Author: Chris Hackney

Chris founded Revolutio in 2012 as a part-time endeavour while working as a consulting structural engineer, but the underlying work can be traced back to his time as an undergraduate at the University of Sydney in 2007. He has worked for Taylor Thomson Whitting, SCP Consulting and Opus International Consultants and was involved in a number of high-profile engineering projects across Oceania, such as retrofitting walkways to the Sydney Harbour Bridge, earthquake assessments in Christchurch, and developing a tablet-based structural inspection application for the Northwest Rail Link.

CHECKWIND v4.2.0 released

CHECKWIND v4.2.0 is now live and can be downloaded here. New features and enhancements include:

  • Google map imagery automatically compared against Land Cover Database for sites in New Zealand.
  • AS 4055: Significant improvements to automatic Terrain Category detection.
  • AS 4055: Significant improvements to automatic Shielding Class detection.
  • AS 4055: Improvements to automatic Topography Class calculation.
  • AS/NZS 1170: Significant improvements to automatic Terrain/Height Multiplier (Mz,cat) detection.
  • AS/NZS 1170: Significant improvements to automatic shielding structure (Ms) detection.
  • AS/NZS 1170: Improvements to automatic Topography Multiplier (Mt) calculation.
  • ASCE 7-10/ASCE 7-16/TIA-222-G/TIA-222-H: Significant improvements to automatic Velocity Pressure Coefficient (Kz) detection.
  • ASCE 7-10/ASCE 7-16/TIA-222-G/TIA-222-H: Improvements to automatic Topography Factor (Kzt) calculation.
  • ASCE 7-10/ASCE 7-16/TIA-222-G/TIA-222-H: Upwind shielding sector plotted for Topography Factor (Kzt).
  • AS/NZS 1170: Option to use Parapet Height (hp) value for all locations and wind directions simultaneously.
  • Users can now specify a negative water surface level.

CHECKPOLE v5.5.0 released

  • New “Viewer” mode allows unlicenced users to explore features.
  • Google map imagery automatically compared against Land Cover Database for sites in New Zealand.
  • AS/NZS 1170: Significant improvements to automatic Terrain/Height Multiplier (Mz,cat) detection.
  • AS/NZS 1170: Significant improvements to automatic shielding structure (Ms) detection.
  • AS/NZS 1170: Improvements to automatic Topography Multiplier (Mt) calculation.
  • TIA-222-G/TIA-222-H: Significant improvements to automatic Velocity Pressure Coefficient (Kz) detection.
  • TIA-222-G/TIA-222-H: Improvements to automatic Topography Factor (Kzt) calculation.
  • TIA-222-G/TIA-222-H: Upwind shielding sector plotted for Topography Factor (Kzt).
  • Users can now specify a negative water surface level.
  • Updated Ancillary library with new antennas.

CHECKPOLE v5.4.0 released

CHECKPOLE v5.4.0 is now live and can be downloaded here. New features and enhancements include:

  • Existing custom monopole libraries created in v5.0.0 onwards will automatically be converted to the new format.
  • Rocla monopole library has been updated to include openings, superceded poles and recent changes to SR poles with 8M24 tip ferrules.

CHECKPOLE v5.3.0 released

CHECKPOLE v5.3.0 is now live and can be downloaded here. New features and enhancements include:

  • Updates to the Terrain Category (Mz,cat), Shielding Structures (Ms) and Exposure Category (Kz) detection algorithms to account for recent changes to Google’s map data format.
  • TIA-222-G/TIA-222-H: Updated ice wind speed maps for Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam and American Samoa.
  • TIA-222-G/TIA-222-H: Improved automatic Topography Factor (Kzt) calculation including an option to adopt Crown Castle reference ENG-PRC-10040 design methodology.
  • TIA-222-G/TIA-222-H: View average upwind terrain level in Topography Factor (Kzt) review dialog.
  • Introduction of TIA-222-H Section 4.8.2 criteria leading to less conservative cross-section calculations at openings for steel monopoles.

CHECKWIND v4.1.0 released

CHECKWIND v4.1.0 is now live and can be downloaded here. New features and enhancements include:

  • Updates to the Terrain Category (Mz,cat), Shielding Structures (Ms) and Exposure Category (Kz) detection algorithms to account for recent changes to Google’s map data format.
  • AS 4055: Override Shielding Classification to account for future developments and heavily wooded areas.
  • ASCE 7-10/ASCE 7-16/TIA-222-G/TIA-222-H: Updated ice wind speed maps for Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam and American Samoa.
  • ASCE 7-10/ASCE 7-16/TIA-222-G/TIA-222-H: Improved automatic Topography Factor (Kzt) calculation including an option to adopt Crown Castle reference ENG-PRC-10040 design methodology.
  • TIA-222-G/TIA-222-H: View average upwind terrain level in Topography Factor (Kzt) review dialog.

CHECKWIND v4.0.0 released

CHECKWIND v4.0.0 is now live and can be downloaded here. New features and enhancements include:

  • Choose between metric (mm, m, km, m², m/s, kPa) and imperial (in, ft, mi, ft², mph, psf) measurement units.
  • AS 4055: Automatic Wind Region detection.
  • AS 4055: Automatic Terrain Category detection.
  • AS 4055: Automatic Topographic Class detection.
  • AS 4055: Automatic Shielding Class detection.
  • AS/NZS 1170: Internal and net pressure calculation for building loads.

