I have a project in which I’d like to strengthen an existing member by welding a tube underneath an existing tube. Along the way, I’ve discovered a couple minor irritations that would be nice if they were fixed to get closer to the rest of the program’s output/results.
These comments are for the Beam analysis with Load combinations (v52) calculator:
- Deflection is calculated, but not compared with my deflection criteria (I’d have to do this by hand), neither in the summary area, nor in the “per-span analysis” module.
- I’m not sure why EI and EA are combined… it would be a lot easier if you had three lines: E, I, and A to minimize chances of errors.
- It would be preferable for clearcalcs to actually graph the combination I select… deflection graph will default to short term envelope rather than show me my selected Load combination.
And this comment is for the “custom cross section” calculator:
- It would be nice if you could extend your custom shape database to allow you to add two (or more) existing shapes to a custom shape and get an output of combined I, S, A values. (I hadn’t realized you literally only allow W with a cap). Considering it’s not hard (just tedious) to do these calculations by hand, I shouldn’t think it would be too terribly difficult to do them via computer. Right now, in the “custom cross section properties” calculator, only W sections appear in the steel database, and it is not at all obvious how to add a second (or 3rd) shape. If I go to the custom section source, I’d have to input more data that makes sense (what makes sense is “choose a shape, and choose an x and y distance”, then option to “add another shape, and choose an x and y distance”) … so I chose to just crank out some hand calculation - obviously not ideal.
Oh, I forgot, one more for the Beam Analysis:
From the load graph I can see that Self Weight is added by default, but what it should be is a toggle, same as any other of your calculators…
And one more slightly more general note:
If I change materials, I want my beam inputs (length, angle, loads, etc.) to remain the same… I do not know why a change in material would prompt you to blow away all of that. Considering the lack of an “undo” or “Cancel all changes” button, this is huge oversight!
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Hello,
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughts with us! We really appreciate your feedback and are always looking for ways to improve our calculators to better meet your needs.
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Regarding your point about the deflection criteria not being compared in the calculator, we’d love to understand more about what specific criteria you’d like to see included. Could you share some details about the deflection limits or standards you’re working with? This would help us see how we might incorporate this feature to make the tool more useful for you.
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Thank you for bringing this to our attention. In our calculators, we currently ask users to input the flexural stiffness (EI) and axial stiffness (EA) directly, rather than entering Young’s Modulus (E), Moment of Inertia (I), and Cross-sectional Area (A) separately. We designed it this way to simplify the process for users who might already have these combined stiffness values calculated and since this is common. However, we understand that providing separate fields for E, I, and A could reduce the chance of errors and offer more flexibility, especially when working with standard materials and sections. Your suggestion makes a lot of sense, and we really appreciate it.
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We appreciate your feedback on the deflection graph. Currently, the calculator shows the envelope of all load combinations by default to provide a comprehensive overview of the maximum and minimum deflections that could occur. This is intended to ensure that all potential scenarios are accounted for in the design process. However, we understand that being able to view the deflection graph for a specific load combination would be very helpful for your analysis. We’ll look into how we might make this possible.
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Your idea about expanding the custom cross-section calculator to allow combining multiple existing shapes is great. We agree that being able to select shapes, specify their positions, and automatically compute the combined properties like moment of inertia, section modulus, and area would make the process much more efficient. Right now, the tool has some limitations in this area, and we acknowledge that it can be tedious to do these calculations by hand.
Please know that while we always strive to enhance our tools based on feedback from users like you, we do have to balance various priorities in our development process. We’ll keep your suggestions in mind as we plan future updates.
Again, thank you for your valuable input. We’re here to help, so please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any more thoughts or questions!
Best regards,
Juan Pablo
I’ve added this to our feature request:
Additionally, regarding the self-weight, if you set it to 0, it doesn’t appear in the graph:
I’ve also been changing the values for EI and EA, but I don’t see any other inputs resetting. Could you clarify that part? Perhaps you were referring to a different calculator?
