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Calculation Basis
Assumptions & Limits
- The page supports preliminary checks but does not replace full code compliance review.
- Allowable limits remain project-specific and must be checked separately.
- Elastic modulus, inertia, and loading inputs must match the real member.
Reference Basis
- Documentation: Methodology
- Documentation: Engineering Review
- Roark's Formulas for Stress and Strain
- Mechanics of Materials references
- Eurocode 3 steel reference
Cold Formed Steel Setup
| Member focus | Light-gauge and cold formed steel beams |
| Typical use | Joists, purlins, and secondary framing |
| Main risk | Deflection can govern before strength in slender members |
| Current beam case | Simple span under UDL |
| Current preset | 4.2 m light-gauge beam under 1.8 kN/m |
| Useful companion | Custom wood and standard steel pages |
Engineering Notes
- Cold formed steel members can feel serviceability-sensitive because stiffness drops quickly as section depth and thickness reduce compared with hot-rolled beams.
- This page is most useful during early option comparison, when the user needs to know whether a light-gauge solution remains realistic at the target span.
- If the section is moving toward heavier hot-rolled steel, compare the result with the Eurocode 3 or British Standard steel pages.
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