Introducing Calcs.app

As structures become more complicated, the ability to quickly check and document structural elements is becoming more important too. There are a lot of tools out there to perform detailed design of structures, and I am not about to try and replicate those efforts. However, I've noticed I often need a quick reference guide and calculator when peer reviewing others work (and checking my own). For that purpose, I have created calcs.app.

The overarching goal of Calcs.app is to become a comprehensive library of useful structural engineering references and calculators. There are also some principles which I would like these tools to follow:

• Calcs should be transparent. They should show the equations and steps taken wherever possible, rather than just 'the answer'.
• Calcs should be self-explanatory. Variables should be defined, code equations referenced, and figues added when necessary.
• Calcs should be print-ready. They should be able to be printed to PDF and stuck in someone's design notes.

Currently there are 8 concrete tools, 4 steel tools, and 1 general tool. I plan to add new tools as I need them. A few ideas include:

• spread footing design
• multi-story basement wall design
• steel beams and beam-columns
• ASCE and NBCC load calculators (seismic, wind, etc)

A few example tools are shown below, but you can just go to calcs.app to play around with them.

tool to look up the properties of steel sections

tool to calculate the seismic force for nonstructural components

tool to calculate the axial capacity of a concrete column