Quick Pole is a feature-rich application designed for Utility Professionals.

Combines world class data collection with world class analysis capabilities

• Quick Pole can generate a customized Data Collection Form for use with the IKE4 Field Data Collection Device.
  • Form options include data from the utilities who own and are attached to the structures, plus any custom datasets you choose.
  • Very extensive options on customization designed with the field data collector in mind.
  • Includes several span data abilities such as clearance points, mid-span taps or devices.
• Quick Pole can import IKE4 data using this form into a new or existing project with ease.
  • Pole Data
    • Type, species
    • Length, class
    • Height above ground, circumference at groundline
    • Photos
    • Pole designations
    • Pole damages
    • Soil characterization
    • Safety note
    • GIS coordinates
  • Equipment Data
    • Type, number, owner
    • Height of top mounting bolt
    • Height of its bottom
    • Height of a primary bushing (if any)
    • Notes
  • Anchor Data
    • Anchor rod size, type, notes
    • Lead length, angle, elevation
    • Sidewalk fixture data (if any)
    • List of attached guys, size, attachment height
  • Span Attachments
    • Circuit arrangement, quantity
    • Wire type, attachment heights, slack condition
    • Mid-Span photos and clearances
    • Wire usage type (primary, secondary …)
    • Span lengths, orientation and elevation changes
    • Mid-Span taps for services. Locations, orientations, lengths, elevations, wire types ...
  • Clearances
    • Locate points along a span with different clearance requirements (grass, road, sidewalk, driveway …)
    • Enables automated clearance calculations and tests when imported into Quick Pole.
  • Optimizes the collection of data in the field so that return trips are rarely, if ever, required.
  • Increases productivity of inside workers as importing this data into Quick Pole is automated with minimal questions of clarification raised, when needed.

Recognizes material properties of major components

• Poles. Quick Pole contains a complete database of dimensions and physical properties (density, modulus of elasticity, fibre stress rating) for:
  • Wooden poles conforming to CSA and ANSI standards separately, as some values differ
  • Concrete poles for two major manufacturers
• Wires. Quick Pole has a database of over 1500 wires commonly used in North America, plus you have the ability to import/create additional wires from manufacturer supplied ".wir files", or other data at any time.
  • Amongst the physical data that Quick Pole retains on wires are the nonlinear stress/strain and creep curves for both the outer and (if present) core materials.
  • The materials used are not restricted to metals such as steel, aluminum or copper (they can also be Kevlar yarns or fibreglass rods, or anything else where you know the material properties).
  • The nonlinear stress/strain and creep curves are defined as fourth-order polynomials for maximum accuracy. They are used up to 0.5% strain and then extrapolated from that point, as they are not accurate beyond that point.
• Soil. Quick Pole understands the strength of Soil. This is used to determine:
  • The ability of the soil around the pole to withstand both vertical compressive loads and groundline bending moments.
  • The ability of a specific anchor and pole braces to hold tension loads.
  • Both tests are based on the class of the soil with soil properties documented in our Help Manual and our website.
• The lowest air temperature and average snow depth can be set to pole owner requirements.
• How the pole owner wishes to address several code requirements can be supported by Quick Pole by their categorization as an Error or a Warning:
  • Street light bonding when within 1.0 meter of a communication messenger
  • Secondary and primary mechanical protection that does not extend a full 1.0 meter above a communications messenger
  • On spans less than 75 meters and either a neutral or secondary wire sags below the line of sight of a communications messenger under maximum sag conditions
  • How close power service wire drip loops are allowed to be to communication messengers (1.0 meter default, 0.9 meter, 0.8 meter, 0.7 meter or 0.6 meter)
  • Test maximum tension of service wires against standard residential service mast strength
  • Plus many more…
• Quick Pole comes pre-loaded with example data to get you up and running quickly.

Stand-alone Sag & Tension Calculator

Quick Pole has a calculator tool that can be used outside of projects to better understand a situation, or a situation that is not yet part of any project. It is based on the same calculation engine as used in projects, but exposes its full capabilities.

• Multi-Span definitions
  • You can enter a whole series of span lengths and elevations, while choosing to detail review any one span at a time.
  • Ruling span calculations and selected span results are separated for clarity
• Weather Load Cases
  • The full range of weather load cases available in a project are here, plus one more.
• Tensions and Limits
  • Additional limit criteria are available to assist in the creation of Design Standards for your company.
  • Limits are:
    • Final Loaded tension
    • Final Unloaded tension
    • Initial Unloaded
    • Initial Cold temperature
  • Spatial Nonlinearity
    • Here you can see how the tension changes when the supporting structures deflect
  • Stringing Tables
    • A full set of Initial and Final Tension and Sag tables are created based on selected ruling spans and actual span ranges.
      • Suitable for direct copy and paste into your corporate design standards charts for a wire.

