of the members that may be used in specialized trusses. There is a need to develop truss apparatuses, and methods of manufacture and assembly, which can be used to build structures in a cost effective way while maintaining the necessary support that the structures provide.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present invention address the above needs and/or achieve other advantages by providing apparatuses and methods that are used to create structures made of one or more different types of pre-fabricated interchangeable planer trusses that may be easily and quickly manufactured, transported, and assembled, while still providing the same, similar, or better structural performance than structures not made of pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses.

Embodiments of the invention comprise a method of manufacturing structures utilizing pre-fabricated trusses that comprises determining the application needs; designing the structure for the application needs, manufacturing interchangeable planar trusses through efficient processing; manufacturing non-interchangeable trusses, if necessary; transporting the trusses to the assembly site; and assembling the planar trusses into truss sections and ultimately the structure at the installation site.

Embodiments of the invention include manufacturing interchangeable planar trusses using an efficient processing method comprising cutting the truss components (i.e. chord members, web members, cross-bracing) to the proper size; staging the truss components; rigging the truss components together; welding the truss components into assembled interchangeable planar trusses; quality assurance of the assembled interchangeable planar trusses; and galvanizing the assembled planar truss.

Embodiments of the invention include interchangeable planar trusses, each comprising a first chord member and a second chord member secured together through the use of web members welded to the first chord member and second chord member. The chord members and/or web members in some embodiments, comprise a first L-shaped support element and a second L-shaped support element coupled to each other through the use of chord spacers or web battens. The web support elements, in some embodiments, are welded to the chord members along the toe edges of the L-shaped web support elements at a flat surface of the L-shaped chord support elements. The gaps between the L-shaped support elements in the chord members and web members, as well as the toe-to-surface weld between the chord members and web member support elements allows the entire assembled interchangeable planar truss to be galvanized as a whole structure instead of individual components. Being able to manufacture pre-assembled planar trusses reduces the costs associated with punching holes in the members, reduces the costs associated with sorting members and using couplings (i.e. bolt, nuts) during assembly, reduces the costs associated with galvanizing individual members, reduces the costs of transporting the assembled structures to the site, etc., to name a few.

The features, functions, and advantages that have been discussed may be achieved independently in various embodiments of the present invention or may be combined in yet other embodiments, further details of which can be seen with reference to the following description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

Having thus described embodiments of the invention in general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 provides a process flow for a pre-fabricated truss structure development process for the design, manufacture, and assembly of a truss structure, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 provides a process flow for an in-line planar truss manufacturing process, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 provides a square monopole tower, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4A provides a side view of a tapered monopole tower with a x-shaped web configuration, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4B provides a front view of a tapered monopole tower with a x-shaped web configuration, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4C provides a side view of a tapered monopole tower with a warren web configuration, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4D provides a front view of a tapered monopole tower with a warren web configuration, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4E provides a front view of an arm of a tapered monopole tower, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4F provides a side view of an arm of a tapered monopole tower and associated arm brackets, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4G provides a side close up view of an arm of a tapered monopole tower and associated arm brackets, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4H provides a side view of an arm, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4I provides a side view an arm bracket, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5A provides a side view of a multi-legged tower, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5B provides a front view of a multi-legged tower, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6A provides a side view of a multi-legged tower, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6B provides a side view of a multi-legged tower base, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6C provides a side view of one leg planar truss of a multi-legged tower base, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6D provides a side view of two assembled leg planar trusses of a multi-legged tower, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6E provides a close up side view of a multi-legged tower base illustrating the transition between the tower base and a tapered section, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6F provides a top view of the cross-bracing of multi-legged tower base, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7A provides an interchangeable planar truss with a x-shaped web configuration, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7B provides a truss section with a x-shaped web configuration, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7C provides an interchangeable planar truss with a warren web configuration, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7D provides a truss section with a warren web configuration, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8A provides a top view cross-section of a parallel truss section without cross-bracing, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8B provides a top view cross-section of a parallel truss section with cross-bracing, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9A provides a top view of an interchangeable planar truss with the L-shaped web support elements secured along a surface, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9B provides a cross-section of the interchangeable planar truss in FIG. 9A with the L-shaped web support elements secured along a surface, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9C provides a side view of the interchangeable planar truss in FIG. 9A illustrating an L-shaped chord spacer, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 9D provides a cross-section of the interchangeable planar truss in FIG. 9A with the L-shaped web support elements coupled to a web batten, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10A provides a top view of an interchangeable planar truss with the L-shaped web support elements secured along the toe edges, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10B provides a cross-section of the interchangeable planar truss in FIG. 9A with the L-shaped web support elements secured along the toe edges, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 10C provides a provides a cross-section of the interchangeable planar truss in FIG. 10A with the L-shaped web support elements coupled to a web batten, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11A provides a bottom perspective view of an assembled truss section with a x-shaped web configuration and cross-bracing, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 11B provides a bottom perspective view of an assembled truss section with a warren web configuration and cross-bracing, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12A provides an end bracket, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12B provides a kinked end bracket, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 13A provides a cross-bracing bracket, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 13B provides a cross-bracing bracket, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 14A provides a side view of the connection between a straight truss section and a tapered truss section, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 14B provides a side view and two cross-section views of a corner connection between two parallel truss sections with different sized members, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 15A provides a perspective view of a triangular truss section, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 15B provides a close up perspective view of a triangular truss section, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 16 provides a close up perspective view of a triangular truss section, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 17A provides a top view of a triangular truss section, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 17B provides a top view of an arm of a triangular monopole tower, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 18 provides a bottom end perspective view of a triangular truss section with eyelets, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 19A provides a side view of an installation of a structure, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 19B provides a side view of an installation of a structure, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 20A provides a side view of an installation of a wind tower using a mounted drive, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 20B provides a top view of an installation of a wind tower using mounted drive, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 21 provides a side view of an installation of a structure using a truck mounted drive, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 22 provides a top view of a plurality of planar trusses stacked for transport, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 23A provides top view of base attachment assembly, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 23B provides a side view of a base attachment assembly, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 24A provides a perspective view of a tower truss section being assembled utilizing an assembly member, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 24B provides a top view of a tower truss section being assembled utilizing an assembly member, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 25A provides a side view of the dimensional requirements of a tower needed to design, manufacture, ship, and assemble the tower, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 25B provides a side view of the dimensional requirements of a tower needed to design, manufacture, ship, and assemble the tower, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all, embodiments of the invention are shown. Indeed, the invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.

Large steel structures used in various applications are typically manufactured off site as individual members, and are either delivered to the assembly site in bundles of like members for assembly at a later date, or pre-assembled offsite in three-dimensional sections which are shipped to a destination, and thereafter, the sections are assembled into the final structure. With respect to the bundled configurations, assembly of the final structure is a labor intensive process that is very expensive due to the wages of the individuals who erect the final structure. However, the transportation costs of the bundled configurations are minimized due to the ability to package two or more of the members together in compact bundles. With respect to the pre-assembled three-dimensional truss sections, transportation costs may be greatly increased because the majority of the area of the load transported is empty space. However, in these configurations the assembly costs may be reduced at the installation site because the individuals assembling the structure need only couple the pre-assembled three-dimensional truss sections together at the site, instead of assembling each of the individual members, as required in the bundled configurations.

Embodiments of the invention are described herein with respect to various types of electrical transmission tower structures, however, it is to be understood that the design of the trusses and parts thereof, methods of manufacturing the trusses and parts thereof, and methods of assembling the trusses and parts thereof may be used for any type of structure in any application.

Transmission towers used to support high voltage electrical transmission lines are typically manufactured by designing specialized towers for each individual application. In each application there may be hundreds or thousands of towers used to support the transmission lines. Therefore, there may be hundreds of different configurations used in a particular application. One standard manufacturing process used to produce the towers necessary for the application would be to manufacture the individual parts of each of the towers, and thereafter, galvanize the parts individually at one or more manufacturing sites. The individual parts of the tower that are alike are bundled together and shipped to the installation site for assembly by workers who often receive high wages because of the dangerous and complex nature of assembling the structures. The individual parts are assembled on site in stages using couplings, for which the timing is critical, in that one stage of the tower must be completed before additional stages of the tower can be secured on top. If mistakes in fabrication of the towers are made, the mistakes either have to be corrected in the field or new parts need to be ordered from the manufacturer. Field fixes or waiting for replacement parts can be very expensive due to the costs associated with the additional field work (i.e. field labor and machines) or additional manufacturing labor costs.

Another standard manufacturing process used to produce the towers is that the individual parts are created, galvanized, and assembled into pre-assembled three-dimensional truss sections at the manufacturing site or off-site using couplings, and thereafter transported to the installation site for final assembly. In these configurations the large pre-assembled three-dimensional sections greatly increase the cost of transportation from the manufacturing and assembly site to the final installation site. Furthermore, the pre-assembled three-dimensional truss sections are specifically manufactured for final installation, therefore, if mistakes in fabrication or assembly of the towers are made, the mistakes either have to be corrected in the field during final assembly of the sections or new sections need to be ordered from the manufacturer. Again, field fixes or waiting for replacement sections can be very expensive due to the labor costs associated with the additional field rework or additional manufacturing.

Embodiments of the present invention utilize interchangeable planar trusses that are designed and manufactured in a way such that they overcome the drawbacks of assembling the parts of structures on site with expensive labor costs, and assembling the three-dimensional truss sections off-site and transporting them to the installation site for final assembly with expensive transportation costs. For example, the methods described herein may be utilized to design and manufacture interchangeable pre-fabricated planar trusses that can be utilized in structures, such as, but not limited to, bridges, buildings, electrical towers, wind towers, conveyer supports, cellular telephone towers, solar panel supports, construction scaffolding, etc.

