Pylons of Cádiz
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The Pylons of Cádiz, also known as the Towers of Cádiz, are two tall pylons supporting a double-circuit 132 kV three-phase AC powerline over the bay of Cádiz, Spain starting at Puerto Real Substation at 36°31′05″N 6°9′20″W / 36.51806°N 6.15556°W to the substation of the former Cadiz Thermal Power Station situated on the peninsula upon which the city of Cádiz stands at 36°30′17″N 6°15′56″W / 36.50472°N 6.26556°W. The crossing consists of 14 pylons: 2 158 metres tall suspension pylons carrying the line over the Bay of Cadiz and two groups of 6 small strainers, which are at both ends the next support structure of the line. The strainer group at the end of Cadiz is situated close to Cadiz Substation at 36°30′20.29″N 6°15′56.13″W / 36.5056361°N 6.2655917°W and that on the other site at Matagorda at 36°31′16.85″N 6°14′45.35″W / 36.5213472°N 6.2459306°W. Both strainer groups are fenced-in. The huge suspension towers are situated in Cádiz near Fort Puntales and the Puntales Naval Station at 36°30′29.86″N 6°15′44.15″W / 36.5082944°N 6.2622639°W and at Matagorda quarter near the commercial wharves at 36°31′7.61″N 6°14′56.92″W / 36.5187806°N 6.2491444°W. The rest of the line consists of pylons with 3 crossbars carrying 6 conductors. An interesting feature is, that the powerline crossing does not use a ground conductor.
The huge suspension towers were conceived and designed by the Italian engineer, Alberto Toscano, and they are of a very unconventional construction.
Each is a hollow mast resembling a truncated cone (or frustum). The frustum tapers from a base 20.7 metres in diameter to a crown six metres in diameter. The towers rest on reinforced concrete plinths, and they are crowned by transverse members (or crosspieces), rhomboid in profile, that hold the insulators and maintain the high tension of the lines suspended between them. The towers are assembled from galvanized steel components that form, using vertical, horizontal, and diagonal members, a network (or graticule) of rhombuses enclosed within rectangles. Inside the steel framework, a helical staircase ascends to the top crosspiece.
The overall effect is as aethetically pleasing as it is functional. In this respect, the towers bear a superficial resemblance to the Eiffel Tower in Paris.
This unconventional mode of construction was chosen because Spanish steel mills were unable to produce massive steel carriers at the time, and importing such carriers was impossible because of the Francisco Franco regime.
The construction was carried out under the supervision and direction of Remo Scalla, a close friend of Alberto Toscana. The same team of Toscana, the designer, and Scalla, the builder, also joined forces in building the structures supporting the lines that span the Strait of Messina, between Calabria, on the mainland of Italy, and the island of Sicily. The Cádiz project started during the latter part of 1957 and concluded in 1960. Upon completion, the towers were acquired by the Spanish National Institute of Industry.
Hyperboloid pylons of similar design by V. G. Shukhov can be seen on the Oka River near Nizhniy Novgorod, Russia.
[edit] Gallery
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Towers of Cádiz, 1958
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Towers of Cádiz, 1959
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Towers of Cádiz, 1960
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Towers of Cádiz, 1960, Fort Puntales
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Tower elevator
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Inside view
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Inside view
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Construction
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Tending the lines
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Line work
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Remo Scalla, center
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Making and tending lines
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A true "high-wire act"
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Inaugural party
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Inaugural party
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Close-up of the Fort Puntales tower, 2001
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Puntales tower site, from the city of Cádiz
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Drawing of Cádiz pylon, demonstrating its structure
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
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