Quick Software for Section Properties

[floorwax]

Does anyone know of handy software program that computes section properties? I am looking for a stand alone program that can make quick calculations for preliminary analysis instead of those integrated into a CAD or FEA package. I would appreciate any suggestions.

 

[joekm]

Set your formula's up in Microsoft Excel (or Open Office spreadsheet, or Gnumeric if you want to go the open source route)

--
Joseph K. Mooney
Director, Airframe Structures - FAA DER
Delta Engineering Corporation

 

[737eng]

I found a program called VirtualDER, it does a great job with section properties and much more. It was reasonably priced. Check it out at

http://www.cynapsys.com,

they have a free trial demo.

 

[hfthomp]

I have setup an Excel Worksheet to compute secion properties. You just tell it the x and y coordinates of the points that make your cross section, and it outputs all of the properties. Let me know if you'd like to have it.

 

[GregLocock]

hfthomp

Yes please -could you email it to me at greglocock at yahoo dot com dot au

I'll put it up on my website for download if you'd like me to.

Cheers

Greg Locock

 

[floorwax]

Joekm,
Thanks for your response; however, I was looking for something more automated than entering my own formulas.

737eng,
I checked out the website for the program you mentioned; however, there is an error when one tries to download. I sent a note to VirtualDER to fix. No response yet.

hfthomp,
If you would not mind, I would love to try your program.
Send it to tims_po_box@yahoo.com

Sincerely,
floorwax

 

[SuperStress]

We've been evaluating some section property calculators here at work. Here are a couple more that you may want to look at (all have free demo versions):

Mecha Tools Technologies Shape Designer

http://www.mechatools.com/shd/shapedesigner1.htm

Research Engineers' Section Wizard

http://www.reiworld.com/Product/Wizard/Wizard.asp

Daystar Software's Section Maker

http://www.daystarsoftware.com/sm.html

You can also get a free copy of FEMAP, which has a pretty decent section property function:

http://www.mayasim.com/home.asp?ContentDoc=http://www.mayasim.com/femap/femap-demo-request.asp

Most of these programs are geared toward civil applications, but they also have the capability to generate user-defined sections as well.

Hope that helps.

SuperStress

 

[HSThompson]

Floorwax,

I know of a nifty little Mathcad application available on their website as shareware.

Its a little Mathcad file that takes a bitmap BMP and reads the pixcels to determine section properties. What you do is, you draw the section by hand or plot it full scale. Scan it in to a bmp and then run the mathcad file.

I have used at Boeing and Cessna extensively and it double checked it by hand many times with very good results. (less than 1% error on a decent sized cross section.)

The website is

http://www.mathsoft.com

you might have to do a little looking on the site to find the page. I haven't been their in awhile.

 

[737eng]

Floorwax,
Hopefully they will respond to your message, because Virtual DER is a pretty good program (with other useful applications)and it would be worth giving it a look.

I still use ACAD, since I am tycially drawing/sketching the design myself anyway, it is just as easy to draw it to scale and use ACAD massprop. I know you stated that you wanted a program that wasn't cad based, so Virtual DER is the next best that I have found.

 

[joekm]

Assuming we are talking about Windows boxen, try this...

http://sourceforge.net/projects/matlinks

It's Octave ported to a Windows binary. This has got to be my favorite mathematics tool.

There are myriad tools out there for calculating section properties, crippling/buckling, multi-span beam, whatever. However, the process of taking a "blank canvas" like Octave or Excel and putting you're formulas in there is worth the effort. You gain the flexibility that comes with an intimate understanding of how the program works.

You can go two ways with this, you can collect applets and little software tools to do various specific jobs, or you can get know programs like Octave, Excel, etc. and write your own. The latter option will make you better at hand analysis.

--
Joseph K. Mooney
Director, Airframe Structures - FAA DER
Delta Engineering Corporation

 

[robonave]

I have a little old soft which even now, with more complex structural analysis programas I use, seems to be really handy, it treats a lot of simple sections like circular and rectangular tubes, elliptic tubes, poligons and so on.
If you want I can send you, it is only 620 kb large.
robonave

 

[floorwax]

Thanks for all your tips. I appreciate all the links to the sites offering demo software and your own personal tools. Currently, I am planning to just use Excel and VBA to create my own tool for generating section properties of common shapes. Thanks for the suggestion joekm. For not so common shapes, I am taking a closer look at hfthomp's Excel file...thanks hfthomp.

Floorwax

 

[Viraf]

You will find a stand-alone program for section properties at

http://www.carromex.com.au/BookDeta...ory_id=546&name=&pricemin=&pricemax=&author=&