A supporting pole for supporting objects at an elevated position, such as a supporting pole for supporting cables, wires and/or electrical components. The supporting pole is formed of one or more fiber reinforced plastic resin laminates, wherein the one or more laminates comprise: a first ply, the first ply comprising unidirectional fibers, the unidirectional fibers having a first Young's modulus, and a second ply, the second ply comprising chopped fibers, the chopped fibers having a second Young's modulus; wherein the first Young's modulus is greater than the second Young's modulus, and wherein the unidirectional fibers in the laminate are at least 70 wt % of the fibers in the laminate.

A method of forming a support pole, comprising splitting one or more canes of bamboo, or similar tubular plant material, into a plurality of split lengths; inserting a bundle of the split lengths from one or more canes into an outer tube (4); tilting the outer tube (4) at an angle from horizontal and injecting a matrix material into the outer tube (4) so as to fill in between the split lengths and encapsulate the split lengths to form a substantially solid core. The method may comprise injecting the matrix material at multiple injection points (25a, 25b, 25c, 25d) along the length of the tube (4).

A carbon fiber tubular pole and method of construction thereof. The pole includes a left in place lightweight mandrel, preferably formed of tubular polyvinylchloride or cardboard, which substantially reduces cost of manufacture. A socket is formed in the carbon fiber tubular pole for receiving an adjacent carbon fiber tubular pole.

Poles of this invention have an annular body with a wall structure comprising a number of fiber reinforced resin layers, which can be positioned to form an inside and/or outside portion of the wall structure. A portion of the layers are oriented longitudinally within the wall structure, and the wall structure also includes radially-oriented fiber reinforced resin layers. The pole includes one or more layers or a core of a composite material or polymer mortar disposed within one or more locations of the wall structure, e.g., as an intermediate layer and/or as part of the wall inside and/or outside portion. The pole can include an outside surface resistant to ultra violet radiation. Poles of this invention can be formed using a continuous process on a rotating mandrel, making use of differently positioned stations to form the different portions of the pole as the fabrication is moved axially along the mandrel.

A utility pole assembly includes a utility pole having an inner core, and further includes a laminate structure surrounding the inner core. The laminate structure includes a reinforcing structure having fiber reinforcement, an outer layer surrounding the reinforcing structure, and a resin at least partially mixed with the reinforcing structure and the outer layer. The resin is resistant to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. A concentration of the resin in the outer layer is greater than a concentration of the resin in the reinforcing structure.

A carbon fiber structure that achieves the strength and durability of steel tower alternatives at 90% less weight and a lower total installed cost. The mass production process provides affordable carbon fiber telecommunication towers that are engineered for peak strength to weight performance. The composite non-corrosive, non-rusting towers are easy to install and transport to remote locations and have lower maintenance than alternatives. The tapered monopole series provides a wide array of tower options that are all engineered for unparalleled strength to weight characteristics. The carbon fiber structures provide an aesthetical, lightweight, minimum base width, that are transportation friendly with sections that can be nested inside themselves to optimize.

A column or other elongate molded part is molded using an elongate tubular mold having a closed end, an open end and a flexible sidewall. After the column or other molded part is formed, it is extracted from the mold by pulling the column or other molded part axially through the open end of the mold. The column may be extracted using an expandable plug or gripper that is inserted into the interior of the column or other molded part through the open end of the mold. The expandable plug or gripper is expanded to engage an inner surface of the elongate molded part.

An apparatus and method is disclosed for making a carbon fiber tubular component by sliding a carbon fiber sleeve and a fiber sleeve over a tubular mandrel. The sleeves overlying the tubular mandrel are saturated with a curable resin and inserted into a mold cavity of a compression mold. The cured carbon fiber tubular component is removed from the compression mold after the curing of the resin.

The present inventions relate generally to tower systems, utility poles, and power transmission poles; and more particularly to a structure and method for implementing such poles and towers.

A method of manufacturing a tower structure includes printing and depositing, via a printhead assembly of an additive printing system, one or more printed layers of a wall of the tower structure. The method also includes unwinding at least one continuous roll of a reinforcement material to form at least one continuous reinforcement ring member layer, the reinforcement material comprising a pultruded polymer material. Further, the method includes placing the at least one continuous reinforcement ring member layer atop the one or more printed layers of the wall of the tower structure. Moreover, the method includes printing and depositing, via the printhead assembly of the additive printing system, one or more additional printed layers of the wall of the tower structure atop the at least one continuous reinforcement ring member layer.