Jonathan Ochshorn
© 2008 Jonathan Ochshorn.
contact | homepage | Structural Elements textWood Column Calculator: Calculates the capacity (maximum safe load) for wood columns, after entering values for modulus of elasticity, allowable stress, duration of load factor, and effective length (height).
Wind Pressure Calculator: Calculates the wind pressure (psf) on the windward and leeward faces of rectangular buildings with flat roofs, after entering values for wind speed, exposure, roof height, importance, plan dimensions, directionality factor, and topography factor.
Seismic (Earthquake) Load Calculator: Calculates the seismic story forces on a buildling, after entering values for floor heights and weights, ground motion values, site class, response factor, importance factor, and two coefficients that relate to the building's fundamental period of vibration.
Steel Beam Calculator: Selects the lightest W-shape steel beam, after entering values for span, spacing, yield stress, deflection criteria, and design criteria (i.e., design for bending, shear, deflection, or any combination thereof).
Seismic and Wind Force Calculator: Calculates and compares the wind and seismic story forces on a building, after entering general data (city, importance factor), seismic data (site class, seismic force resisting system), and wind data (exposure category, plan and parapet dimensions, and coefficients for directionality and topography).
Simply-supported Beam Reaction Calculator: Calculates reactions for simply-supported beam with uniformly distributed load and/or up to 3 concentrated loads.
Three-hinged Arch Reaction Calculator: Calculates reactions for 3-hinged arch with uniformly distributed load and/or up to 3 concentrated loads.
Cable Reaction Calculator: Calculates reactions for cable with uniformly distributed load and/or up to 3 concentrated loads.
Simply-supported Beam Moment and Shear Calculator: Calculates reactions, maximum positive and negative bending moments, and maximum positive and negative internal shear forces for simply-supported beam with uniformly distributed load and/or up to 3 concentrated loads.
Truss reaction and bar force Calculator: Calculates reactions and bar forces for Howe, Pratt, or Warren trusses.
Three-hinged arch bar force Calculator: Calculates reactions and bar forces for "triangular" three-hinged arches.
Cable internal axial force Calculator: Calculates reactions and internal axial forces for cable.
Disclaimer: These calculators are not intended to be used for the design of actual structures, but only for schematic (preliminary) understanding of structural design principals. For the design of an actual structure, a competent professional should be consulted.
First posted July 1, 2008 | Last updated July 3, 2009