The pre-fabricated planar trusses, as explained in further detail later, are much easier to manufacture and galvanized because they utilize multiple common members that are smaller, more repeatable, and easier to galvanize than the thicker uncommon members typically used in specially designed structures. If the chords and webs are of a similar thickness the hot dipped galvanizing process is accomplished more efficiently. Other benefits of welding and then galvanizing the pre-fabricated planar trusses include preventing damaging the galvanized surfaces during welding, which may remove the galvanized coating, and preventing dangerous zinc fumes that result from welding galvanized steel. Furthermore, galvanized bolts and nuts may coat the threads of the couplings, which reduces the strength of the couplings, thus, reducing the number of galvanized coupling increases the strength of the resulting planar trusses and structures.

The pre-fabricated planar trusses are designed in a way to create interchangeable planar trusses and in some embodiments interchangeable assembled truss sections (which are made up of three or more pre-fabricated planar trusses). The multiple common pre-fabricated planar trusses can be easily specified for various applications based on the needs of the applications without having to specifically design the individual members for each application. Various common pre-fabricated planar trusses may be interchanged to develop the structure that meets the requirements of the application. Furthermore, once specified for a particular application, the pre-fabricated planar trusses may be cost effectively manufactured with fewer parts and process steps, transported with maximized tons per mile shipping, and/or cost effectively interchangeably assembled at the installation site with minimal labor costs, as compared to other truss structures designed and manufactured using traditional processes.

In some embodiments of the invention the total amount of steel utilized in creating pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses and truss sections in the present invention may be greater than the amount of steel typically utilized in the bundled configurations or pre-assembled three-dimensional truss section configurations, as explained in further detail later, but the additional costs are recouped through reduced manufacturing costs, transportation costs, assembly costs, and other costs. In some embodiments of the invention the additional steel utilized in the pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses may provide for improved structural performance, thus, resulting in a structure with a smaller footprint, which may actually result in reduced or negligible differences in material costs when compared with structures manufactured and assembled in the traditional manner.

FIG. 1 illustrates a process flow for a truss structure development process 100 that results in the production of a structure using interchangeable planar trusses and truss sections, which can be cost effectively manufactured, transported, and assembled on site with combined manufacturing, transportation, and assembly costs that are lower then the combined costs of traditional structures. As described in further detail throughout this application the truss structure development process 100 comprises determining the needs of an application that utilizes a structure; designing the truss sections and the interchangeable planar trusses for the structure base on the application needs; in-line manufacturing and assembly of the pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses; manufacturing of the non-interchangeable truss sections, if necessary; transporting the pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses and the non-interchangeable truss sections to, or near, the installation site; assembling (i.e. erecting) the pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses and the non-interchangeable trusses into the three-dimensional assembled truss sections; and assembling the interchangeable assembled truss sections with each other, as well as the non-interchangeable truss sections, to form the final structure.

As illustrated by block 102 in FIG. 1, a structure needed for a given application is determined. As illustrated in the figures and described herein, the structure may be, for example, an electrical transmission tower. Much of the description and figures disclosed throughout this specification relate to electrical transmission towers, but can be similarly applied to any application in which a structure comprised of truss members is suitable. For instance, the structure could be a solar power array, cell phone tower, wind tower, bridge, etc. Moreover, the description provided herein is directed to planar trusses, which covers any types of trusses, such as but not limited to pratt trusses, warren trusses, bowstring trusses, king post trusses, lenticular trusses, lattice trusses, vierendeel trusses, etc. The term planer truss relates to any type of two-dimensional truss that lies in a single plane allowing for improved space saving during transportation of the planar trusses, as well as interchangeability of like planer trusses for ease of assembly at the installation site.

As illustrated by block 104, a structure is designed for the needs of the application. For example, in some embodiments an electrical transmission tower may be a parallel monopole transmission tower 300 as illustrated in FIG. 3, a tapered monopole transmission tower 400 as illustrated in FIGS. 4A through 4I, a multi-leg transmission tower 500 with different types of sections (i.e. tapered section, parallel section, base section, etc.) as illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B, and 6A through 6F, or any other type of transmission tower. These types of towers have not been produced using the interchangeable planar trusses and truss sections described herein and/or using the manufacturing methods described herein.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a parallel monopole transmission tower 300, as illustrated in FIG. 3, may be designed, manufactured, and assembled for use as a support structure. The monopole transmission tower 300 utilizes one or more parallel monopole truss sections 302, which are each comprised of interchangeable planar trusses 210, as explained in further detail later. The parallel monopole truss section 302 may be square, rectangular, triangular, pentagonal, hexagonal, or any other type of shape that can be used as structural support. The parallel monopole transmission tower 300 may have one or more support arms 360 that are used for supporting the weight of the transmission tower arms, which is described in further detail later.

As illustrated in FIGS. 4A through 4I, a tapered transmission tower 400 may also be designed, manufactured, and assembled, in accordance with another embodiment of the invention. The tapered transmission tower 400 may be made up of various truss sections 250, such as tapered truss sections 450, for example a first tapered section 402, second tapered section 404, third tapered section 406, fourth tapered section 408, fifth tapered section 410, sixth tapered section 412, etc. Each tapered section may have a wider footprint at the base end 420 then at the top end 422. The top end 422 of a first tapered section 402 is operatively coupled to the base end 420 of the second tapered section 404, etc., though the use of an end bracket 240 as explained in further detail later. The towers illustrated in FIGS. 4A and 4B may be the same as or similar to the interchangeable planar trusses 210 and truss sections 250 illustrated in FIGS. 7A and 7B. The planar tapered sections 402, 404, 406, 408, 410, like the truss section 250 in FIGS. 7A and 7B, may have x-shaped configuration web members 216 that cross and are operatively coupled to each other at the web center 722 of the web members 216, and to the chord members 212, 214 of the planar trusses 210 at the ends of the web members 216. In other embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in FIGS. 4C and 4D, the tapered towers may have warren configuration web members 216 like the truss sections 250 in FIGS. 7C and 7D. The warren configuration web members 216 do not cross at the center, and are operatively coupled to each other at their ends and/or to the planar trusses 210 at the chord members 212, 214. The two types of web configurations described above, or any other type of web member 216 configurations, may be used in any transmission tower embodiments and/or any other structural applications.

FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate a multi-leg transmission tower 500, which can be made in accordance with another embodiment of the invention. The multi-leg transmission tower 500 may comprise a first section 502 (i.e., base section), second section 504 (i.e., mid-section), and third section 506 (i.e., top section). The base section, mid-section, and top section may each comprise of one or more sections operatively coupled together that are parallel, tapered, or any other type of shape used in a transmission tower. Therefore, the base section, mid-section, and top section may comprise of the same types of tower sections (i.e. all parallel sections 302 as described with respect to the parallel monopole tower 300) or one or more different types of sections. For example, as illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B the multi-leg transmission tower 500 has a base section comprising leg truss sections 510, a mid-section comprising a first tapered section 512 tapered at a first angle, and a top section comprising a second tapered section 514, a third tapered section 516, a fourth tapered section 518, and a fifth tapered section 520 which are all tapered at a second angle. As described with respect to the tapered transmission tower 400, the web members 216 of the multi-leg transmission tower 500 may be in a x-shaped web configuration, a warren shaped web configuration (i.e., z-shaped web configuration), or any other web configuration.

FIG. 6A illustrates another multi-leg transmission tower 600, which may be made in accordance with another embodiment of the invention. The multi-leg transmission tower 600 may comprise a first section (i.e., base section 602), a second section (i.e., mid-section 604), and a third section (i.e., top section 606). The base section 602, mid-section 604, and top section 606 may each comprise of multiple sections operatively coupled together that are parallel, tapered, or any other type of shape used in a transmission tower. Therefore, the base section 602, mid-section 604, and top section 606 may comprise of the same types of truss sections 250 or one or more different types of truss sections 250. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 6A the multi-leg transmission tower 600 has a base section 602 comprising leg truss sections 610, a mid-section 604 comprising a tapered section 612, and a top section 606 comprising a parallel section 614. As described with respect to the tapered transmission tower 400 and the multi-leg transmission tower 500 the web members 216 may be in a x-shaped web configuration, a warren shaped web configuration (i.e., z-shaped web configuration), or any other web configuration.

FIGS. 7A through 7D illustrate one embodiment of interchangeable planar trusses 210 that are tapered for use in tapered truss sections 700. As illustrated by FIG. 7B the truss section 250 may be a tapered truss section 402, 404, 406, 700, etc., however, in other embodiments the truss section 250 may be a parallel truss section 302, a base section 602, a mid-section 604, a top section 606, etc. FIG. 7A illustrates an interchangeable planar truss 210 that is an interchangeable tapered planar truss 710, however, in other embodiments it may be a parallel interchangeable planar truss 310. The interchangeable planar truss 210 comprises of chord members 212, 214 and web members 216. The interchangeable planar truss 210 has a first chord member 212 and a second chord member 214, which in some embodiments as explained in further detail later each may comprise of two L-shaped structural support elements 802, 804. The first chord member 212 and the second chord member 214 may be any type of member that is typically utilized in truss applications. The first chord member 212 is substantially parallel to the second chord member 214 in the embodiments where the interchangeable planar truss 210 is a parallel truss section 302. The first chord member 212 and the second chord member 214 have converging ends and diverging ends in the embodiments where the interchangeable planar truss 210 is a tapered truss section 710, as illustrated in FIGS. 7A through 7D.

