What it checks
The module designs aluminum beams using the strength method per ADM 2020. It evaluates flexure and shear capacities for doubly-symmetric I-shapes, incorporating local and lateral-torsional buckling limits. The design process applies mechanical properties from Table B.4.1 and accounts for heat-affected-zone reductions at welds.
The engine performs a closed-form check to determine section and alloy capacities. It processes project load combinations to identify the governing case, with specific handling for seismic effects when enabled. The results reflect the interaction of these factors on the member's ultimate strength.
Inputs
- Alloy - Designation string for the aluminum alloy and temper (e.g., 6061-T6).
- Load Combinations - Project-specific load combination configurations; if absent, the module uses the ASCE 7-22 §2.3.1 strength set.
- Seismic - Ev toggle and SDS value; if SDS is greater than zero, the vertical seismic effect is folded into seismic combinations.
- Self Weight - Member weight in plf; the beam's Self Weight option adds this value to the dead load.
What it reports
- Capacity - Section and alloy capacities derived from the closed-form check, noting that loads are ignored in this specific field definition.
- Governing Combination - The specific load combination that governs the design and the source of its load factors.
- Seismic Status - Indicates whether the vertical seismic effect was included and states the SDS value if active.
- HAZ Reduction - The reduction applied to capacity at welds due to the heat-affected zone per §7.1.
- Buckling Limits - Verification of local and lateral-torsional buckling constraints on the flexural capacity.
Code references
The engine cites ADM 2020 Chapter B (general), Chapter F (flexure) — §F.2 doubly-symmetric I-shapes, Chapter G (shear) — §G.1, §7.1 (welded members, HAZ reduction), and Table B.4.1 (mechanical properties of common alloys). When project load combinations are not provided, the module falls back to the ASCE 7-22 §2.3.1 strength set.
Limits
The module is a pure-Rust calculation engine with no Tauri imports. The capacity field explicitly notes that loads are ignored in the closed-form check. The module assumes US Customary units (kips, in, ft, ksi). If the alloy designation is not found in the central catalog or embedded values, it falls back to 6061-T6. Results are engineering aids; the engineer of record is responsible for the design.