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Software for calculating section properties

  • 17-07-2011 10:28AM
    #1
    breadmonkey
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,608 ✭✭✭


    I'm looking for software that I can use to import drawings and get the section properties as output. I'm using a program called Scia Engineer at the moment which will do the job but it requires a lot of memory and my laptop can't really handle it. A lightweight program would be ideal but I'm open to all suggestions! Thanks


Comments

  • #2
    Dunphus
    Closed Accounts Posts: 138 ✭✭Dunphus


    breadmonkey wrote: »
    I'm looking for software that I can use to import drawings and get the section properties as output. I'm using a program called Scia Engineer at the moment which will do the job but it requires a lot of memory and my laptop can't really handle it. A lightweight program would be ideal but I'm open to all suggestions! Thanks

    Doesn't autocad do this? Using the command "massprop"? That should do if you're just lashing values into GSA. Between that and an excel spreadsheet I'd say you could work out everything.
    Otherwise you could lash together a maple or matlab file using good old fashioned maths and then just change the dimensions each time? I take it you're designing a bridge (from your grillage post) so it would be the same profile no? Wouldn't be too much work.

    EDIT: If its a more complicated 3d structure where the profile changes over the length you could import it into 3D modelling software, like Rhino 3D, take cross sections at certain points, export those cross sections to autocad and then use the massprop command. Actually there could very well be a similar command to massprop in Rhino which would simplify things


  • #3
    breadmonkey
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,608 ✭✭✭breadmonkey


    Cheers. The main reason I wanted some structural analysis software is because it's a composite beam and slab and I need to take into account the modular ratio. I can work the stuff out by hand but what I was hoping to do to save some time was lash it into the software and just check a couple of the properties by hand to confirm it's ok.


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