The first chord member 212 and the second chord member 214 are operatively coupled to each other through the use of web members 216. The web members 216 may be of various lengths and may operatively couple the first chord member 212 and the second chord member 214 in a number of different ways. For example, the web members 216 may comprise x-shaped configured web members 720, as illustrated in FIG. 7A. The x-shaped configured web members 720 are operatively coupled to each other at the web member center 722 and to the first chord member 212 and second chord member 214 at the web member ends 724, 726. In other embodiments of the invention the web members 216 may comprise warren shaped configured web members 740, as illustrated in FIGS. 7C and 7D. The warren shaped configured web members 740 are operatively coupled to the first chord member 212 and second chord member 214 at the web member ends 744, 746. In other embodiments of the invention the web members 216 may comprise of cross-bracing members 730 (i.e., substantially horizontal cross members) that are operatively coupled at the ends to the first chord member 212 and second chord member 214. In some embodiments the web member ends 724, 726, 744, 746 may also be operatively coupled to the cross-bracing members 730.

As illustrated in FIGS. 7B and 7D interchangeable planar trusses 210 may be operatively coupled to each other to form truss sections 250, such as the four sided tapered truss sections 750 illustrated in FIGS. 7B and 7D. A first tapered interchangeable planar truss 710 may be operatively coupled to a second tapered interchangeable planar truss 710 by operatively coupling a first chord member 212 on the first tapered planar truss 710 to a second chord member 214 on a second tapered planar truss 710.

FIG. 8A illustrates a cross-sectional top view of a parallel truss section 302 of a parallel transmission tower 300, a parallel truss section 614 incorporated in a multi-leg transmission tower 600, or any other type of parallel structure. The cross-sectional top view of similar transmission towers, or other structures, manufactured as described herein, may look the same as or similar to the truss section illustrated in FIG. 8A, depending on the number of sides and whether or not the section is tapered. In some embodiments of the invention, the chord members 212 and 214 comprise of one or more structural support elements 802, 804. The structural support elements 802, 804 in the chord members 212, 214 could be square shaped, L-shaped, V-shaped, cylindrical, tubular, oval, or any other shape appropriate to provide structural support. As illustrated in FIG. 8A the structural support elements 802, 804 of the chord members 212, 214 are L-shaped. In the illustrated embodiment each chord member 212, 214 has two L-shaped support elements 802, 804 that are operatively coupled to each other (i.e. welded, bolted, riveted, etc.). As illustrated in FIGS. 9A, 9B, 9C, 10A, and 10B the L-shaped support elements 802, 804 may be operatively coupled to each other through the use of chord spacers 910. In some embodiments the chord spacers 910 may be circular rods that are bent into an L-shape, as illustrated in FIG. 9C, or any other type of shape. In some embodiments, the chord spacers 910 are welded into place between the two L-shaped support elements 802, 804 to create a chord gap 810 between the two L-shaped support elements 802, 804. In other embodiments of the invention the chord spacers 910 may be any other type of shape, such as but not limited to bar or flat stock rectangles, squares, etc.

As illustrated in FIGS. 8A, 8B, 9A, 9B, 9D, 10A, 10B, and 10C and described in further detail below, the web members 216 may also comprise of one or more web support elements 806, 808. The web support elements 806, 808 may be any shape used in trusses, but as described herein the web support elements 806, 808 are L-shaped. Alternatively, in some embodiments the web support elements 806, 808 may be tubular or cylindrically shaped, as described in further detail later with respect to FIGS. 15A through 17A. As illustrated in FIGS. 9A, 9D, 10A, and 10C, the two L-shaped web support elements 806, 808 may be operatively coupled to each other through the use of web battens 1010. The web battens 1010 may be any shape such as bar or flat stock squares, rectangles, cylinders, etc. The web battens 1010 are welded into place between the two L-shaped web support elements 806, 808 to create a web gap 820 between the two L-shaped support elements 806, 808. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 9D the web battens 1010 are L-shaped and welded to the web support element surfaces 812. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 10C the web battens 1010 are rectangular shaped and welded to the web support heals 814. In some embodiments, the web battens 1010, like the chord spacers 910, may be circular rods bent into an L-shape.

The interchangeable planar trusses 210 can be operatively coupled together to form the truss sections 250. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 8A each parallel truss section 302 has a first chord member 212 and a second chord member 214. The first chord member 212 of a first interchangeable planar truss 850 may be operatively coupled to the second chord member 214 of a second interchangeable planar truss 852 through the use of an end bracket 240. Thus, each corner 860 of the truss sections 250 comprise a first chord member 212 of a first interchangeable planar truss 850, a second chord member 214 of a second interchangeable planar truss 852, and an end bracket 240. In other embodiments of the invention, other connection means could be utilized to operatively couple the first chord member 212 of the first interchangeable planar truss 850 to the second chord member 214 of the second interchangeable planar truss 852.

In some embodiments of the invention, as illustrated by FIGS. 11A through 12B the end bracket 240 may be a generally L-shaped standard rolled shape, bent plate, built-up plate, etc. bracket with four or more bolt holes that line up with corresponding holes in the chord members 212, 214 of the individual interchangeable planar trusses 210. In the illustrated embodiments there are twenty-four (24) total bolt holes, or six (6) bolt holes for each chord member 212, 214 at the connection ends. The end bracket 240 not only allows a first interchangeable planar truss 850 to be operatively coupled to a second interchangeable planar truss 852 in a truss section 250, but it may also allow a truss section 250 to be operatively coupled to another truss section 250 (i.e. first parallel trust section 302 with a second parallel trust section 302). Thus, in some embodiments, a single end bracket 240 is used for the connection between the ends of the first chord member 212 and the second chord member 214 of a truss section 302, as well as the connection between the end of a first truss section 250 and the end of a second truss section 250 (e.g. the four corners 860 in a four sided truss section 250 will only need four (4) end brackets 240 to make the connections). This configuration reduces the number of brackets necessary to assemble the electrical transmission towers 300, 400, 500, 600 and thus, reduces the amount of labor necessary to assemble the electrical transmission towers 300, 400, 500, 600.

Not only are the parallel truss sections 302 and the tapered truss sections 402, 404, 612, 750, etc. made from interchangeable planer trusses 210, but the base truss sections 602 may also be assembled from interchangeable planar trusses 210, such as base planar trusses 610. As illustrated in FIGS. 5A, 5B, 6A, and 6B, the multi-leg tower 600 may include one or more base truss sections 502, 602. In some embodiments, the base truss sections 602 provide a larger support footprint area for the transmission towers 400, 500, 600. Like the parallel truss section 302 and the tapered truss sections 402, 612, 750 described above, the base section 602 in FIG. 6B comprises four base interchangeable planar trusses 610 operatively coupled to each other. However, unlike the parallel truss sections 302 and the tapered truss sections 204, 612, 750, the base interchangeable planar trusses 610 comprise of one or more leg planar trusses 620. In the embodiments illustrated in FIG. 6B through 6E, the interchangeable planar trusses 610 comprise of two leg planar trusses 620 that are operatively coupled to each other.

As illustrated in FIG. 6C the leg planar base 620 comprises a first leg chord member 622 and a second leg chord member 624, which are operatively coupled together through the use of leg web members 626 as previously described with respect to the chord members 212, 214 and web members 216 of the interchangeable truss members 210. As illustrated, the first leg chord member 622 and the second leg chord member 624 may be converging at a first end 632 and diverging at a second end 634. In some embodiments of the invention the leg planar base 620 may also include an additional third base chord member 642 and a fourth base chord member 644 to provide additional support at the base section 602. The first leg planar base 620 may be operatively coupled to the second leg planar base 620 directly through the use of bolts at the junction between the fourth base chord member 644 of the first leg planar base 620 and the fourth base chord member 644 of the second leg planar base 620, as illustrated in FIGS. 6D and 6E. In other embodiments of the invention a bracket or other coupling means may be utilized to operatively couple the second leg planar base 620 to the first leg planar base 620.

The first leg chord member 622 and the second leg chord member 624 are operatively coupled through leg web members 626. When the leg chord members 622, 624 are non-parallel the leg web members 626 may be different lengths. As previously described with respect to the chord members 212, 214 and web members 216 of the other truss sections 302, 402, 612, 750, the leg chord members 622, 624 and leg web chord members 626 may comprise of one or more support elements 802, 804, 806, 808 that are rectangular shaped, square shaped, L-shaped, V-shaped, tubular, oval, coupled combinations of these shapes, or any other shape appropriate for a structural support member. Furthermore, as previously discussed with respect to the web members 216, the leg web members 626 may be placed in x-shaped configurations, warren shaped configurations, and/or other shaped configurations. As illustrated in FIG. 6C in the illustrated embodiment the web members 626 are coupled to the chord members 622, 624, 642, 644 in both an x-shaped configuration and a warren shaped configuration. It is to be understood that different types of leg web members 626 configurations may be utilized in different embodiments of the base planar trusses 610.

The interchangeable base planar trusses 610 may be specifically designed for any type of application. For example, one of the leg planar trusses 620 may be supported on higher ground and may have to have shorter dimensions then another leg planar truss 620 that is supported by lower ground. In these cases the some of the leg planar trusses 620 may not be interchangeable with each other, however, each leg planar truss 620 having a given length at each corner of the base truss section 602 is interchangeable. In other embodiments of the invention, the base planar trusses 610 may be supported on equal ground, and thus, are all interchangeable with each other.

As illustrated in FIG. 6B a first base planar truss 610 may be operatively coupled to a second base planar truss 610, etc. in order to form the base section 602. The connection between the first base planar truss 610 and the second base planar truss 610 may be made through the use of intermediate base brackets 670 and end base brackets 660. In other embodiments of the invention the connection between the first base planar truss 610 and the second base planar truss 610 may be made through any means known in the art.

