FRP Grating Case Study | Telecom Tower Platforms & Ladder System — ZeAllgrate

A 45 m lattice telecommunications tower on a hilltop in Southern China required replacement of its equipment platforms and access ladders. The previous steel platforms and ladders had corroded badly in the hill's salt-laden, high-rainfall atmosphere, and — more seriously — steel on a tall tower creates a step-voltage hazard during lightning strikes. Telecom safety rules required a non-conductive walking surface around radio equipment, and the tower's dead-load budget limited how heavy the replacement could be. The platforms also had to support technicians carrying test equipment and climbing gear in wet weather.

Engineering specified UV-stabilized isophthalic molded grating for the platforms and a fully pultruded FRP caged ladder, with all fasteners in stainless steel but no conductive bridge across the platform surface. Client identity is kept confidential; the project is described as Confidential Client, a regional telecom infrastructure operator.

ZeAllgrate supplied 95 m² of 38 mm UV-stabilized ZeAll ISO molded grating for three equipment platforms at 12 m, 28 m and 41 m, plus a fully pultruded FRP caged ladder from ground to the top platform. All panels were pre-cut to the tower leg geometry with factory-drilled holes for the SS316 brackets, so installation crews could work on the tower without cutting FRP on the structure. The grit-top platform surface gives technicians safe footing when the hilltop is wet or foggy.

Because FRP is roughly 70% lighter than the equivalent steel grating, the whole platform replacement added well under the tower's remaining dead-load budget, avoiding the need for structural reinforcement of the tower legs. The non-conductive walking surface means technicians cannot be exposed to step voltage during a lightning strike, and the FRP ladder will not corrode like the old steel one did.