Aviation

Millard offers a variety of Aviation products, including its most sought-after frangible designs.

Frangibility

Certain aviation equipment, because of its function, is required to be located in areas of the aerodrome where it is at risk of being hit by aircraft. Historically, this equipment has been supported by steel or wooden masts. Although these traditional structures provided the necessary rigid support, they posed a risk to aircraft causing planes to shear upon impact. An alternative was needed.

In collaboration with Transport Canada and the Canadian Military, Millard Towers developed a safe alternative that would provide the required rigidity yet safely give way if accidentally impacted. The concept behind the design was to minimize the energy imparted during an accident by yielding, thereby allowing an aircraft to continue its takeoff or landing without a loss of momentum or direction and without causing structural damage to the aircraft. This 1951 invention is believed to be the original frangible design.

In the decades following, Millard continued its research and development by collaborating with various global agencies. Ultimately, ICAO would release ICAO Doc 9157, Chapter 6: Frangibility, to address the issue of airfield equipment support structures and aerodrome safety. Millard towers would be included in the documentation as examples of proper frangible design and testing.

Safe. Certified.

The world’s first frangible tower developed 70 years ago.
Frangibility is vetted through 3rd party full-scale impact testing and confirmed through Finite Element Analysis (FEA). In fact, testing is included as examples in ICAO Doc 9157 - the international standard on frangibility.
Over 40 accidents involving Millard towers have proven lab tests translate to real world experience. Planes involved have ranged from small nose-prop aircraft to jumbo jets.

Strong. Dependable.

Typical lifespan of 25+ years with over 70 years of in-field experience.

Aluminum alloy is innately resistant to saltwater and UV exposure without the use of additional treatments such as epoxy or gel coatings.
Virtually maintenance free and no special handling or treatments required.
Backed by a 10-year warranty.

Simple. Serviceable.

Lightweight for easy on-site handling.

Tilt Base and Tilt Over features allow tower to be installed and serviced quickly and safely.
Simple and modular design ships compact and comes together easily to minimize on-site labour.
Accessory packages provide turnkey solutions with seamless integration.

Green. Sustainable.

Towers are manufactured from Aluminum with a minimum of 75% recycled content. Greater recycled content means less disruption of the natural environment. It also means less energy to manufacture - 95% less compared to virgin Aluminum.
Frangible Aluminum structures have a longer lifespan than frangible plastic (GRP) structures whose UV and corrosion resistant coatings degenerate with time.
Once an Aluminum tower reaches its end of life, it is 100% recyclable. The process to recycle Aluminum is well established and widespread. This is in stark contrast to plastic materials that end up in landfills.