FIG. 6F provides a top view of the bass section 602 illustrating the cross-bracing 690 between the base planar trusses 610. The leg planar truss 620 of a first base planar truss 610 may also be operatively coupled to the leg planar truss 620 of a second base planar truss 610 using cross-bracing 690. For example, cross-bracing 690 may couple the second leg chord member 624 and/or the fourth leg chord member 644 of a first leg planar truss 620 in a first base planar truss 610 with the second leg chord member 624 and/or the fourth leg chord member 644 of a second leg planar truss 620 in a second base planar truss 610 in order to provide additional structural support to the legs of the base section 602, which supports the rest of the transmission tower 600. The cross-bracing 690 as explained in further detail later may be made up of one or more support elements 692, which in one embodiment are L-shaped, or another shape in other embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 6E illustrates the connection between the base section 602 and a mid-section 604, which as illustrated is the same or similar to the connection between a first tapered section and second tapered section discussed in further detail below with respect to FIG. 14A. The base section 602 and the mid-section 604 may be operatively coupled to each other through the use of an L-shaped standard rolled shape, bent plate, built-up plate, etc kinked bracket 280, such as a base end bracket 660, as illustrated in FIGS. 6E and 12B. The kinked bracket 280, as illustrated in FIGS. 12B and 14A, may have bend angles (i.e. Θ₁, Θ₂) through the center (or other location) of the L-shaped kinked bracket 280 to operatively couple the two tapered truss sections together. In other embodiments other types of brackets may be used to operatively couple the members of the base planar trusses 610 to each other to form a base section 602, as well as to operatively couple the base section 602 with another section in the multi-leg tower 600. In some embodiments, there may be more than one base section 602, and thus, one base section 602 may be coupled to another base section 602 through the kinked end bracket 280 or another end bracket 240.

In some embodiments of the transmission tower 300, 400, 500, all of the truss sections 250 may have a uniform height, such as twenty-five (25) feet. A uniform height allows the interchangeable planar trusses 210 to be prefabricated and utilized with respect to any number of different structures in the same or different application, and decreases the production, transportation, and assembly costs associated with the planar trusses 210 and truss sections 250. The height for the truss sections 250 can be designed to any selected height (e.g., 25 to 50 feet, or more or less). Furthermore, in some embodiment truss sections 250 with different heights may be used in the same application, depending on the overall height requirements of the application.

In order to prevent torsion failure of the transmission tower 300, 400, 500, 600 the truss sections of the transmission tower may require cross-bracing members 870. FIG. 8B illustrates the same view as FIG. 8A, but it includes cross-bracing members 870. The cross-bracing may be a single cross-bracing member 870 or multiple cross-bracing members 870 that cross each other, as illustrated in FIGS. 8B, 11A, and 11B. The cross-bracing members 870 may be comprised of single L-shaped cross-bracing support elements 872. The cross-bracing members 870 can be coupled to each other at the surfaces of the L-shaped cross-bracing support elements 872, as illustrated in FIGS. 11A and 11B. In other embodiments of the invention the cross-bracing members 870 may comprise of two or more cross-bracing support elements 872 that are the same as or similar to the support elements 802, 804, 806, 808 in the chord members 212, 214 or the web members 216. The cross-bracing members 870 can be operatively coupled to an end bracket 240 that has a support tab 242, as illustrated by FIG. 12A. The cross-bracing support elements 872 can be fastened to the support tabs 242, chord members 212, 214 and/or each other through fasteners, welding, rivets, spacers, battens, etc.

In some embodiments of the invention cross-bracing members 870 may be added not only at the end connections between truss sections 250, but also anywhere along middle of the truss sections 250. For example, as illustrated in FIGS. 11A and 11B an intermediate bracket 260 may be utilized to support cross-bracing members 870. Holes can be punched along the chord members 212, 214 to allow the intermediate bracket 260 to be secured to the truss section 250. In other embodiments of the invention, the intermediate bracket 260 may be coupled to the chord members 212, 214 using other means (welded, rivets, etc.). The support tab 262 on the intermediate bracket 260 allows the cross-bracing members 870 to be secured somewhere along the middle of any of the truss sections 250. FIGS. 13A and 13B illustrate a four fastener and a two fastener configuration for the intermediate bracket 260. Again, the cross-bracing members 870 can be fastened to the support tabs 262 through fasteners, welding, rivets, etc. In other embodiments of the invention, the cross-bracing members 870 may also be located at and coupled to the web centers 722 of the web members 216 instead of, or in addition to, being located at an intersection between the truss sections 250 or along the chord members 212, 214 using the intermediate bracket 260. The cross-bracing members 870 could be secured to the web battens, a bracket with a tab, or directly to the web members 216 at or near the web centers 722.

The coupling between the chord members 212, 214 and the web members 216 may be done in a number of different ways. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 9B, in one embodiment of the invention the web members 216 may be welded along the edges of the back surface of the L-shaped web member 216 to the surface of the L-shaped chord members 212, 214. This configuration, illustrated in FIG. 9B, provides a strong weld joint and strong web member 216 orientation for the L-shaped support elements 806, 808; however, as explained in further detail later this type of weld configuration prevents the weld and surfaces of the members from being completely galvanized, which is important for outdoor applications. FIG. 10B illustrates another embodiment of welding the web members 216 to chord members 212, 214. In the illustrated configuration, the L-shaped web support elements 806, 808 are welded along the toe edges 816 to the chord surfaces 818 of the chord members 212, 214, such that the heals 814 of the L-shaped web support elements 806, 808 are pointed outward from the weld. This configuration allows the surfaces of the web members 216 and the chord members to be completely galvanized. A planar truss 210 that may be completely galvanized at once is important to reduce rusting of the final structure when it is erected in the field.

FIGS. 11A and 11B illustrate two different web member 216 configurations. As illustrated by FIG. 11B the web members 216 may be welded to the chord members 212, 214 in a warren shaped configuration (i.e., z-shaped). In these embodiments the truss section 250 is easier to install because only one weld (or other attachment) for each end of the web members 216 needs to be made. However, this web member 216 configuration may not be able to support as much loading as an x-shaped configuration, as illustrated in FIG. 11A. As illustrated in FIG. 11A one web member 216 is a continuous web member 1120 and one web member 216 is a discontinuous web member 1130 made up of two spliced web members 1132, 1134 operatively coupled to each other, as well as the center of the continuous web member 1120. As illustrated in FIG. 11A, the joint at the center of the x-shaped configuration web members 216 may comprises a web batten 1010, to which the L-shaped support elements 806, 808 of the continuous web member 1120 are welded. The support elements 806, 808 of the spliced web members 1132, 1134 may also be welded to the web batten 1010 and/or the continuous web member 1120 resulting in the x-shaped configuration of the web members 216 of the interchangeable planar trusses 210.

FIG. 14A illustrates the connection between a tapered truss section 612 and a parallel truss section 614, as previously described with respect to FIG. 6A. In these embodiments a kinked bracket 280, as illustrated in FIG. 12B is utilized to secure not only the parallel truss section 614 to the tapered truss section 612, but also secure the parallel interchangeable planar trusses 210 within the parallel truss section 614 to each other, and the tapered interchangeable planar trusses 210 within the tapered truss section 612 to each other. Different types and sizes of kinked brackets 280 may be used whenever a connection is made between two truss sections 250 that have different tapered angles.

FIG. 14B illustrates a side view of a bracket 240 between two parallel truss sections 302 that have different sized chord members 212, 214, and two corresponding cross-sectional views of the bracket 240 and chord members 212, 214. In some embodiments of the invention the chord members 212, 214 of a first parallel planar truss section 1402 are smaller then the chord members 212, 214 of a second parallel planar truss section 1404. As the truss sections 250 in the transmission towers 300, 400, 500, 600 are assembled on top of the truss sections 250 below, it may be advantageous to reduce the weight of the truss sections 250 near the top of the transmission towers 300, 400, 500, 600 in order to reduce the cost. Furthermore, the truss sections 250 near the top of the transmission towers 300, 400, 500, 600 do not need to support as much force, thus, they may have reduced member sizes and thicknesses.

FIGS. 15A through 18 illustrate another embodiment of the invention where the transmission tower is a triangular transmission tower 1500 that has one or more triangular truss sections 1502 comprising three interchangeable planar trusses 1510 as opposed to four interchangeable planar trusses 210 utilized in the square truss section 250 configurations previously described herein. As discussed with respect to FIGS. 15A through 18, the chord members 212, 214, web members 216, brackets 240, 260, 280, and the configurations of the triangular transmission tower 1500 having parallel truss sections, tapered truss sections, and base sections, may be the same as or similar to the configurations previously described with respect to the parallel transmission tower 300, tapered transmission tower 400, and multi-leg transmission towers 500, 600. As illustrated in FIGS. 15A through 18 the triangular interchangeable planar trusses 1510 comprise of a first chord member 1512 operatively coupled to a second chord member 1514 by the web members 1516. The triangular transmission tower 1500 web members 1516 may comprise of two L-shaped support elements 802, 804 or may be rod support elements 1520 that are welded to the chord members 1512, 1514, or any other type of web member 1516. The web members 1516 of the triangular transmission tower 1500 of the present invention illustrated in FIGS. 15A through 18 are bent cylindrical rods.

As previously discussed with respect to the other transmission towers 300, 400, 500, 600 discussed herein the interchangeable planar trusses 1510 may be operatively coupled to each other through the use of an end bracket 1530, as illustrated in FIG. 15B. For example, the end bracket 1530 may have four or more fastener holes and be bent at an angle of approximately one-hundred and twenty (120) degrees in order to secure the first chord member 1512 of a first triangular interchangeable planar truss 1550 to a second chord member 1514 of a second triangular interchangeable planar truss 1552, as illustrated in FIGS. 15B and 17B. The illustrated embodiments in FIGS. 15A through 18, show that the triangular transmission tower 1500 is in the shape an equilateral triangular, however, the triangular transmission tower 1500 may be in the shape of an isosceles triangle or scalene triangle, thus the internal angles of the triangular transmission tower 1500 and end bracket 1530 may have the same or different angles (i.e. Θ₁₀, Θ₂₀, Θ₃₀).

