Section Profiles & Materials
For each section, assign profiles to three member families:
| Family | Role | Typical Profiles |
|---|---|---|
| Legs | Main vertical members carrying axial load | Angles (L), Pipes |
| Diagonals | Transfer shear between legs | Angles, Pipes, Solid rounds |
| Horizontals | Close the panel, brace against torsion | Angles, Pipes |
Section Library
Profiles are selected from the built-in library organized by forming process and shape:
Section Library
├── Hot Rolled
│ ├── Circular Pipes (seamless)
│ │ ├── Heavy series (inch designation)
│ │ └── Structural series (mm designation)
│ │ └── Range: 12.5mm (1/2") to 250mm (10") OD
│ └── Angles
│ ├── Equal Angle — 25mm to 250mm leg
│ └── 60° Angle
│ └── Thickness: 3mm (1/8") to 50mm (2")
└── Cold Formed
├── Circular Pipes (welded seam)
└── Angles (bent steel)
The library includes 149+ telecom-specific section profiles with pre-calculated structural properties.
Profile Properties
Each profile includes:
| Property | Symbol | Unit | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cross-sectional Area | A | mm² | Determines axial capacity and weight |
| Moment of Inertia | I | mm⁴ | Resistance to bending |
| Section Modulus | S | mm³ | Bending stress calculation |
| Radius of Gyration | r | mm | Slenderness and buckling |
| Weight per Meter | w | kg/m | BOM and dead load calculation |
Profile Selection Tips
- Legs carry the heaviest loads — use the largest profiles here
- Diagonals in lower sections see high forces — don't undersize
- Horizontals are typically the lightest members
- Round members (pipes) have better compression capacity than angles at the same weight due to equal radius of gyration in all directions
- Angular members are easier to connect (bolted gusset plates) and are industry standard for lattice towers
Coming Soon
Custom Profiles — Define your own profiles by entering dimensions. TowerPlot will calculate all structural properties automatically.
Compound Profiles — Double angles (back-to-back), star sections, and other built-up members with modified slenderness per TIA-222-H Section 4.
See Section Library Reference for the complete list of available profiles.