Determine sectional forces and design statically indeterminate beams with high precision using PolyBeam, a simple beam calculator!
PolyBeam allows for linear elastic as well as plastic calculations of sectional forces in statically indeterminate beams using finite element theory.
Export your PolyBeam beam calculation as a short and elegant PDF that fits perfectly as an appendix to your structural report, see example.
PolyBeam includes a design check for steel, concrete and timber sections with respect to load bearing capacity, fire and natural frequency in accordance with Eurocode 2, 3 and 5.
By using an energy method PolyBeam determines the critical bending moment with high precision. This often leads to an increased load bearing capacity.
The PolyBeam starter license is available for free and will never expire! Download it now and try all the pro features free the first 7-days.
PolyBeam Starter
Sectional forces
PDF export
Unlimited loads
2 Restraints
PolyBeam Pro
Unlimited restraints
Steel-, timber- and concrete design
Fire design
Natural Frequency Analysis
PolyBeam Enterprise
Pro features
Multi user access
Are you a student? Get PolyBeam Pro for free! by signing up with your student email.
In PolyBeam you can choose the most common European steel sections such as IPE, HEA, HEB and HEM from the catalog. If you are working with other types of steel sections it is possible to create rectangular hollow sections, circular hollow sections and H-Sections.
The utilization of the steel sections is then immediately determined according to Eurocode 3 for ULS, SLS and Fire analysis.
Determine the steel beam capacity within bending moment (EN 1993-1-1 6.2.5), shear (EN 1993-1-1 6.2.6), bending and shear (EN 1993-1-1 6.2.8) and lateral torsional buckling (EN 1993-1-1 6.3.2.3).
The deflection is easily determined. It is possible to set a user-defined threshold for the deflection ratio.
To determine the natural frequency of the beam simply enter the load and let the software calculate the first natural frequency.
The fire analysis can be performed for either a standard fire (R30, R60, R120) or for a given temperature. PolyBeam then performs a capacity check with the reduced steel parameters. The critical steel temperature can also be found to choose fire protection.
A vide range of strength classes for both glued and solid timber is available in PolyBeam. You can either chose a timber section from the catalog or create a rectangular section by inserting the corresponding dimensions.
The beams service class and the load duration for each load case can be defined. Then the utilization of the section is automatically determined according to Eurocode 5 for ULS and SLS.
The timber beam calculator determines the capacity for Bending (EN 1995-1-1 6.1.6), Shear (EN 1995-1-1 6.1.7) and lateral torsional buckling (EN 1995-1-1 6.3.3).
Deflection and natural frequency is easily checked and compared to the thresholds given by the user. Usually a limit of L/400 and 8Hz respectively is suitable limits for the serviceability limit state.
You can use the concrete beam calculator to determine the capacity of rectangular concrete sections. It is possible to choose from a wide range of both concrete and reinforcement strengths or define your own if you work with different material properties.
The reinforcement of the section can be done exactly as you prefer, with as many layers of longitudinal reinforcement as needed and both with or without stirrups.
The concrete beam calculator determines the capacity for bending moment (EN 1992-1-1 6.1), Shear (either EN 1992-1-1 6.2.2 or EN 1992-1-1 6.2.3) and rotation capacity at plastic hinges (EN 1992-1-1 5.6.3).
It is possible to check for stress limitation (EN 1992-1-1 7.2), crack width (EN 1992-1-1 7.3.4), deformation and natural frequency. For all load combinations you can decide whether to include creep and shrinkage or not.
Follow these steps to get started with PolyBeam:
If you have any problems or questions regarding the installation don’t hesitate to contact us.
The beam calculator is made by engineers for engineers!
PolyBeam include a Eurocode design check, which makes it ideal for structural engineers operating within Europe.
The first thing our users associate with PolyBeam is simplicity. PolyBeam is a very simple and intuitive beam calculator, which makes it very easy to use – even if you are not familiar with IT and software. Supports, loads and section properties are inserted with a minimum amount of user input. Simultaneously, PolyBeam will draw a graphical representation of the beam with the applied loads, calculate sectional forces and determine the utilization of the beam.
The critical bending moment from lateral torsional buckling is determined based on an energy method, which accounts for the load attack height, the sectional forces and the restrains. Using this method, the critical moment is determined with high precision. This often leads to a higher load bearing capacity compared with traditional calculations.