In some embodiments of the invention, the transmission towers 300, 400, 500, 600 have support arms 360, 460, 1760 as illustrated in FIGS. 3, 4E, and 17B. As illustrated in FIGS. 4E through 4I, the support arm 460 may be an arm truss section 470 that is made up of one or more arm planar trusses 480. Like the other truss sections 250 described herein, the arm planar trusses 480 may be made up of a first arm chord member 482 and a second arm chord member 484 that are operatively coupled by arm web members 486. The arm truss section 470 may be coupled to the transmission tower 300, 400, 500, 600 through the use of arm support members 230. The arm support members 230 may provide support to arm brackets 232, 234, which incorporate chord attachment locations 236. The chord members 482, 484 of the arm truss section 470 may be coupled to the chord attachment locations 236 on the arm brackets 232, 234 to secure the arm truss section 470 to the transmission tower 300, 400, 500, 600. In some embodiments the chord members 482, 484 may be coupled to the chord attachment locations on the arm brackets 232, 234 through the use of bolts.

FIG. 17B illustrates another embodiment of the support arm 1760 for use with a triangular transmission tower 1500. In this embodiment the triangular transmission tower 1500 comprises arm brackets 238 that can be operatively coupled to an end bracket 240, intermediate bracket 260, or kinked end bracket 280. The support arm planar truss 1760 comprises a first arm chord member 1782 and a second arm chord member 1784 that may be operatively coupled to the arm brackets 238, as well as each other, as illustrated in FIG. 17B. The first arm chord member 1782 and the second arm chord member 1784 may also be coupled to each other through the use of web members 1786 for extra support.

The support arms 460, 1760 may be manufactured and assembled as planar truss support arms 460, 1760 in the same or similar way as the interchangeable planar trusses 210 and the truss sections 250 are manufactured and assembled, as described throughout this application and in further detail below with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2.

As illustrated by block 106 in FIG. 1, the pre-fabricated truss structure development process 100 includes a step for manufacturing the pre-fabricated planar trusses 210 through in-line processing. In standard structure fabrication processes, such as for a transmission tower, the members of a structure are formed at a fabrication facility, galvanized individually, the like parts are grouped together, and thereafter shipped to the assembly site where they are assembled into the final structure. The pieces of the structure in these cases, which may include truss members and other associated components (i.e., brackets, nuts, bolts, etc.), are often specially made parts and assembly is required to be performed on site by specialized highly paid workers. As previously discussed this type of assembly leads to high labor costs. Alternatively, in other standard structure manufacturing processes the members may be manufactured, galvanized, and pre-assembled into three-dimensional complete sections at the manufacturing facility. These complete sections are then shipped to the final assembly site where they are assembled into the final structure. As previously discussed, this leads to high shipping costs because of the space that the three-dimensional pre-assembled sections occupy during transport, and thus, there is a lower ton per shipment weight. These configurations also have high design costs because they are specifically designed for individual applications. In both of the standard fabrication processes described herein the structures are typically assembled using bolts and nuts which increases the assembly costs because of the additional set-up and punching required to form the holes in the chord and web members, the high number of bolts and nuts needed for assemble, and the increased labor hours needed to assemble the members using the bolts and nuts. Moreover, these configurations do not have planar trusses that are interchangeable between different sections and applications. Consequently, the standard fabrication processes for structures in the past result in high design, manufacturing, transportation, and/or final assembly costs that drive up the overall price of the structures.

One potential benefit to manufacturing structures utilizing the standard manufacturing processes described above is that the costs of the materials may in some cases be reduced. Since the pieces of the structure are manufactured and shipped to the site for assembly, or manufactured and assembled then shipped to the site for final assembly, the trusses do not require as many chord members as are required in the present invention described herein. For example, typical three sided structures only require one chord member at each of the three corners of the structure, which are supported by interlocking web members in between; and four sided structures only require one chord member at each of the four corners, which are also supported by interlocking web members in between; etc. The drawback of these configurations is that the specialized trusses are not interchangeable and must be assembled in a specific manner on site or at the manufacturing facility before being shipped. Alternatively, in the present invention, each planer truss 210 has two chord members 212, 214; therefore, a four sided structure would have eight chord members 212, 214. The additional chord members 212, 214 are used to allow for the assembly of structures utilizing interchangeable planar trusses 210, but may result in additional material costs in some embodiments.

In some embodiments of the present invention it may be beneficial to use additional chord members 212, 214 because the additional chord members 212, 214 at each corner 860 can provide more support than the standard structures that use a single chord member at each corner. The improved load capacity may lead to a smaller structure footprint because a smaller truss section 250 with the additional chord members 212, 214 may be able to support larger loads. Many of the bolted structures become impractical at smaller footprints because they cannot handle the loads at the base with only one chord member at the corners, for example, in monopole towers 300. In some applications a smaller structure footprint with increased load capabilities may be necessary. Moreover, in some embodiments of the present invention the chord members 212, 214 are inverted (i.e., point inward to the structure), while typical structures have chords that are extroverted (i.e. point outward from the structure), thus, the footprint of the structure in the present invention may be smaller then typical structures. Therefore, in some embodiments of the present invention the additional chord members 212, 214 may actually reduce the material costs of the structure. Furthermore, the additional chord members 212, 214 at each corner keeps the chord member 212, 214 (or chord support elements 802, 804) thicknesses closer (i.e., the same or similar to) to the web member 216 (web support elements 806, 808) thicknesses. Having similar thicknesses aids in the efficiency of the galvanizing process for a number of reasons, such as the time it takes to galvanize members with similar thicknesses is approximately the same, etc.

To reduce the overall costs associated with manufacturing, transporting, and assembling structures, one or more of the truss sections 250 can be manufactured using planar trusses 210 at a truss manufacturing facility through in-line processing. During in-line processing the planar trusses 210 may be formed at the truss manufacturing facility through the use of stations at which specific operations are performed. In-line processing of the planar trusses 210 is a vast improvement over the methods of processing normally used to manufacture components of a structure (i.e., sometimes as much as 100 times faster than standard truss processing) because planar trusses 210 are assembled directly in-line as the members are produced. Furthermore, welding joints in the present invention, as opposed securing joints with standard bolts and nuts, reduces the manufacturing time necessary to manufacture the pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses 210. Welding joints is preferred because bolt holes in the members that are necessary for assembling joints using bolts and nuts during standard structure manufacturing are no longer necessary in the present invention. Reducing the number of bolted joints in the present invention greatly increases manufacturing speeds, and consequently, reduces manufacturing costs.

As illustrated in FIG. 2 the in-line fabrication process 120 comprises cutting out the required truss components 122; staging the truss components based on the total number of interchangeable trusses used in the structure 124; rigging the components with jigs to align the components for assembly 126; welding the planer trusses together 128; performing quality assurance analysis on the welded planar trusses 130; and galvanizing the assembled trusses 132.

As illustrated by block 122 in FIG. 2 the members (i.e. chord members, web members, cross-bracing, etc.) and other materials (i.e. brackets, spacers, battens, etc.) required for the interchangeable planar trusses 210 are cut to the required sizes in the cut-out station. Sawing the members is extremely fast and is viable where the number of interchangeable members is high, for example, in the case where parallel chord members 212, 214 and uniform web spacing for the web members 216 exist. Bundles with many members can be manufactured at one time using the sawing process. Shearing the members may take longer than sawing the members in the embodiments where there are a lot of interchangeable members; however, where the members are more specialized shearing the members may be less time consuming. In some embodiments, the shears may cut up to three or more members at a time.

In the present invention the members do not require many holes to be punched during manufacturing. Most of, if not all, of the web members 216 do not require holes, while holes in the chord members 212, 214 may only be needed at the chord ends and/or at specialized locations between the chord ends. In order to manufacture the holes, the members are sent through an automated punch machine that punches holes at the required locations. The holes in the members may be used for ladder studs (i.e. for attaching ladders to the structures for maintenance purposes), end bracket 240 connections, intermediate brackets 260 for cross-bracing 870, etc. The cut members can be stacked together in groups (i.e. such as near and far chord members, continuous web members, spliced web members, first chord members, second chord members, etc.) in the staging area based on the total number of interchangeable planar trusses needed for an application.

Furthermore, in some embodiments of the invention the cut-out station has member splicing capabilities to vary the chord member 212, 214, web members 216, and cross-bracing 870 sizes along the length of the members where needed. For example, if the planar truss is fifty (50) feet long and needs L5×5×0.75 for twenty-five (25) feet and only L5×5×0.5 for the remainder twenty-five (25) feet, the correct member lengths can be spliced within the cut-out station. In the cases where planar truss accessories, such as but not limited to chord spacers, web battens, end brackets, intermediate brackets for cross-bracing, etc., are necessary, these truss accessories can be ordered, pre-made, or made to specification as necessary for use on a specific structure.

As illustrated by block 124 of FIG. 2, there is a staging area for the chord members 212, 214 and web members 216. The staging area is where the chord members 212, 214, web members 216, and the truss accessories are ordered in the proper configurations for ultimately becoming interchangeable planar trusses.

As illustrated by block 126 of FIG. 2, the staged planar trusses are sent to the rigging station. At the rigging station jigs are used to align chord member angles in position to allow the placement of accessories and web members along the length the staged planar trusses. For example, the chords spacers 910 are placed on the first support element 802 of the first chord member 212 of the interchangeable planar truss. Then the second support element 804 is placed and clamped to the first support element 802 to create the first chord member 212. Thereafter, the second chord member 214 is clamped in the same way. Then the web members 216 are aligned and clamped into place between the first chord member 212 and second chord member 214. Furthermore, the web support members 806, 808 of one or more web members 216 may have web battens 1010 clamped in between the web support members 806, 808. Web battens 1010 are not used in all applications, but they may be used in order to provide additional support to the planar truss 210. In some embodiments, some of the members are tack welded into place instead of using clamps to make sure the members and accessories do not move with respect to each other. In some embodiments the rigging table has a series of rollers that are lifted into place under the rigged planar truss after it has been “rigged” (i.e. once the jigs are in place and the members and accessories are clamped and/or tack welded). One or more of the rollers may be powered, such that they can roll the rigged planar truss along the conveyor system to the welding area.

