Code-Based Structural Design and Analysis Calculators

Introduction

Structural design and engineering software play a crucial role in the construction industry, enabling structural engineers, architects, and building designers to efficiently analyze and design residential and light commercial projects.

These software tools provide a user-friendly interface and comprehensive features to perform various calculations and design tasks while adhering to specific building codes and standards. We will explore the key aspects of structural design software and how ClearCalcs offers valuable solutions for common structural analysis and design requirements.

Structural Engineering Software

Structural engineering software refers to specialized computer programs that assist professionals in the analysis, design, and evaluation of structures.

These software tools streamline the engineering process, enhance accuracy, and improve productivity. They encompass a range of functionalities such as structural analysis, load calculations, design optimization, and code compliance checks.

Structural engineers rely on these software solutions to handle complex calculations, evaluate structural integrity, and ensure the safety and performance of buildings. They provide a platform to consider different materials, construction techniques, and design scenarios.

ClearCalcs offers a suite of structural engineering software products tailored to meet the needs of structural engineers, architects, and building designers. These software tools provide a seamless user experience, combining powerful analysis capabilities with intuitive interfaces. The instantaneous calculation can ensure designs are tweaked to produce the most efficient outcome for a client and the speed in which the fast-paced construction industry demands.

Structural Design Software vs. Structural Design Calculations

Structural design software enables professionals to create efficient and safe structures by performing detailed analysis and design calculations. It offers a range of tools and modules for different types of structural elements, materials, and design codes.

ClearCalcs offers a comprehensive structural design and analysis software that covers various design scenarios, including timber, steel, and concrete structures. Their software solutions comply with both Australian and US building codes and standards, ensuring accurate calculations and reliable designs.

ClearCalcs offers a suite of structural engineering design software for architects, builders and structural engineers that references specific standards and can link different components of the structure to subsequent calculations to streamline workflows.

Structural design calculations form the foundation of any engineering project. They involve assessing the structural capacity, load-bearing capacity, and overall stability of a building or structural element. Structural design software simplifies these calculations and provides real-time feedback, enabling designers to optimize their designs efficiently.

ClearCalcs' structural design software automates the complex calculations involved in beam design, column design, shear wall design, retaining wall design, foundation design, and truss design. Let's explore some of these key features:

Beam Design Software

Beam design software allows structural engineers, builders and architects to analyze and design beams of various materials, including timber, steel, and concrete.

ClearCalcs offers a Free Beam Calculator that automatically uses ClearCalcs' powerful finite element analysis engine to determine moment, shear, and deflection as you work by simply specifying beam geometry and loads.

ClearCalcs also offers dedicated beam design modules for different design codes and materials.

Wood Beam Design Software

For timber beam design, ClearCalcs provides a timber beam calculator to Australian Standards (AS 1720.1. The calculator also allowes engineers to calculate wood beam capacities for allowable stress design (ASD) and wood for load and resistance factor design (LRFD) methodologies as per the US National Design Specification (NDS) - including dimensioned lumber, timber, glulams and LVLs.

This software enables you to do quick and powerful design and analysis for simple and continuous timber beams, with unlimited supports and loads. Choose from our library of thousands of common timber sections, or create your own and get instant results with our easy to understand traffic light checks for moment, deflection, and shear.

Steel Beam Design Software

When it comes to steel beam design, ClearCalcs offers a Steel Beam (ASD) Calculator to AISC 360-16 (ASD), Steel Beam (LRFD) Calculator to AISC 360-16 (LRFD) for US projects and a Steel Beam Calculator to AS 4100:2020 for Australian projects.

These calculators enable the fast design and analysis of a steel beam with multiple supports and loads. Engineers can quickly and easily model any type of steel beam, including steel floor and roof beams with a handy range of presets that reduce repetitive data entry and improve accuracy.

Loads can be dynamically linked between structural elements, so beams, columns, and connections can easily be linked and checked for adequacy.

Concrete Beam Design Software

In addition, ClearCalcs provides concrete beam design software compliant with the relevant design codes, such as the American Concrete Institute (ACI) and Australian standards. This software allows for the efficient design of reinforced concrete beams for different design scenarios.

ClearCalcs offers the Concrete Beam Calculator to AS 3600:2018 (Amdt 2) for Australian users as well as a Concrete Beam (ACI 318-14) Calculator to ACI 318-14 and a Concrete Beam Calculator to ACI 318-19 for US designers. These calculators provide options for unlimited supports and loads, as well as the ability to customise steel reinforcement in the beam. These finite element analysis based concrete beam calculators enable extremely fast and accurate concrete design and analysis.

Column Design Software

Column design software assists structural engineers in designing columns that can withstand vertical loads and provide stability to the overall structure. ClearCalcs offers a range of column design modules for timber and steel materials.

For timber column design, ClearCalcs provides software solutions based on both ASD and LRFD methodologies to the US National Design Specification (NDS) for Wood Construction. The Timber Column Calculator to AS 1720.1:2010 (Amdt 3) is available for Australian projects.

With support for dynamic load linking between beams and columns, users can easily design accurate and quality engineered columns, and select from our database of thousands of Australian and American timber sections.

In steel column design, ClearCalcs offers a Steel Column (ASD) Calculator to AISC 360-16 (ASD) and Steel Column (LRFD) Calculator to AISC 360-16 (LRFD) for US projects and Steel Column Calculator to AS 4100 for Australian structural designers. These ClearCalcs software modules offer support for multiple end fixities, and easy-to-understand traffic light checks for moment capacity, axial section capacity, and axial deformation, the ClearCalcs steel column calculator enables the quick design of steel columns to Australian and American standards.

