Working on a thing 5

[Celt83]

Some of you may have noticed by signature update. I am working on a passion project in the very little spare time that I have with the goal to keep this thing free and open for as long as I can.

I held off on making this post because there is one tool I wanted to have prior to letting the cat out of the bag so to speak, a continuous beam analysis tool.

I am at a point where the tool is in a useable state but still needs a lot of polish, and was wondering if some folks here wouldn't mind testing it out. The tool can be accessed from here, there is no direct link from just navigating the site since this thing isn't complete yet: [link thestructuraltoolbox.com/analysis/simplebeam]Link[/url]

Edit: if you end up getting an error hit your browsers back button.
I've performed a lot of validation checks against the steel manual and some other benchmarks I have and have been getting near exact agreements. I'd ask if you manage to break it which is very likely please drop a bug on the github tracker and I'll get it addressed.

Many many thanks to several of the regulars here for helping get this thing to this point either directly or indirectly.

Hoping this doesn't violate the Eng-Tips terms but if so please red flag it.



I'm making a thing:

http://www.thestructuraltoolbox.com

(It's no Kootware and it will probably break but it's alive!)

 

[Celt83]

The beam analysis tool incorporates metric now.

Have a few balls in the air on the section properties tool. I’ll work a metric toggle into that one.

I'm making a thing:

http://www.thestructuraltoolbox.com

(It's no Kootware and it will probably break but it's alive!)

 

[Lomarandil]

Thanks Celt!

[ul]
[li]A few GUI suggestions (focused on the simple beam tool):[/li]
[li]I love how the graphical load representation works. Can magnitudes be added? Makes it easy to back-check and organize results.[/li]
[li]I'd suggest the default SLS combination be D+L -- it's a fairly common check, and I'd rather err on the side of a more significant load combination if the tool isn't going to check a whole set by default.[/li]
[li]It seems there is a little discongruity between providing distributed area loads with tributary widths, and point forces and moments without. Maybe input those as kip/ft and kip-ft/ft with a radio button toggle to disable the tributary width and apply 1 unit (kip and kip-ft)?[/li]
[li]It'd be great to get a graphical reaction output in the ULS and SLS results also, at least for the envelope condition[/li]
[/ul]

I appreciate the challenge of what you're doing with the section properties calculator. It seems that closed shapes will limit the usefulness of that tool. Have you thought about providing a webGUI shell for Robbie's sectionproperties library?

----
just call me Lo.

 

[Celt83]

Lo:

Excellent suggestions, Thanks for the issue reports on Github as well!

It seems there is a little discongruity between providing distributed area loads with tributary widths, and point forces and moments without. Maybe input those as kip/ft and kip-ft/ft with a radio button toggle to disable the tributary width and apply 1 unit (kip and kip-ft)?

Your not alone in suggesting this, looking at a way to give more options.

I'd suggest the default SLS combination be D+L -- it's a fairly common check, and I'd rather err on the side of a more significant load combination if the tool isn't going to check a whole set by default.

noted, added, and should be live when this posts

I love how the graphical load representation works. Can magnitudes be added? Makes it easy to back-check and organize results.

Have been studying this, always ran into issue where the text starts to run into each other making the diagram messy and difficult to read.

It'd be great to get a graphical reaction output in the ULS and SLS results also, at least for the envelope condition

Noted, again not the first person to ask about this will look into this.

I appreciate the challenge of what you're doing with the section properties calculator. It seems that closed shapes will limit the usefulness of that tool. Have you thought about providing a webGUI shell for Robbie's sectionproperties library?

Working on implementing adding multiple solids or voids, different Material Modulus, and yield values to compute plastic section properties. Eventually there will also be shape templates and shape manipulation dialogs for translations and rotations. I may get to a point where I can't do what I want and then may cave and use Robbie's tool but currently we have taken different approaches to the problem where He chose an FEM interior meshing approach I've been generating formulas using the shape boundary which is a little cheaper computation costs with the large downside that I have yet been able to get the shear properties worked out.



I'm making a thing:

http://www.thestructuraltoolbox.com

(It's no Kootware and it will probably break but it's alive!)

 

[tribby3d]

Looking great Celt83! Congrats on the fantastic work and welcome to the club of structural engineers turned into software developers

Tribby3d
Structural loading software in the cloud

https://tribby3d.com