As illustrated by block 128 of FIG. 2, the rigged planar truss is welded together at the welding station in order to form a completed interchangeable planar truss 210. The conveyer transports the rigged planer truss from the rigging station to the “welding pit” in the welding station. In the welding pit, in some embodiments, five (5) to ten (10) welders (or more or less) are situated to weld the components together, for example, the chord support elements 802, 804 are welded to the chord spacers 910, the web support elements 806, 808 are welded to the web battens 1010 (if applicable), the web support elements 806, 808 of the web members 216 are welded to the chord support elements 802, 804 of the chord members 212, 214, etc. The web support elements 806, 808 in some embodiments may be welded to the chord spacers 910 in addition to, or instead of, being welded to the chord support elements 802, 808. The welds used in some embodiments may be downhand/horizontal fillet welds, flare bevel welds, or another weld type.

In some embodiments of the invention, other connection methods can be used in place of the welded joints. For example, in some situations self drilling bolts may be used to operatively couple some or all of the web members 216 to the chord members 212, 214. The self-drilling bolts have a tip that allows them to puncture the steel; however, they are also threaded, thus, allowing a nut to be placed on the self-drilling bolts in order to operatively couple two members in the planar truss. Other connection means may also be used during the in-line processing in order to secure the members of the truss together, such as, but not limited to rivets, clamps, or other couplings. Furthermore, these connection means may be used at the final installation site to couple the planer trusses 210 and/or the truss sections 250 together.

As illustrated by block 130 of FIG. 2, the completed interchangeable planar truss 210 is sent to a quality assurance station to check the quality of each planar truss 210. At the quality assurance station, workers, such as workers who are independent from the production pay and bonuses structure, examine the chord members 212, 214, web members 216, accessories, and overall planar truss 210 tolerances, weld quality, and weld placement. The planar trusses 210 should be within tolerances to be considered interchangeable, and thus, able to form the required truss sections 250. Furthermore, the welds should be acceptable (i.e. without gaps) in order for the planar trusses 210 to be properly galvanized. Any planar trusses 210 that do not meet tolerance requirements or do not have proper welds, may be flagged as non-conforming and sent for rework.

As illustrated by block 132, the planar trusses 210 that are conforming are sent for galvanizing. Truss manufacturing facilities usually do not galvanize large sections of the assembled members of a structure at one time. Typically, the truss configurations and welding issues in the past have prevented pre-assembled sections of structures from being galvanized after assembly. Structures that are assembled by welding the edges of two flat surfaces together create weld pockets. Weld pockets are pockets of air that can be captured between the surfaces that are welded together. When galvanizing the joints the galvanizing fluid does not properly flow in and out of the weld pockets. Without being properly galvanized the joints are prone to rusting after being exposed to the elements.

Alternatively, with respect to the present invention, as explained herein, the chord members 212, 214 and web members 216 are welded to chord spacers 910 to create gaps 810, 820 between the support elements 802, 804, 806, 808. Furthermore, the toe to surface welds (see FIGS. 10B and 10D) of the connection between chord members 212, 214 and web members 216 prevent the presence of weld pockets that occur when two surfaces are welded to each other. Therefore, the pre-assembled planar truss 210 may be completely covered during the galvanizing process. Complete coverage of the planar truss 210 surfaces and welds are important to prevent rusting of the planar trusses 210 after installation. Therefore, in the present embodiment of the invention, instead of galvanizing the individual members and associated parts of the truss before they are assembled, the planar truss 210 that is manufactured during the in-line processing can be galvanized in a tank after it is assembled (e.g. trusses can be galvanized in lengths of 25 to 50 foot, or more in a hot-dip galvanizing tank). Galvanizing one assembled planar truss is much more cost effective than galvanizing individual pieces. Galvanizing individual pieces requires handling each individual piece in order put in on and take it off of a rack or support that is used to during the galvanizing process. Handling each individual piece before and after galvanizing increase the cost when compared to galvanizing a single pre-fabricated planar truss 210.

In some embodiments of the invention, there may be sections (i.e. the base section truss 206 in some embodiments) that may not comprise of interchangeable trusses. As illustrated by block 108 in FIG. 1, the process may include manufacturing non-interchangeable truss sections. Some specialized structure applications can utilize interchangeable planer trusses 210 and interchangeable truss sections 250, as well as non-interchangeable planer trusses and sections. The non-interchangeable trusses can be manufactured in the same or similar way as the interchangeable planar trusses 210, and shipped to the installation site for final assembly; or the non-interchangeable trusses can be manufactured and pre-assembled at the manufacturing facility, and shipped as assembled to the installation site for final installation; or the non-interchangeable trusses can be manufactured in individual components and shipped to the final installation site for assembly. The use of non-interchangeable trusses and sections along with interchangeable planar trusses 210 and truss sections 250 can provide structure solutions for various specialized applications that would typically only use non-interchangeable trusses and sections. The addition of interchangeable planar trusses 210 and truss sections 250 in these applications can reduce the overall combined costs of manufacturing, shipping, and assembling the final installed structure.

Once the planar trusses 210 are manufactured using the in-line processing method the planar trusses 210 can be shipped to the final installation site, as illustrated by block 110 in FIG. 1. In structures that are fully assembled on site, the truss members, brackets, bolts, and other supporting hardware can be packaged in bundles and transported to the assembly site for final assemble using cheap transportation. In structures that utilize three-dimensional truss sections that are completely pre-assembled during manufacturing and are transported to the final installation site for final assembly the transportation costs and storage costs are much higher because of the space occupied by a three-dimensional pre-assembled truss section during shipping and storage.

Transporting the planar trusses 210 is less expensive then transporting the three-dimensional pre-assembled truss sections, and in some embodiments, may be the same cost as transporting the bundled non-assembled parts. As illustrated in FIG. 22, in the present invention, the planar trusses can be stacked for transport. The space saved by shipping the stacked trusses as opposed to three-dimensional pre-assembled trusses reduces the transportation costs associated with the pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses 210. For example, in some embodiments eight (8) planar trusses 210 may be stacked or packaged within the same space as occupied by a single square three-dimensional pre-assembled truss section 250, which would comprise of only four (4) assembled planar trusses 210. Stackable planar trusses 210 effectively can cut the cost of transporting the truss structures by half or more.

As illustrated by block 112, once the planar trusses 210 are delivered to, or near, the assembly site they may be assembled into the truss sections 250 as needed, and the truss sections 250 may be assembled into the final structure. As opposed to individual members and associated parts that are assembled from scratch at the final assembly site, the interchangeable planar trusses 210 can be assembled though the use of one or more brackets 240, 260, 280 that operatively couple one planar truss 210 to another planar truss 210 and from one assembled truss section 250 to another assembled truss section 250. As previously described the truss sections 250 can be assembled through the use of a relatively small number of bolts and nuts at the joints between planar trusses 210 and truss sections 250 instead of using bolts and nuts at every joint (i.e. between the chord members and all the web members). In the present invention, the employees at the site do not have to identify the correct parts from piles of like parts at the site and thereafter assemble each truss section from the various parts obtains the each of the piles. The employees at the site need only select the number of planar trusses 210 necessary for the corresponding number of truss sections 250 of the structure, and connect the planar trusses 210 using the brackets 240, since the planar trusses 210 within one or more of the individual truss sections 250 (i.e., base section, mid-section, top section, first section, second section, third section, etc.) may be interchangeable. The interchangeable planar trusses 210 reduce the amount of time necessary to assemble the structure, thus, reducing the labor costs associated with assembling the structure at the installation site.

As illustrated by block 114 in FIG. 1, in some embodiments of the invention the interchangeable truss sections 250 may be coupled to other truss sections 250 with which they are not interchangeable to create the structure. For example, in the electrical transmission towers 400, 500, 600 described herein, the top sections 606 may have interchangeable top section planar trusses 210, and the mid-sections 604 may have interchangeable mid-section planar trusses 210, however the top section 606 planar trusses 210 and the mid-section 604 planar trusses 210 may or may not be interchangeable with each other. Furthermore, the electrical transmission towers 300, 400, 500, 600 may have base sections 606 that are specifically designed for an application and different from the other bases sections 606 throughout a row of transmission towers 300, 400, 500, 600. These differences in the bases sections 606 of the electrical transmission towers 300, 400, 500, 600 may be due in part to the different terrain (i.e. type, slope, height, etc.) on which the transmission towers 300, 400, 500, 600 are located. Therefore, in some embodiments of the invention some of the sections may be shipped and/or assembled in the traditional manner with which trusses have been shipped in the past (i.e. non-interchangeable, unassembled to be assembled on site, or pre-assembled sections, as explained herein), and thereafter, be assembled with pre-fabricated interchangeable trusses 210 and truss sections 250 as described herein.

The transmission towers 300, 400, 500, 600 may be assembled in a number of different ways at the installation site. In one embodiment, the transmission towers 300, 400, 500, 600 may all be assembled section by section in a vertical orientation. For example, the planar trusses 210 may be assembled into truss sections 250 and assembled on top of one another through the use of cranes, pulley mechanisms, helicopters, etc. In another embodiment, the transmission towers 300, 400, 500, 600 may be assembled in a horizontal orientation, and thereafter lifted to the proper vertical orientation.

