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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
Validation Examples
These check cases show how key pages compare against known elastic beam benchmarks or symmetric reference cases.
Steel self-weight check case
Case setup
L = 8.0 m, w = 0.31 kN/m, E = 210 GPa, I = 8560 cm^4
Validated metric
Maximum deflection
Reference
Reference result: 0.92 mm
Calculator
Calculator result: 0.92 mm
Check
Difference: 0.00%
Benchmark: closed-form simple-span UDL formula
Self-Weight Setup
| Material basis | Structural steel at about 7850 kg/m^3 |
| Self-weight model | Uniform line load over full span |
| Quick formula | w_self = mass per meter * 9.81 / 1000 |
| Preset example | About 31 kg/m gives roughly 0.31 kN/m |
| Current preset span | 8 m |
| Current preset section stiffness | I = 8560 cm^4 |
Engineering Notes
- For steel beams, self-weight is usually modeled as a full-span uniform load, which makes it a strong fit for the standard simply-supported UDL case.
- Use this page when early sizing decisions are being made and you want to know how much deflection comes from self-weight before superimposed dead load or live load is added.
- Always replace the preset uniform load with the actual mass-per-meter or section self-weight from the selected profile table before relying on the output.
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