The diagram in this section will show the cross-section as it has been input, as well as some of the key properties of that cross-section - including centroid, principal axis orientation, and, if the relevant analysis types have been performed, plastic centroid and shear centre. Restrictions such as these are merely logical restrictions on the geometry overlaps or incomplete fillet radii are not physically possible.
For example, an I-section's Depth must be greater must be greater than two times the Flange Thickness plus two times the Inner Radius. Some other cross-section types have specific restrictions. Both dimensions must be greater than zero, but there are no other restrictions. When you do so, the input boxes below it will change to those required for the given type of cross-section.įor example, a rectangle has two dimensions to define it: Depth and Breadth. Input Key Propertiesįirst, select the Cross-Section Type from the drop-down menu just below the diagram. Clicking on any of the input/property labels gives a descriptive reference explanation.
Signing up for a ClearCalcs account will unlock further advanced features for design and analysis of beams and a variety of other structural elements - and allow the use of these custom cross-sections in those designs. You can use the cross-section properties from this tool in our free beam calculator. It then determines the elastic, warping, and/or plastic properties of that section - including areas, centroid coordinates, second moments of area / moments of inertia, section moduli, principal axes, torsion constant, and more! The ClearCalcs cross-section calculator allows the user to input the geometry of an arbitrary cross-section using either simple dimensions of common shapes, or fully-custom outline definitions. The second moment of area (otherwise known as moment of inertia) is a a measure of a shapes resistance to angular acceleration.How to Use the Free Cross-Section Calculator.The moment of inertia (otherwise known as second moment of area) is a a measure of a shapes resistance to angular acceleration.This can either be the elastic section modulus which considers the strength of the beam up to elastic yielding or the plastic section modulus which considers strength up to plastic yielding. The section modulus (otherwise known as the first moment of area) is a parameter which measures a section strength in bending.Where I is the second moment of area of a shape and A is the area.
The radius of gyration is calculated using the formula.How is the radius of gyration calculated? The radius of gyration of a shape is the distance between the shapes axis of rotation and the shapes centre of gravity.There is no difference between the centroid of a shape and the centre of gravity, the terms can be used interchangeably.What’s the difference between the centroid of a shape and the centre of gravity? This summed value is then divided by the total area of all combined component shapes to give the centroid. To find the centroid, the individual centroids of each component shape are determined, the idividual centroid are then multiplied by the area of the correponding shape and summed. The centroid of a complex shape can be calculated using hand calculation methods, by using the Method of Geometric Decomposition.How is the centroid of a shape calculated? The centroid of a shape (otherwise known as the centre of gravity) is the geometric centre of the object and if the shape possesses an axis of symmetry this is where the axis will be located.There is no difference between the second moment of area and the moment of intertia, the terms can be used interchangeably.What’s the difference between moment of inertia and second moment of area? The moment of inertia (otherwise known as the second moment of area), is a measure of the 'efficiency' of a cross-section to resist bending, caused by applied forces.The second moment of area (otherwise known as the moment of inertia), is a measure of the 'efficiency' of a cross-section to resist bending, caused by applied forces.