As illustrated in FIG. 18, in one embodiment of the invention the triangular transmission tower 1500 may have eyelet supports 1802 located at the based of the truss tower. The eyelet supports 1802 may be integral with an end bracket 240 or they may be operatively coupled to the end bracket 240 using bolts, welds, etc. One or more of the eyelet supports 1802 can be pinned to a structure foundation 1850 while the transmission tower is located in a horizontal position. Thereafter, as illustrated by FIGS. 19A and 19B the tower can be raised using a drive and pulley system 1900. The drive and pulley system 1900 may comprise a motorized drive to extend the transmission tower 300, 400, 500, 600 into a vertical installed position. As illustrated in FIGS. 19A, 19B, 20A, and 20B the drive and pulley system 1900 can be utilized to install any type of transmission tower, or other structure, such as but not limited to, a wind tower 2000, solar tower, scaffolding, cell tower, etc. As illustrated in FIG. 21 the drive and pulley system may be mounted or integral with a truck 2100 or other mobile machine. In this way the truck 2100 may be moved from site to site to efficiently help construct the structures, such as the transmission towers 300, 400, 500, 600, 1500. FIG. 20B illustrates a top view of the foundation 1850, transmission tower 300, 400, 500, 600, 1500, and drive and pulley system 1900 that may be used to install the structure from a horizontal to vertical position.

In one embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in FIG. 23, the transmission towers 300, 400, 500, 600, 1500 may be operatively coupled to the ground utilizing a base attachment assembly 2300. The base attachment assembly 2300 comprises a base attachment bracket 2310 and a base plate 2320, which are operatively coupled to each other permanently or removably. For example, the base plate 2320 and attached bracket 2310 may be formed together in a mold, welded together, assembled together utilizing bolts, etc. The base plate 2320, is operatively coupled to the ground, for example, through high strength threaded anchor bolts 2334 and anchor nuts 2332. The anchor bolts 2334 are encased in concrete or other support material. A layer of non-shrink grout 2330 may be used between the concrete and the base plate 2320 to add surface bearing area for the bottom base plate so the bolts do not have to carry the entire load. The support elements 802, 804 of the chord members 212, 214 of the planer trusses 210 may be operatively coupled to the base attachment brackets 2310 of the base attachment assemblies 2300 in order to erect the transmission towers 300, 400, 500, 600, 1500.

In some embodiments of the invention the planar trusses 210 may be assembled one or more at a time on an erected structure, as opposed to first being assembled into truss sections 250 (i.e. four sided monopole truss sections 302), and thereafter, being assembled to other erected truss sections 250. For example, as illustrated in FIGS. 24A and 24B the one or more planar trusses 210 can be assembled on top of another erected truss section 250. The first chord member 212 of a first planar truss 210 may be operatively coupled to the second chord member 214 of a second planar truss 210, and a truss section 250 using an end bracket 240, with the aid of an assembly member 2400, as illustrated in FIGS. 24A and 24B. One or more assembly members 2400 can be used as a temporary support member to hold a first planar truss 210 in place with respect to a second planar truss 210, while a third planar truss 210, fourth planar truss 210, etc. are assembled to the structure. In some embodiments of the invention, one or more assembly members 2400 may be removed after the planar trusses 210 are assembled into truss sections 250; however, in other embodiments of the invention one or more assembly members 2400 me be left on the structure after installation is completed.

Interchangeable planar trusses 210 are not only helpful in manufacturing and assembling new structures in a more cost effective and timely manner than previous structures, but they are also useful for repairing or replacing damaged structures. When structures manufactured and assembled using traditional processes, such as individual bundled parts and/or pre-assembled three-dimensional structures, are damaged because of natural disasters, aging over time, accidents, etc. it may be difficult to remanufacture the damaged components for replacement. In such scenarios individual members or replacement sections that need replacing are identified, and thereafter the individual replacement members or sections are manufactured. In order to replace the individual members, or sections of traditional structures, the entire structure may have to be disassembled and discarded as scrap. For example, in structures that are manufactured using bolted configurations the entire structure may have to be disassembled to reach a damaged member at or near the base of the structure. Furthermore, it may be time consuming and expensive to manufacture individual replacement members and thereafter reassemble the damaged structure.

In the present invention, if a part or all of a structure is damaged the structure may be easily disassembled because there are only a small number of bolts used at the connection between sections and/or used for cross-bracing connections that need to be disassembled. The damaged truss section 250 can be replaced in whole or one or more interchangeable planar trusses 210 can be replaced within a truss section 250, and thereafter, a replacement truss section 250 and/or planar truss 210 may be installed. The fact that interchangeable planar trusses 210 are utilized in the present invention allows damaged structures to be replaced in a cost effective and timely manner. In some embodiments of the present invention damaged structures that did not originally utilize the interchangeable planar trusses 210 can be retrofitted for use with the interchangeable planar trusses 210. For example, if a transmission tower is damaged down to the base. A specialized transmission truss section may be manufactured to attach to the base of the tower and thereafter the interchangeable planar trusses 210 can be manufactured and coupled to the base or the specialized transmission truss section in order to efficiently and quickly replace the damage portions of the transmission tower.

Using the embodiments of the present invention, a structure manufacturer only needs to know the dimensional requirements of the structure and the loads that the structure will encounter, and thereafter, the structure manufacturer can efficiently and cost effectively produce the necessary one or more interchangeable pre-fabricated planar trusses 210 that can be assembled into the one or more truss sections 250 to create the erected structure. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 25A the structure manufacturer may only need the height (h_b) and width (w_b) of a base section 2502, and the height (h_g) and width (w_s) of the straight section 2504, the angle (Θ) between the base section 2502 and straight section 2504 (if necessary), and the loading requirements to design the structure. The structure manufacturer can determine the how many base sections, and how many straight sections are needed utilizing common or standard interchangeable planar trusses 210. Thereafter, the interchangeable planar trusses 210 can be manufactured according to the methods described herein, and shipped to the customer within a matter of days of receiving the dimensional and load requirements. In another example, as illustrated in FIG. 25B, the structure manufacturer may only need the height (h_b) and width (w_b) of the base section 2502, the height (h_g) and width (w_s) of the straight section 2504, the height (h_t), first width (w_t1), and second width (w_t2) of the tapered section 2506, the angle (Θ) between the base section 2502 and tapered section 2506 (if necessary), and the loading requirements to design another structure. Again, with only the dimensions and the loading requirements, the structure manufacturer can efficiently design, manufacture, ship, and erect the required structure in weeks or days in a more cost effective manner because of the common pre-fabricated planar trusses 210 that can be manufactured using the processes described herein.

While certain exemplary embodiments have been described and shown in the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that such embodiments are merely illustrative of, and not restrictive on, the broad invention, and that this invention not be limited to the specific constructions and arrangements shown and described, since various other changes, combinations, omissions, modifications and substitutions, in addition to those set forth in the above paragraphs, are possible. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various adaptations, modifications, and combinations of the just described embodiments can be configured without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Therefore, it is to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced other than as specifically described herein.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a structure, the method comprising:

cutting web members and chord members to the requirements of pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses for the structure at a cutting station;

staging the chord members, web members, and truss accessories based on the number of the pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses for the structure at a staging station;

rigging the chord members, web members, and the truss accessories to form at least one of the pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses at a rigging station;

welding the chord members, web members, and truss accessories at a welding station to assemble the at least one of the pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses; and

wherein at least one of the pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses can be galvanized.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein cutting the web members comprises cutting the web members to the required lengths; wherein cutting the chord members comprises cutting the chord members to the required lengths; and further comprising creating one or more assembly holes at each end of the chord members.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein creating one or more assembly holes comprises using an automated punch machine to punch holes in the chord members

4. The method of claim 1, wherein cutting comprises sawing the members.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein cutting comprises shearing the members.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the chord members comprise two L-shaped chord support elements.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the web members comprise two L-shaped web support elements.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the truss accessories comprise chord spacers, web battens, end brackets, or intermediate brackets.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein staging the web members, the chord members, and truss accessories comprises assembling the chord members, the web members, and truss accessories necessary for manufacturing a single pre-fabricated interchangeable planar truss.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein rigging the chord members, the web members, and truss accessories comprises operatively coupling the chord members to the web members through the use of a clamp or a tack weld.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein welding the chord members and truss accessories comprises welding two L-shaped chord support elements to one or more chord spacers to form a chord gap in the chord members.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein welding the web members and truss accessories comprises welding two L-shaped web support elements together using one or more web battens to form a weld gap in the web members.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein welding the chord members and web members comprises welding toe edges of L-shaped web support elements of the web members to a surface of L-shaped chord support elements of the chord members.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one pre-fabricated interchangeable planar truss can be galvanized because welding the toe edges of L-shaped web support elements of the web members to the surface of the L-shaped chord support elements of the chord members allows galvanizing fluid to flow in and out of a weld joint between the chord member and web member.

15. A pre-fabricated interchangeable planar truss comprising:

a first chord member and a second chord member, wherein the first chord member and second chord member have one or more end assembly holes used to operatively couple more than one pre-fabricated interchangeable planar truss together for use in a structure;

one or more web members, wherein the one or more web members are operatively coupled to the first chord member and the second chord member through a welded joint; and

wherein the pre-fabricated interchangeable planar truss can be galvanized, such that the galvanizing fluid covers the surfaces of the pre-fabricated interchangeable planar truss, including the welded joints.

16. The pre-fabricated interchangeable planar truss of claim 15, wherein the first chord member and second chord member each comprise a first chord support element and a second chord support element operatively coupled through the use of a chord spacer, wherein the chord spacer creates a chord gap between the first chord support element and second chord support element, wherein the surfaces of the chord support elements can be galvanized.

17. The pre-fabricated interchangeable planar truss of claim 15, wherein the one or more web members comprise a rod.

18. The pre-fabricated interchangeable planar truss of claim 15, wherein the one or more web members comprise a first web support element and a second web support element operatively coupled through the use of a web batten, wherein the web batten creates a web gap between the first web support element and the second web support element, wherein the surfaces of the web support elements can be galvanized.

19. The pre-fabricated interchangeable planar truss of claim 15, wherein more than one pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses may be operatively coupled through an end bracket using the one or more end assembly holes.