Calculates sags and tensions of span attachments

• Quick Pole can predict the exact position of any location along the span for any wire, under any load condition.
• Regardless of elevation changes or special tension settings, Quick Pole can easily predict the wire's path under different load cases and the point where the sag of the wire is greatest.
• Mid-Span separations of wires under different conditions (typical code requirements) can also be tested easily, such as power wires that sag below the line of sight of communication attachments.
• Assuming constant ground slope between any two poles, Quick Pole can predict the clearance to ground for any wire and compare it to any applicable code requirements you selected.
• Quick Pole allows you to define as many specific points along the span to be tested against different code requirements, each point redefining/detailing the ground elevation at that location.
  For example: If you had a roadway in the span, you could mark both edges of the road plus the center (elevation, distance in span) and test them for road clearance requirements. The remainder of the span could be tested against pedestrian values.
• A graphical span profile is provided to instantly see the results.

Provides extensive reporting of results

• Quick Pole has a variety of both general and detailed reports available to meet every customer's need presented to us to-date. Some reports get regular use while others are only used when more insight is required into a specific situation. For each pole structure, Quick Pole has seven (7) general purpose, four (4) custom/extra reports and ten (10) detailed analysis results reports:
• Pole structure general purpose reports:
  • Pole Summary
  • Attachment Loads By Angle
  • Attachment Loads By Height
  • Sags And Tensions Summary
  • Guy And Anchor Strains
  • Mid-Span Clearances
  • Communication Attachments
• Pole structure custom/extra reports:
  • Pole Attachment Summary
  • Select Communications Detailed Sags & Tensions
  • Make Ready Requirements
  • Detailed Sags & Tensions
• Pole structure detailed analysis results reports based on the structure's worst load case::
  • Pole Segment Loadings
  • Pole Segment Input Loads
  • Linear/Nonlinear Comparison
  • Attachment Load Changes
  • Guy Segment Forces
  • Soil Model Forces
  • Pole forces/moments
  • Pole Stresses/Capacity
  • Pole Deflections
  • Analysis Convergence
  • Post Analysis Nodal Summary
• Any structure report can be generated manually at a particular pole.
• All structure reports plus ten (10) project-wide reports are available to be generated as one logical report as a batch process.
  Reports include:
  • Project Overview
  • Project Make Ready Summary
  • Project Analysis Summary
  • Pole Staking Report
  • Span Profiles
  • Ruling Span Assumptions
  • Guy Wire Utilizations
  • Anchor Utilizations
  • Mid-Span Loads
  • Attachment Audit Details
• All reports can be exported into a variety of formats, including PDF.

Performs structural analysis of pole structures

• Calculates all pole loads:
  • All span attachments have their sag and tension results scanned for the worst conditions that a structure would be expected to support, broken out by constant components and a variable component like wind direction.
  • All hardware items are evaluated under all strength related load cases for the loads they would place onto a supporting structure (forces, bending moments, wind load).
• Both linear and nonlinear structural analysis methods are available:
  • Linear. In this method all structural components are modeled in a holistic Finite Element Model, the loads are applied and the resulting stresses/deflections are computed.
    • Secondary effects are not included
    • The variable wind component of the loads are applied in incremental direction/angle increments until a full 360 degrees around the structure has been evaluated.
    • The final result reported is the one that results in the highest loads/stresses for the structure.
    • Vertical buckling load capacity is evaluated against Gere-Carter methodologies, an enhanced Euler method to account for pole taper.
    • Very useful to view the structure's basic capabilities and behaviour to the applied static loads.
  • Nonlinear. This method accounts for secondary effects, such as P-Delta and inherently accounts for whether the pole is buckling by virtue of whether a final converged answer is available. An unstable pole does not easily allow the analysis to stabilize at a final answer. Several abilities exist within this method:
    • Geometric Nonlinearity. Accounts for P-Delta effects and is mandatory under CSA rules (code compliance). Basically, this means that the Finite Element Model for the whole structure must be updated during the analysis iterations to account for the movement/deflection of the structure and supporting members such as guy wires.
    • Attachment Load Nonlinearity. This accounts for the reality that the tension in the span attachments (wires) can change as the structure they are attached to moves/deflects. This is recommended in the CSA codes, but not mandatory at this time.
      • An example of this would be a pole with a short and long span with one wire attached near the top. During storm load conditions, the long span will create more tension than the short span, which will make the pole move a little towards the longer span. This action will slacken the long span a little and tighten the short span. The resulting load on the pole to handle is less than the initial differences in tension as they become much closer in reality.
  • Can easily address sidewalk strut fixtures as part of the analysis.
  • Will specify exact requirements for pole mounting on top of rock, or the size/class of pole to be used as a push /pole brace, if used.