CHECKWIND v3.1.0 released

CHECKWIND v3.1.0 is now live and can be downloaded here. New features and enhancements include:

  • AS/NZS 1170: Topographic feature midpoints (Lu) are now determined using interpolation, leading to more accurate site Topographic Multipliers (Mt).
  • ASCE 7-10/ASCE 7-16/TIA-222-G/TIA-222-H: Topographic feature midpoints (Lh) are now determined using interpolation, leading to more accurate site Topographic Factors (Kzt).
  • Define water level for topography detection near inland lakes and rivers with surface levels above mean sea level.

CHECKPOLE v5.2.0 released

CHECKPOLE v5.2.0 is now live and can be downloaded here. New features and enhancements include:

  • Resolution of elevation points utilised for topography detection increased from 25 m increments to 10 m increments.
  • AS/NZS 1170: Topographic feature midpoints (Lu) are now determined using interpolation, leading to more accurate site Topographic Multipliers (Mt).
  • TIA-222-G/TIA-222-H: Topographic feature midpoints (Lh) are now determined using interpolation, leading to more accurate site Topographic Factors (Kzt).
  • Define water level for topography detection near inland lakes and rivers with surface levels above mean sea level.

CHECKWIND v3.0.0 released

CHECKWIND v3.0.0 is now live and can be downloaded here. New features and enhancements include:

  • Now optimised as a 64-bit application (no more pesky System.OutOfMemoryException errors).
  • New automated Topographic Multiplier (Mt) detection algorithm to AS/NZS 1170 (more on that below).
  • Users can now override Topographic Multiplier (Mt) values.
  • Introduction of our own Basic Wind Speed maps to ASCE 7-10, ASCE 7-16, TIA-222-G and TIA-222-H.
  • Improvements to automated Exposure Category (Kz) detection to ASCE 7-10, ASCE 7-16, TIA-222-G and TIA-222-H.
  • New automated Topographic Factor (Kzt) detection algorithm to ASCE 7-10, ASCE 7-16, TIA-222-G and TIA-222-H based on Crown Castle and SEAW RSM-03 guidelines.

Topographic Multiplier (Mt) Detection Improvements

Until now, CHECKWIND has used a combination of the 500 m segment criteria from the AS/NZS 1170.2 commentary (though with a “rolling” 500 m segment instead of less accurate 500 m increments from the crest suggested by AS/NZS 1170.2), in addition to our own local minimum criteria to determine the base of a feature.

Figure 1: AS/NZS 1170.2 C4.4.2

However, the problem with utilising the local minimum criteria is that the base might be determined as being at the bottom of a valley with a steep slope for certain terrain, leading to overly conservative Mt values, as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2: CHECKWIND v2.2.1 results

The local minimum criteria was intended to avoid situations where the 500 m segment might identify the “base” as being halfway up/down a slope, which seemed counter intuitive. Regardless, we’ve adjusted the algorithm and removed the local minimum criteria and now rely solely on the 500 m segment method. This has led to an overall reduction in Mt values across all of our test sites, as shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3: CHECKWIND v3.0.0 results

CHECKPOLE v5.1.0 released

CHECKPOLE v5.1.0 is now live and can be downloaded here. New features and enhancements include:

  • Now optimised as a 64-bit application (no more pesky System.OutOfMemoryException errors).
  • Monopole openings can now be viewed in section and elevation.
  • Improvements to Type 4 opening reinforcement.
  • New automated Topographic Multiplier (Mt) detection algorithm to AS/NZS 1170 (more on that below).
  • Users can now override Topographic Multiplier (Mt) values.
  • Introduction of our own Basic Wind Speed maps to TIA-222-G and TIA-222-H.
  • Improvements to automated Exposure Category (Kz) detection to TIA-222-G and TIA-222-H.
  • New automated Topographic Factor (Kzt) detection algorithm to TIA-222-G and TIA-222-H based on Crown Castle and SEAW RSM-03 guidelines.
  • Improvements to fatigue design to AASHTO 2013.

Topographic Multiplier (Mt) Detection Improvements

Until now, CHECKPOLE has used a combination of the 500 m segment criteria from the AS/NZS 1170.2 commentary (though with a “rolling” 500 m segment instead of less accurate 500 m increments from the crest suggested by AS/NZS 1170.2), in addition to our own local minimum criteria to determine the base of a feature.

Figure 1: AS/NZS 1170.2 C4.4.2

However, the problem with utilising the local minimum criteria is that the base might be determined as being at the bottom of a valley with a steep slope for certain terrain, leading to overly conservative Mt values, as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2: CHECKPOLE v5.0.7 results

The local minimum criteria was intended to avoid situations where the 500 m segment might identify the “base” as being halfway up/down a slope, which seemed counter intuitive. Regardless, we’ve adjusted the algorithm and removed the local minimum criteria and now rely solely on the 500 m segment method. This has led to an overall reduction in Mt values across all of our test sites, as shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3: CHECKPOLE v5.1.0 results