ClearCalcs also offers a Cold-Formed Steel (CFS) column design software module based on the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) standards as well as the Cold-Formed Steel Column Calculator to AS/NZS 4600:2018. These modules have a database of all common Australian & American light gauge and cold formed sections and enable the easy modelling of axial loading on a cold-formed steel column with support for variable strong axis, weak axis, and torsional bracing.

These calculators allow structural engineers to efficiently design CFS columns for various applications.

Shear Wall Design Software

Shear walls play a vital role in providing lateral stability to buildings, especially in regions prone to high wind or seismic activity. ClearCalcs offers shear wall design software that simplifies the analysis and design of wood shear walls.

The wood shear wall design software by ClearCalcs considers the relevant design codes and standards (American Wood Council (AWC) 2018 National Design Specification (NDS) for Wood Construction and the AWC's 2015 Special Design Provisions for Wind and Seismic (SDPWS)), enabling engineers to accurately determine the shear capacity and deflection limits of wood shear walls. This software helps optimize the design and ensure the safety and performance of the structure.

Retaining Wall Design Software

Retaining walls are structures designed to hold back soil or other materials. ClearCalcs provides a comprehensive retaining wall design software module that facilitates the design of different types of retaining walls, such as cantilever and L-type retaining walls.

The ClearCalcs Cantilever Retaining Wall Calculator provides fast, customisable design and analysis calculations for IBC. The calculator assumes no shear key, no soil inclined behind the structure, and does not include wind or earthquake loads. Rankine theory is used to determine lateral earth pressure, and retained soil is assumed to be in the active state, with soil cover in front of the retaining wall toe in the passive state. It also provides customisable reinforcement properties.

The ClearCalcs L-type Cantilever Retaining Wall Calculator and the Sleeper Retaining Wall Calculator provides fast, customisable design and analysis calculations for AS 4678 and AS 3600:2018 (Amdt 2). The L-type calculator assumes no shear key, no soil inclined behind the structure, and does not include wind or earthquake loads. Rankine theory is used to determine lateral earth pressure, and retained soil is assumed to be in the active state, with soil cover in front of the retaining wall toe in the passive state.

Foundation Design Software

Foundation design is a critical aspect of structural engineering, as it ensures the stability and durability of a building. ClearCalcs offers software solutions for concrete foundation design, including spread/pad footings, strip/wall footings, and pier footings.

Their concrete foundation design software incorporates design codes, such as the ACI standards, to calculate the required dimensions and reinforcement for different foundation types. These tools consider factors such as soil properties, loading conditions, and structural requirements, resulting in reliable foundation designs.

Truss Design Software

Trusses are structural elements composed of interconnected members that efficiently carry loads over large spans. ClearCalcs provides truss design software that enables structural engineers to analyze and design truss systems for various applications.

The truss analysis wizard by ClearCalcs considers factors such as member forces, support conditions, and load distributions. It assists engineers in optimizing truss designs, ensuring stability, and meeting design code requirements. The software performs fast FEA analysis of any type of 2D truss. With a live solving FEA analysis engine providing results for shear, moment, and deflection, ClearCalcs makes it easy to specify nodes, fixities, and members and solve for 2D analysis in the cloud.

Structural Analysis Software

Structural analysis software allows engineers to assess the behavior and response of structures under different loads and environmental conditions. ClearCalcs offers structural analysis software modules that assist in evaluating the performance and integrity of various structural elements.

Their structural analysis software incorporates sophisticated algorithms and numerical methods to simulate and analyze the behavior of structures accurately. These tools enable engineers to consider factors such as static loads, dynamic loads, wind loads, and seismic loads.

ClearCalcs offers a Free Beam Analysis Calculator that automatically uses ClearCalcs' powerful finite element analysis engine to determine moment, shear, and deflection as you work by simply specifying beam geometry and loads.

Start your free ClearCalcs trial to unlock saving and export, as well as even more calculators for wood, steel, and concrete beams, columns, and footings.

Wind Load Analysis Software

Wind load analysis is essential for designing structures that can withstand wind forces.

ClearCalcs provides wind load analysis software for simple or complex site criteria, with a deep range of customisation options to provide fast results, that follows relevant design codes, such as Wind Load Analysis to ASCE 7-16, Wind Load Analysis to AS 1170.2 and Wind Bracing Analysis to AS 1684.2.

ClearCalcs’ wind load analysis software allows engineers to calculate wind pressures on structures, assess wind-induced forces and moments, and ensure the structural integrity and stability against wind loads.

Seismic Load Analysis Software

Seismic load analysis is crucial for designing structures in earthquake-prone regions which can be very difficult to do by hand calculation.

ClearCalcs offers seismic load analysis software that facilitates the evaluation of structures under seismic forces. This seismic load analysis software incorporates seismic design codes and standards, including the Seismic Analysis Calculator to ASCE 7-16, enabling engineers to determine the seismic response of structures, assess structural performance, and optimize designs for seismic resistance.

These tools assist in ensuring the safety and resilience of structures during seismic events.

Conclusion

ClearCalcs provides a range of powerful structural engineering software solutions that cater to the needs of structural engineers, architects, and building designers involved in residential and light commercial projects.

Our software tools offer a seamless user experience, adhere to building codes and standards in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Europe and the US, and cover a wide range of structural elements and materials. By leveraging ClearCalcs' software, professionals can enhance their productivity, accuracy, and overall efficiency in structural analysis and design.