As opposed to traditional engineering software PolyBeam determines sectional forces both elastic and plastically. This allows for a higher utilization of the most commonly used steel sections for statically indeterminate beams.
An ULS load combination can be specified. If this is done PolyBeam will check the sectional forces from the beam calculation with the load bearing capacity of the chosen section and determine the utilization. For more details about what is included in the ULS design check see the question “What does the design check include?“.
Two different types of SLS load combinations can be specified, Natural frequency analysis or deflection analysis. The natural frequency analysis determines the first natural frequency of the beam and allows the user to specify a threshold – this is very useful when dealing with vibration requirements. similarly, a deflection threshold can be specified, as default L/400 is used. Â
If a fire load combination is specified PolyBeam calculates the steel temperature based on the duration of the fire and determines the load bearing capacity. If the section is unable to withstand the load a critical steel temperature can be found and used to determine the required fire insulation.
When you have finished your beam calculation it is very easy to document your work. Simply click on export, chose which content you want to include and let PolyBeam create a short and elegant PDF document for you. This feature is one of the most liked features among our users.  See example.
The beam calculator, PolyBeam, separates the beam into a finite amount of beam elements. It then uses the finite element method to determine reactions and displacements from which the sectional forces are calculated. Based on these the cross section along the whole beam is checked according to the applied ULS, SLS and fire design requirements.
There are currently four material options available in PolyBeam, steel, timber, concrete and custom material.
The steel beam calculator lets you choose from the most commonly used steel sections in Europe (IPE, HEA, HEB and HEM) or create your own section using the custom section tool.
Timber beam calculator includes strength classes for both glue wood and solid timber. It lets you choose from the standard timber sections or create a section with your own dimensions.
The concrete beam calculator includes the option to create a rectangular concrete section with longitudinal reinforcement in both top and bottom. The shear capacity can both be determined for concrete sections with or without shear reinforcement.
The custom material allows you to specify a material stiffness (young’s modulus and moment of inertia), material behavior (linear elastic or elastic perfectly plastic) and a load bearing capacity. The load bearing capacity is used for the ULS design check and to determine the yield moment if an elastic perfectly plastic material behavior is chosen.
Steel sections can be designed for three types of design checks ULS, SLS and Fire.
The steel ULS design check includes Bending moment (EN 1993-1-1 6.2.5), shear (EN 1993-1-1 6.2.6), combined bending and shear (EN 1993-1-1 6.2.8) and lateral torsional buckling (EN 1993-1-1 6.3.2.4).
The SLS design check includes a deflection analysis and a natural frequency analysis where thresholds can be specified by the user.
The Steel fire design check includes reduction factors (EN 1993-1-2 3.2.1), Bending moment (EN 1993-1-2 4.2.3.3), shear (EN 1993-1-24.2.3.3) and Lateral torsional buckling (EN 1993-1-2 4.2.3.3).
Timber sections can be designed for ULS and SLS.
The timber ULS design check includes bending (EN 1995-1-1 6.1.6), shear (EN 1995-1-1 6.1.7) and lateral torsinal buckling (EN 1995-1-1 6.3.3).
The SLS design check includes deflection analysis and a natural frequency analysis.
Concrete sections can be designed for ULS and SLS.
The concrete ULS design check includes bending moment (EN 1992-1-1 6.1), shear capacity both without or with shear reinforcement (EN 1992-1-1 6.2.2 or EN 1992-1-1 6.2.2 respectively) and rotational capacity (EN 1992-1-1 5.6.3)
The SLS design check includes deflection, crack width, natural frequency and stress limitation. It is possible for the user to define whether to include creep and shrinkage in the SLS calculation.
Custom materials can be checked for both bending moment and shear if the appropriate section capacities are defined by the user. Furthermore, the deflection and natural frequency can be checked.
Yes, if you are interested in multiple licenses please contact us and let us know how many licenses you need. We will then get back to you as soon as possible with a quote.
PolyBeam calculates utilization of steel sections based on a Eurocode design check. Furthermore, the steel section catalog in PolyBeam is based on the standard European steel sections. Currently, we are not planning on including other design codes, so if the main part of your business is located outside of Europe then PolyBeam might not be the best option for you.
For more information about the beam calculator, PolyBeam, Contact Us.
If you are unsure whether PolyBeam is the right software for you, then click the button below and try it out for yourself.
