ProSteel 5

Structural steel design to BS5950-1:2000

"Keep up the good work, ProSteel is absolutely superb and is saving me so much time (and heartache!). The more I use it, the more I like it." - E-mail from a ProSteel user, March 2002

Key features

• Steel beam design and checking to BS5950-1:2000

• Column design and checking to BS5950-1:2000

• Analysis of openings through beam webs using SCI/CIRIA guidelines

• Angle cleat, end plate and fin plate connection design in accordance with SCI 'Green Book' (connections with a single row of bolts only)

• And all in one easy to use and affordable program! A single user licence copy costs just £149+VAT. Full price list   BUY NOW

A quick tour round ProSteel

ProSteel and SuperBeam lookvery similar - this is not surprising given that they share a lot of common code. Like many other Windows applications, both have a menu at the top, button bar under and status line at the bottom. You can choose the font(s) used to display and print calculations. A larger font is easier to read; a smaller font shows more information without scrolling - the choice is yours!

ProSteel (like SuperBeam) works with projects. A project contains one or more 'items': beams, stanchions, connections, text pages and OLE pages, the last containing data produced by other applications on your system. The items in the current project are listed in the Project Manager which occupies the leftmost part of the desktop.

Beam data is edited using a four page modeless dialog. Clicking on the 'Apply' button commits any changes that you make without closing the dialog, and you see the updated calculations in the corresponding window. 'Undo' restores the data to what it was before you started editing or last pressed 'Apply'.

You can enter up to 30 loads per beam - dead and live loads are entered separately. As with SuperBeam, loads can be UDL's, part UDL's, point loads or variable loads. Load positions are measured from R1; when a position greater than the span is entered the member is analysed as a beam with cantilever end extending beyond R2.

You can also display and print beam loading and bending moment and shear force diagrams

So to work out a typical beam you enter the loads, click on 'Apply'. Then click on the Steel tab (at which point you see this page of the dialog) and make any changes, then 'Apply' again. The required size on the button immediately under 'Consider' (see below) - you can click on the button to manually choose an alternative section, if you don't want the one that the program has selected. Then click on the 'Bearings' tab and change the bearing details as necessary. Click once more on 'Apply' then close the dialog and you're done.

The last page of the beam edit dialog holds details of any openings in the beam web. Openings are analysed following the methodology in the SCI/CIRIA paper; stiffener sizes (where required) are calculated by the program

ProSteel's column edit dialog is almost the same as the one in SuperBeam 4. It has three pages, one each for loads, steel design parameters and base plate sizing.

Connection design is based on the BCSA 'Green Book'. The connection edit dialog has two pages. The first one lets you select the supported beam and supporting beam or stanchion. The second page contains the connection data.

ProSteel includes a basic text editor that will allow straightforward pages to be created. Embedded tags within the text handle tabs, underlining and overlining (for titles) and tab setting. Such text page are useful for things like standard loading pages, title pages etc.

ProSteel also gives you the option of adding OLE Object Pages to your projects. An Object Page contains data produced by another application on your system such as a word processor or CAD package. When you want to edit the data the application which created it is called up.

Price list

SuperBeam and SuperHeat are registered trademarks of Survey Design Associates Limited

ProSteel and EuroBeam are trademarks of Survey Design Associates Limited

© Survey Design Associates Ltd, Kestrel House, 111 Heath Road, Twickenham, Middx. TW1 4AF, U.K.
Tel: +44 (0)20-8744 2002   Fax: +44 (0)20-8891 0866.

Top Last revised 16 June 2007