Crane Software and Programs

[CBrech]

Hello-

I am searching for a crane design and analysis software for my company. Was looking for recommendations from users of programs they have used in the past or present that they have liked. User friendly programs are a plus. Any suggestions in my search will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

 

[pmtrevisan1]

what exactly are you expecting from the software. Is if for the design of crane beams, and calculating the vertical, lateral and longiditinal forces?

PMT

 

[CBrech]

PMT - Yes, it would be for designing monorail, bridge crane, and other hoist installations. We would also occasionally check existing installations.

 

[SJBombero]

I would be curious to see what's out there myself. I've been in this industry 7 years and haven't seen anything yet that isn't proprietary. Personally I just developed excel sheets that cover all the standard structural calculations. It's really all fairly simple and even formulaic if you follow CMAA.

 

[DaveAtkins]

I just use RISA-3D to design crane beams, crane columns, and braced frames.

DaveAtkins

 

[jimstructures]

I assume you are looking for software to design craneway beams and determine loads on frames and crane supporting columns and you are not looking for software used to design actual crane bridge beams used to support hoists or trolleys.

Am I correct?

Jim

 

[CBrech]

We have used Crane Beam Designer by EzSDC for years, but we are looking for a more up to date software program and we are just wondering if anyone has used anything else. We use RISA-3D for most of our other design, but the crane software program takes into account the addition stresses on the flanges of crane beams. We have found that shapes that would check out as OK in RISA will fail in the crane design program due to these stresses.

Jim- I believe Crane Beam Designer will design bridge beams as well as runway beams, we just don't use it for that usually.

 

[dhengr]

Cbrech:
If it ain’t broke, why fix it? Just send the $6000 check to me and all will be just fine. With your experience with/on that type of product, why not write a few spread sheets that look at a few of the structural exceptions that you know of and call it a day. Why enrich the coders who know little, but promote the latest b.s. as the bestest and the greatest. We’ve gotten to the point where we think we can’t design anything and make it work, if we don’t got the latest program. And, that’s not really good engineering.

 

[DaveAtkins]

We have found that shapes that would check out as OK in RISA will fail in the crane design program due to these stresses.

I just use RISA for analysis. I design the members by hand.

DaveAtkins

 

[zaes1980]

Prokon

 

[Brad805]

We tested a program called EZCrane years ago.

http://www.ezsdc.com/software1.aspx

 

[dylansdad]

I use software by CivilBay.