20. The pre-fabricated interchangeable planar truss of claim 19, wherein the end bracket is operatively coupled to cross-bracing members used for operatively supporting more than one pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses.

21. The pre-fabricated interchangeable planar truss of claim 15, further comprising:

one or more intermediate assembly holes in the first chord member or the second chord member;

an intermediate bracket operatively coupled to the first chord member or the second chord member, through the one or more intermediate assembly holes; and

wherein the intermediate bracket is operatively coupled to cross-bracing members used for operatively supporting more than one pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses.

22. The pre-fabricated interchangeable planar truss of claim 15, wherein the web members comprise of web support elements that are L-shaped.

23. The pre-fabricated interchangeable planar truss of claim 22, wherein the L-shaped web support elements are welded to the surface of the chord members along a surface of the L-shaped web support elements.

24. The pre-fabricated interchangeable planar truss of claim 22, wherein the L-shaped web support elements are welded to the surface of the chord members along a portion of a first toe edge and a second toe edge of the L-shaped web support elements, such that heals of the L-shaped web support elements are pointed outward from the weld.

25. The pre-fabricated interchangeable planar truss of claim 15, wherein the chord members comprise of two L-shaped chord support elements.

26. The pre-fabricated interchangeable planar truss of claim 15, wherein the first chord member and the second chord member are parallel.

27. The pre-fabricated interchangeable planar truss of claim 15, wherein the first chord member and the second chord member comprise of diverging ends and converging ends.

28. A method comprising:

creating a plurality of first chord members and a plurality of first web members;

creating a plurality of first pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses by operatively coupling one or more first web members to a near first chord member and a far first chord member; wherein the near first chord member is operatively coupled to a first end of one or more first web members and the far first chord member is operatively coupled to a second end of the one or more first web members;

wherein the plurality of first pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses can be shipped to the assembly site; and

wherein the plurality of the first pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses can be assembled into a structure by operatively coupling three or more first pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses together through the use of one or more first end brackets to form a first section with three or more corners, each corner being formed from the operative coupling of the near first chord member of the first pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses to the far first chord member of other first pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses to form corners with two operatively coupled first chord members.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the structure can be formed by assembling the plurality of first pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses into two or more interchangeable first sections by operatively coupling three or more first pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses to each other through the use of one or more of the plurality of first end brackets to form each first section; and wherein the two or more interchangeable first sections are operatively coupled to each other through the use of the one or more of the plurality of first end brackets.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein creating the plurality of first chord members comprises creating two first chord support elements; and operatively coupling the two first chord support elements together to form the plurality of first chord members.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein creating the plurality of first web members comprises creating two first web support elements; and operatively coupling the two first web support elements together to form the plurality of first web members.

32. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

creating a plurality of second chord members and a plurality of second web members;

creating a plurality of second pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses by operatively coupling one or more second web members to a near second chord member and a far second chord member; wherein the near second chord member is operatively coupled to a first end of one or more second web members and the far second chord member is operatively coupled to a second end of the one or more second web members;

wherein the plurality of second pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses can be shipped to the assembly site;

wherein the plurality of the second pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses can be assembled into the structure by operatively coupling three or more second pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses together through the use of one or more of second end brackets to form a second section with three or more corners, each corner being formed from the operative coupling of the near second chord member of the second pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses to the far second chord members of other second pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses to form corners with two operatively coupled second chord members; and

wherein the second section is operatively coupled to the first section to form the structure.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the near second chord members and the far second chord members have diverging ends and converging ends; wherein the diverging ends can be operatively coupled to the ground and the converging ends can be operatively coupled to the first section.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein a first section footprint is smaller than a second section footprint.

35. The method of claim 28, further comprising:

creating a plurality of third chord members and a plurality of third web members;

creating a plurality of third pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses by operatively coupling one or more third web members to a near third chord member and far third chord member; wherein the near third chord member is operatively coupled to a first end of one or more third web members and the far third chord member is operatively coupled to a second end of the one or more third web members;

wherein the plurality of third pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses can be shipped to the assembly site;

wherein the plurality of the third pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses can be assembled into the structure by operatively coupling three or more third pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses together through the use of one or more third end brackets to form a third section with three or more corners, each corner being formed from the operative coupling of the near third chord members of the third pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses to the far third chord members of other third pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses to form corners with two operatively coupled third chord members; and

wherein the third section is operatively coupled between the first section and a second section to form the structure.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the third section footprint is smaller than the second section footprint but larger than the first section footprint.

37. An apparatus comprising:

a plurality of first pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses each comprising a near first chord member, a far first chord member, and a plurality of first web members that operatively couple the first near member to the first far member;

a plurality of truss accessories, wherein the truss accessories comprise a plurality of first end brackets;

wherein three or more first pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses are operatively coupled though the use of one or more of the plurality of the first end brackets to form a first interchangeable truss section with three or more corners;

wherein each corner of the first interchangeable truss section comprises the near first chord member of one of the plurality of the first pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses operatively coupled to the far first chord member of another one of the plurality of the first interchangeable planar trusses to form corners with two operatively coupled first chord members; and

wherein two of the first interchangeable truss sections are operatively coupled through the use of the one or more of the plurality of the first end brackets to form a structure.

38. The apparatus of claim 37; wherein the plurality of the first end brackets are brackets that are used to operatively couple three or more first pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses for the first interchangeable truss section and two or more of the plurality of first interchangeable truss sections.

39. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the near first member and the far first member are substantially parallel.

40. The apparatus of claim 37; wherein the structure further comprises a second truss section; wherein the second truss section is operatively coupled to the ground; and wherein the second truss section is operatively coupled to the first interchangeable truss section through the use of one or more of a plurality of second end brackets.

41. The apparatus of claim 40; wherein the second truss section comprises three or more second pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses operatively coupled though the use of one or more of the plurality of the second end brackets; wherein the three or more second pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses have a near second chord member and a far second chord member operatively coupled by one or more second web members; wherein a first end of the second truss section is operatively coupled to the ground and a second end of the second truss section is operatively coupled to the first interchangeable truss section.

42. The apparatus of claim 41, wherein the structure further comprises a third truss section comprising three or more third pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses operatively coupled though the use of one or more of a plurality of third end brackets, wherein the three or more third pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses have a near third chord member and a far third chord member operatively coupled by one or more third web members; and wherein the third truss section is operatively coupled between the first interchangeable truss section and the second truss section.

43. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the truss accessories comprise a chord spacer; wherein the first chord members comprise two L-shaped chord support elements operatively coupled together with the chord spacer to form the first chord member with a chord gap between the two L-shaped chord support elements.

44. The apparatus of claim 37, wherein the truss accessories comprise a web batten; wherein the first web members comprise two L-shaped web support elements operatively coupled together with the web batten to form the first web member with a web gap between the two L-shaped web support elements.

45. An apparatus comprising:

a plurality of pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses each comprising a first chord member, a second chord member, and a plurality of web members that operatively couple the first chord member to the second chord member;

one or more couplings;

wherein three or more pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses are operatively coupled though the use of the one or more couplings to form a first interchangeable truss section with three or more corners;

wherein three or more pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses are operatively coupled though the use of the one or more couplings to form a second interchangeable truss section with three or more corners;

wherein each corner comprises the first chord member of the first interchangeable planar truss operatively coupled to the second chord member of the second interchangeable planar truss to form corners with two operatively coupled chord members; and

wherein the first interchangeable truss section is operatively coupled to the second interchangeable truss section through the use of the one or more couplings to form a structure.

46. The apparatus of claim 45; wherein the one or more couplings are three or more end brackets that are used to operatively couple three or more pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses of the first interchangeable truss section with three or more pre-fabricated interchangeable planar trusses of the second interchangeable truss section.

47. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein the first chord member and the second chord member of the plurality of pre-fabricated interchangeable trusses are substantially parallel.

48. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein the structure further comprises a third interchangeable truss section that is a base section; wherein the first interchangeable truss section and the second interchangeable truss section form a top section of the structure; and wherein the base section is operatively coupled to the top section through the use of the one or more couplings.

49. The apparatus of claim 48, wherein the base section comprises three or more pre-fabricated interchangeable planar base trusses operatively coupled though the use of the one or more plurality of couplings, wherein the three or more pre-fabricated interchangeable planar base trusses comprise a first leg truss operatively coupled to a second leg truss each comprising two or more leg chord members operatively coupled by leg web members.

50. The apparatus of claim 48, wherein the truss structure further comprises a fourth interchangeable section that is a mid-section; wherein the mid-section comprises three or more pre-fabricated interchangeable planar mid-section trusses operatively coupled though the use of the one or more couplings; wherein the three or more pre-fabricated interchangeable planar mid-section trusses comprises a first mid-section chord member and a second mid-section chord member operatively coupled by mid-section web members; and wherein the mid-section operatively couples the base section to the top section.

51. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein the first chord member and the second chord member comprise two L-shaped support elements operatively coupled together through the use of one or more chord spacers to form a chord gap between the two L-shaped support elements.

52. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein the plurality of web members are operatively coupled to the first chord member and the second chord member though the use of welded joints.

53. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein the plurality of web members comprise two L-shaped web support elements operatively coupled to the first chord member and the second chord member by welding toe edges of the web support elements to a surface of the first chord member and the second chord member.

54. The apparatus of claim 53, wherein the L-shaped web support elements are operatively coupled together through the use of one or more web battens to form a web gap between the two L-shaped support elements.

55. The apparatus of claim 45, further comprising a support arm section comprising one or more support arm planar trusses operatively coupled to the first interchangeable truss section or the second interchangeable truss section through the use of one or more arm brackets.

56. The apparatus of claim 45, wherein the plurality of couplings are substantially L-shaped brackets.