Provides intuitive graphical and textual summaries of results

• Quick Pole provides graphical representations of:
  • Communication bundle assemblies.
  • The pole structures before and after the loads are applied, highlighting the stressed and overloaded areas easily.
  • The span of attachments between any two pole structures showing maximum sag and line of sight considerations.
  • The work plan showing an aerial view of all poles in the project. Poles with analysis errors will be highlighted in red for easy locating.
• Quick Pole provides summary textual results that highlight the key items for designers. Span attachments immediately provide feedback upon additions, deletions or changes. Pole structures provide feedback during analysis of the whole project.

Calculates on-pole separations of key items

• Quick Pole addresses all of the standard code requirements for joint use pole lines, specifically the physical separation between:
  • Highest communication and lowest power wire. Requirement varies by voltage of the power wire
  • Supply drip loops and communication
  • Streetlights and communication
  • Extent of mechanical protection above communications for secondary and primary riser cables
  • Communications conduits and supply wires
  • Supply secondary conduits and communications

PROVIDES VARIOUS CSV EXTRACTS OF RESULTS

• Quick Pole has a variety of CSV extracts that contain many of the requests made by our customers to support their own internal quality review and custom purposes:
  • Vertical separations at the structure
  • In-span separations
  • Ground clearances
  • Coordinates/hardware at the structure
  • Span max Tension/Sag
  • Span Comm Sag Details
  • Attachment heights by span
  • Make Ready by Structure
  • Anchor utilization by structure
  • Anchor+Guy utilization by structure
  • Project utilization summary

Recognizes, supports and enforces national, pole owner and pole attacher standards

• Quick Pole allows you to create, import, export and duplicate datasets of organizational standards such as hardware, structure framing, cables, wires, wire stringing tensions, minimum clearance values and anchors
• Quick Pole has been tested to meet CSA, NESC and GO95 standards for most joint use areas of concern. Detailed code compliance spreadsheet (clause by clause) is available on our website and on request.
• Clearance values across all categories can be enforced to meet a pole owner standard higher than required by code.
• Three additional weather load criteria can be added to any project to meet pole owner requirements. Available:
  • Heavy wind (wind speed at a certain temperature)
  • Heavy ice (ice thickness at a certain low temperature)
  • Combined Wind and ice at a specific temperature

Can import Data from various sources

• Quick Pole supports the import of data from your field data collection processes. This is an area that is high priority for Sonideft as more and more customers are beginning to collect their field data electronically.
  File formats supported:
  • KML/KMZ files. Standard Google Earth format. We have seen a few variations of these formats to-date and are able to import pole, anchor and building locations plus a set of other attributes which can be seen in the appropriate editors. The KML format is well defined for coordinate locations and allows other data to be included in the file at the same time. Typical examples would be to include pole class, height and species as extra data.
  • CSV files. Similar to KML files, pole anchor and building data can be imported. There are plans to address other data possible in this format (such as the additions of guy wires to anchors and wire attachment heights).
  • JSON files. Complete with its own IKE4 form generator, Quick Pole has been highly optimized to collect and import IKE4 data with ease.

Can support both GIS and non-GIS modes of operating

• You can start a project and evaluate any number of poles without capturing any GPS locations at all. Quick Pole supports several methods of entering field data based on traditional field data collection methodology.
  • Drag and drop poles onto a work plan area and move them to the desired locations manually, checking span lengths and angles presented to the user.
  • Place a couple of poles on a work plan manually to start a project and then use Quick Pole's 'Pole Sequence Loader' functionality to load the rest of a pole line by specifying span length, pole line deflection angle and optionally any elevation changes. Laterals off this initial line can be added using this same feature and starting at the take-off pole.
  • You can open the table in the coordinates editor window and manually enter coordinates for poles in X,Y and Z perspective. You can also create a coordinates list in Excel and paste into this table.
  • Any combination of the above.
• GPS coordinates can be beneficial at times for some added functionality:
  • Google Street View is currently available once the datum/zone is defined for the project and at least one pole is known for its approximate GPS coordinates.
  • If some of the data import features are not ideal for you, you can also paste content (with GPS coordinates) into the coordinates editor window.