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The Solutions Center receives more than 200 phone and E-mail inquiries each week. Your questions help us identify ways that we can make your life easier, and that’s why we created Steel Tools. Steel Tools are automated calculators that can help designers arrive at the optimal design quickly and easily. These alternatives to back-of-the-envelope calculations can help you save time, especially in the early stages of a project. They combine the speed and flexibility of the computer with the un-programmable knowledge of the user. Steel Tools are fast and easy, and best of all they’re free! Explore and download the library of Steel Tools below.
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RAM Estimator v3.2
Structural design software can quickly give conceptual designs for structures. RAM Estimator was created to help use the popular software RAM Structural System, more efficiently. This tool allows the user to gain access to the information stored in the software model to quickly create a cost estimate for the design. The weight of the steel, number of studs, number of cambered beams, number of moment connections, surface area of the beams and columns, and total floor areas are some of the items read from the model and tabulated in RAM Estimator. Each of these items can then have a cost associated with it to obtain a total structure cost for the project. Take ten minutes to call your favorite fabricator, general contractor, or AISC’s Steel Solutions Center to gather current costs. RAM Estimator is compatible with AISC’s 2005 standards and specifications. RAM Structural System is a trademark of RAM International, a Bentley Solution Center
This is a full installation program. Please download the .zip file at the link above. After downloading and unzipping, double click on Estimator_v3_1.msi to begin installation. See the ReadMe.txt file for more information.
Updated 01/04/2007
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Beam Calculator v13.2
Beam Calculator takes AISC’s non-composite beam curves to the next level. The program will plot the curves for any set of user-selected cross sections. The program will also allow the user to input a design moment and unbraced length and give the lightest sections that are adequate, from the list of user-selected shapes.
NOW UPDATED TO AISC 2005 SPECIFICATIONS
You must enable macros in MS Excel for this program to work.
Updated 07/25/2007
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Clean Columns v13.1
With Clean Columns the user can quickly find the minimum weight column section that can be used without stiffeners and/or doubler plates to develop a specified moment, based on the criteria presented in AISC Design Guide 13, Stiffening of Wide-Flange Columns at Moment Connections . Once the joint forces are known, this tool takes only a few minutes to identify the lightest unreinforced column section. The tool applies in wind or low-seismic applications.
NOW UPDATED TO AISC 2005 SPECIFICATIONS
You must enable macros in MS Excel for this program to work.
Updated 01/04/2007
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Crane Beam v1.1
This tool was developed as a companion to Design Guide 7, Industrial Buildings . Crane Beam is an educational tool to aid in crane runway beam design in accordance with AISC 9th edition ASD and AISC 3rd edition LRFD. Wide flange beams and wide flange beams with cap channel sections can be evaluated. Detailed sample calculations are included that follow the procedures in the design guide and AISC specifications.
You must enable macros in MS Excel for this program to work.
Updated 04/21/2005
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Opening Calculator v1.1
There is open space in a braced frame that can be taken advantage of for window or door openings. Use the Opening Calculator to perform the geometric calculations to show that a door or window will fit between the braces. This will increase the opportunities to use braced frames in the structure while allowing for architectural freedom. Opening Calculator is compatible with AISC’s 2005 standards and specifications.
You must enable macros in MS Excel for this program to work.
Updated 04/21/2006
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Floor Framing v13.1
Floor Framing (formerly known as Parametric Bay Studies) can help engineers determine optimal composite steel and concrete slab on metal deck floor framing. This tool can design a typical interior bay and optimize the results for either the overall weight or the relative cost of the framing system. Each evaluation is based on strength, deflection limits, and vibration for walking excitation based on AISC Design Guide 11, Floor Vibrations Due to Human Activity . Each run takes less than a minute, so criteria such as slab density and thickness, column spacing, and loading can quickly be changed to optimize the floor framing.
NOW UPDATED TO AISC 2005 SPECIFICATIONS
This is a full installation program. Please download the .zip file at the link above. After downloading and unzipping, double click on FloorFraming_V13_1.msi to begin installation. See the ReadMe.txt file for more information.
Updated 01/04/2007
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Surface Area v13.1
Surface Area will help you quickly estimate the surface area of the steel in a regular building. Since painting costs are based on the surface area of the coated steel, as opposed to the floor area, you can get a more accurate estimate of the required paint. Surface Area can also be used to estimate the volume of spray-applied fire resistive material required for a project. Enter typical beam, girder, and column sizes and the surface area of the steel is summarized. Version 13.0 has been updated to include the shape properties from the AISC Steel Construction Manual , 13th Edition. Surface Area is compatible with AISC’s 2005 standards and specifications.
You must enable macros in MS Excel for this program to work.
Update 01/04/2007
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FloorVibe Demo
This free version of FloorVibe conducts floor vibration analysis for floors subjected to walking excitation. The calculations follow the procedures of Design Guide 11, Floor Vibration due to Human Activity . This program is a limited functionality version of the full FloorVibe program, developed by and available from Tom Murray, PhD, P.E.
This is a full-installation program. After downloading and unzipping the file, double click on setup.exe to begin installation.
AISC ShapesPDA 1.0
The AISC ShapesPDA 1.0 (Palm Version) provides electronic access to dimensions and properties of W-, M-, S-, and HP-shapes, channels (C- and MC-shapes), angles (L- and 2L-shapes), tees (WT-, ST-, and MT-shapes), hollow structural sections (HSS) and steel pipe (P, PX and PXX), as given in the AISC LRFD Manual of Steel Construction , 3rd Edition. U.S. customary and metric units included. The program was developed by David Homes, formerly of the University of New Orleans.
This is a full-installation program. Please download the .zip file at the link above. After downloading and unzipping the file, double click on the .prc file that is appropriate for the operating system of your Palm device. The .prc file will install a program to your desktop computer that will be installed on your Palm device the next time that the device is synchronized with the computer. At this time, ShapesPDA v.1.0 is only available for PalmOS versions 4 and 5.
MASTAN2
The MASTAN2 structural analysis software is intended for the student or practicing engineer who is interested in exploring nonlinear analysis. Although MASTAN2 is similar in functionality to today's commercial software, the number of pre- and post-processing options have been limited in order to minimize the amount of time needed for a user to become proficient at its use. The analysis routines provide the user the opportunity to perform first- or second-order elastic or inelastic analyses of two- or three-dimensional frames and trusses subjected to static loads. The program is based on the theoretical and numerical formulations presented in the text Matrix Structural Analysis, 2nd Edition, by McGuire, Gallagher, and Ziemian (John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2000). In this regard, the reader is strongly encouraged to use this software as a learning tool for demonstration, reviewing examples, solving problems, and perhaps performing analysis and design studies. An interactive tutorial is also included.
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For technical assistance with installing and using Steel Tools, ideas on how to improve your productivity with these tools, or suggestions on how to improve them, please contact the AISC Steel Solutions Center at 866.ASK.AISC or solutions@aisc.org
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