Documentation

Open the Calculator and go to the Beam tab. Set the beam length in meters. The default is 5 m — change it to match your span.

In the Supports tab, add support conditions. A simply supported beam needs a pinned support at one end and a roller at the other. Cantilevers use a single fixed support. You can position supports anywhere along the beam.

In the Loads tab, add your loads. Available types are:

• •Point Load (P) — a concentrated force in kN at a specific position. Can be angled.
• •UDL (U) — uniformly distributed load in kN/m over a range.
• •Triangular (T) — linearly varying load from one intensity to another.
• •Moment (M) — an applied moment in kN·m at a specific position.

Each load must be classified as Permanent (G) or Variable (Q). Variable loads can also be assigned an individual action category (residential, office, snow, wind, etc.) which determines the ψ₀ and ψ₂ factors used for that specific load in combinations.

In the Section tab, select a material category (Timber, Steel, or Concrete). For timber, pick a wood type (Construction or Glulam) and a grade (e.g. C24, GL30c). Then choose or enter the cross-section dimensions. The app will compute section properties (A, I, W) automatically.

In the Section tab, switch to the Eurocode panel. Configure:

• •Consequence Class (CC1–CC3) — determines the reliability factor K_FI.
• •Service Class (1–3) — moisture conditions for timber (affects k_mod and k_def).
• •Load Duration Class — permanent, long-term, medium-term, short-term, or instantaneous.
• •Variable Action Category — the global default (residential, office, snow, wind, etc.). Sets ψ factors. Individual loads can override this with their own category.
• •Deflection Limit — L/250, L/300, L/350, etc.
• •Lateral Torsional Buckling — enable to check LTB (Vipping) with effective length.
• •System Strength Factor k_sys — enable for load-sharing systems (k_sys = 1.1).
• •Weak Axis — rotate the rectangular section 90° for flatwise bending.

In the Section tab, switch to the Settings panel to configure:

• •Calculation Method — choose Section Method (Snittmetoden) or Equilibrium Method for different step-by-step presentation styles.
• •Diagrams — toggle which result diagrams to display: SFD, BMD, Deflection, Slope, and Axial Force.

Click the Calculate button. The app runs the full NS-EN 1990 load combination engine — evaluating both Eq. 6.10a and 6.10b with pattern loading for multi-span beams. It identifies the governing combination separately for max moment, max shear, max deflection, and max/min reactions per support. Results appear as interactive diagrams (SFD, BMD, deflection) and a 3D beam visualisation with load labels.

Scroll down to the Calculations panel to see the full derivation. Mechanic subscribers see brief structural hints; Premium subscribers see full Eurocode derivations with LaTeX formulas, governing combination references, and complete factor tables. The presentation style (Section Method or Equilibrium/Macaulay) depends on your chosen solver method in the parameters.

When a material is selected, the app runs automatic Eurocode design checks. Each check uses its own governing load combination — the one that produces the worst result for that specific verification:

• •ULS Bending — verifies σ_m,d ≤ f_m,d (or M_Ed ≤ M_Rd for steel/concrete).
• •ULS Shear — verifies τ_d ≤ f_v,d (or V_Ed ≤ V_Rd).
• •SLS Deflection — checks final deflection including creep against the selected limit.
• •LTB (Vipping) — if enabled, checks reduced moment capacity due to lateral buckling.
• •If any check fails, the app suggests alternative beam sizes that pass all checks.

Click the Snow Load icon in the toolbar to open the snow load calculator (enabled when the Loads tab is active). Select a Norwegian municipality, enter the altitude, and the app computes the characteristic snow load s_k using NS-EN 1991-1-3 with the Norwegian National Annex formula: s_k = s_k0 + Δs_k × (H/100). Configure roof shape, pitch, exposure, and tributary width to get the design snow load, then click "Apply to Beam" to add it as a UDL. The load is automatically assigned the Snow action category (ψ₀ = 0.7, ψ₂ = 0.2).

Click the Wind Load icon in the toolbar to open the wind load calculator (enabled when the Loads tab is active). Select a Norwegian municipality, enter the building height, and the app computes the basic wind velocity v_b and peak velocity pressure q_p according to NS-EN 1991-1-4 with the Norwegian National Annex. Configure terrain category, building dimensions, and zone to determine the characteristic wind pressure on the structure, then click "Apply to Beam" to add it as a distributed load. The load is automatically assigned the Wind action category (ψ₀ = 0.6, ψ₂ = 0.0).

Organise your beams into projects. Each project is assigned a unique number (PRJ-YYYY-NNNN). Create a new project from the Projects page or use the + icon in the toolbar. You can rename, add descriptions, and move beams between projects. Projects help you group related calculations for a single structure or job.

Also look for + (new) and folder (open) icons in the toolbar.

Sign in to save your beam configurations to the cloud. Use the Save icon (↓) in the toolbar to store the current beam, and the Open icon (folder) to load a previously saved beam. Beams can be organised into projects. Your session is also auto-saved locally for 1 hour.

Every time you click Calculate, the app automatically saves a version snapshot of your beam configuration. You can view the version timeline to see how your design evolved, and restore any previous version. Up to 50 versions are stored per beam. If the configuration has not changed since the last calculation, no duplicate version is created.

Click the PDF icon (red) in the toolbar to generate a printable report containing the beam configuration, diagrams, step-by-step calculations, and Eurocode design check results. The PDF includes the Free Body Diagram and all formula derivations.

Click the HTML icon (green) in the toolbar to export a self-contained HTML report as a ZIP file. The report includes interactive SVG diagrams, step-by-step calculation methodology, Eurocode design checks rendered with KaTeX, and the full beam configuration. You can choose which sections to include before exporting.

Premium subscribers can submit support issues via the Support page (accessible from the header menu). Create a ticket with a title, description, module (Beam, Column, or Truss), issue type (Task, Bug, or Enhancement), and priority level. Attach up to 5 images (max 2 MB each) to illustrate the issue. Track your ticket status from Backlog through to In Production. Each ticket is assigned a unique ID (SUP-NNNN).

Premium subscribers can request engineering consulting directly through the app. Describe your project, attach photos, and submit a request. An engineer will review your submission and send a quote with a price range (in NOK) and estimated timeline. You can accept or decline the quote in-app. Once accepted, work begins and you will receive email notifications at each stage. Consulting requests are tracked with unique IDs (CON-NNNN).

• •The 3D view shows load arrows with auto-generated names (P1, U1, etc.) and values — rotate the view by dragging.
• •Switch between Section Method and Equilibrium Method in the Eurocode parameters for different step-by-step presentation styles.
• •Use the sign convention toggle (↓+ or ↑+) in Eurocode parameters to match your preferred convention.
• •Toggle individual diagrams (SFD, BMD, deflection, slope, axial) on or off in the Eurocode parameters.
• •Click any diagram to expand it to full size.
• •The app supports English and Norwegian — go to your Profile page to switch language.