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CONTENTS
Overview
Katapult Pro Integrated Pole Loading is a real-time pole loading analysis software built into the Katapult Pro interface. While external PLA exports are still available, Katapult Pro Integrated Pole Loading gives real-time, accurate results for existing and proposed conditions without having to leave the platform or own a seat of a third-party software. This tool ensures better Make Ready Engineering calls.
When you use this pole loading tool with the pole height photo opened, a percentage will display in the top left corner that shows the load on your pole using your selected NESC Construction Grade. Combining this pole loading tool with the make ready tools in Katapult Pro, you can diagnose loading failures in real-time and see how proposed attachments change the current state of the pole.
From the three dot menu (next to the load percentage), you can view more details of the loading analysis including warnings, wind direction, and a download that contains all the details of the forces affecting the pole as well as the warnings shown in the details panel.
How to Use
The following section covers the basics of the tools you need to effectively use Katapult Pro Integrated Pole loading, as well as how to use them to get your pole loading results. Your workflow may have additional steps or modifications, but this should cover all the basics to get you started.
Integrated Pole Loading Tools
Once all the attachments are traced on the pole, you'll want to click on the following tools to ensure all specs are input for loading analysis. These tools will add their details to all poles in a job.
Com Wire Spec. If using the diameter midspan feature (where the you set the diameter in the
three panel Cable Trace view on the midspan), this tool inserts wire specs for communication attachments. It also adds the down guy spec. If you do not use the diameter feature, make sure to insert a wire spec for communication attachments.
Hardware Details. Prompts user for power wire, down guy, and equipment specifications.
Calc Bearings. Determines angles of insulators based on traced directions.
Insert Anchor Spec. Adds Anchor Spec needed for pole loading.
Pole Spec. This should have been added in extraction, under the Pole Info, but will also be important for loading.
These are a few other attributes that you will need on a case-by-case basis:
Wire_tension. Added to a midspan marker to set a wire to slack tension or full tension. Full tension is assumed by default.
Custom_tension. Added to a span marker to set a custom tension value in pound-force.
Point_load_end. Added to one end of a pole-to-pole guy on its marker. This attribute signifies the "load" end of the guy, and the other end is assumed to be the "support" end.
There are also some unique build cases that require some additional steps:
Push braces. Set the node type to "pushbrace," and the connection type to "pushbrace" to have your pole load with the brace against it.
Sidewalk brace. Add a guying marker to the pole with the guying type "sidewalk brace." This will give 2 attributes to fill out. Sidewalk Brace ID will let you link your down guys to the brace. Fill out an ID you would like to use to identify the sidewalk brace (i.e. brace1), then edit your down guy marker and add the Sidewalk Brace ID to it as well. Copy and paste whatever ID you created (i.e. brace1) into the down guy, and the brace and guy will now be linked for loading. Sidewalk Brace Spec lets you pick the length of the brace.
Crossovers. Draw spans that are not in crossovers as references.
Place anything that is on an actual crossover on the crossover span. Make sure the node type is "crossover"
Place all traces in the crossover on a three bolt insulator. If they are all sharing a bolt, you can have them all in the same three bolt marker. For instance, if it is an aerial cable becoming an overhead guy, they can both be on a three bolt insulator.
Mark overhead guys as strands and it will balance loads properly during loading.
Custom equipment. This can be used on a case-by-case basis for equipment that doesn't have a model. Create a Custom Equipment height marker and make sure to fill in the following values:
Bearing. The direction that the bolt of the equipment is facing
Cross-sectional Height. The height of the equipment in inches. (See image below.)
Horizontal Offset. The distance between the center of the pole and the center of the mass of the equipment in inches. (See image below.)
Cross-sectional Width. The width of the equipment in inches. (See image below.)
Cross-sectional Depth. The depth of the equipment in inches. (See image below.)
Equipment Weight: the weight of the equipment in pounds.
Shape Factor. Describes the shape of the equipment for wind loading (i.e. 1.0 cylindrical, 1.6 flat structure (non-lattice), 3.2 sum of faces flat lattice structure, and 2.0 sum of faces round lattice structure)
*If you can't find the Custom Equipment equipment type when you place an Equipment marker, your model might not be set up correctly for Integrated Pole Loading. Reach out to support@katapultengineering.com for help.
Running Loading Analysis
Once the above steps are complete and all necessary data is filled out for pole loading, you are ready to begin the loading analysis.
To load your pole, select it and add the "Load Case" attribute and select a loading grade.
Click the "Pole Loading View" button on the top ribbon of the screen. This view can be toggled on and off at any time using this button. You can also toggle on the "Make Ready View" button to view the pole with make ready changes instead of its current state.
At the top left corner of the photo of the pole, one or more percentages appears, indicating the load occurring on the pole, down guys, and anchors.
Clicking the three dot menu, the "Show Details" will allow you to see details of the loading analysis including warnings, wind direction, and analysis information.
At the bottom of the "Pole Loading" details, there is a "Download PLA Report" button, which provides a fully detailed PDF document of the analysis and specifications of the pole.
Also note that toggling the "Make Ready" view will show the Proposed loading result as opposed to the existing loading result. The image above shows the pole being replaced with a larger pole both in height and class, and the resulting loading percentage lowers.
If the percentage turns red or yellow, there is a warning that could be preventing the pole from loading.
The "Pole Loading" details will list what data is missing and is needed in order to load the pole. In the picture above, the pole-to-pole guy has no point load end.
You can also deselect companies from the pole to run load analysis as if they were not attached. In the three dot menu beside the percentage, there is another option titled "Company Filters." From here, a checklist of the parties attached to the pole will appear.
Toggling the checkboxes on and off will automatically recalculate the load with only the selected attachments.
Additionally, individual markers can be marked to be skipped by the loading engine by adding the "PLA Ignore" attribute. These markers will be grayed out and not considered for the analysis of the pole.
Customizing Your Model
You can customize your model for Integrated Pole Loading under the "Pole Loading" option in the Model Editor menu. The Pole Loading section of the Model Editor Manual covers all these options.
Current Limitations
Steel and concrete poles
Multi-pole structures
Individual Arm load analysis
Individual Insulator load analysis
Automatic calculation of tensions for bare strands (where "wire_type" = Strand Only)
Elevation changes between poles
Arm offsets on adjacent poles are not accounted for
For situations where these cases are required, we recommend using our PLA exports to load specific poles from a different engine.
Thanks for reading! Contact support@katapultengineering.com with any questions. How can we improve our documentation? Leave a comment below!