×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

AutoCad plug-ins and Flitch Beams

AutoCad plug-ins and Flitch Beams

AutoCad plug-ins and Flitch Beams

(OP)
Can anyone recommend a good AutoCad 2000 plug in for architectural type drawings,  floor plans, elevations, etc.
Something that lets you put in walls, doors and windows without always erasing lines to fit them in.

I know this is a structural engineering site.  But I can't be the only PE out there who also does building and framing design.      

On a structural engineering question.  Flitch Beams...
(2 timber beams with a steel plate in between), exactly what is the maximum length you can design for.  Is it a function of plate thickness.  Regarding bolts, how is size and spacing figured.  Structural bolts are never used, usually Carriage Bolts (not ASTM 325).  I figure they are SAE Class 5's to Class 8's.  Anybody know what is customary.  Probably the bolts are the stuff sold at places like Home Depot.

Ok, these are my questions fo today
  


RE: AutoCad plug-ins and Flitch Beams

Carriage bolts have a button head and square shaft for part of the length so they do not twist as you tighten up the nut.

RE: AutoCad plug-ins and Flitch Beams

A good reference on flitch plate design including bolting may be found at: http://www.destefanoassociates.com/tech/flitch.pdf

Hope this helps

RE: AutoCad plug-ins and Flitch Beams

I never thought about the length of a flitch beam before, good question. I guess you'd want the wood to be continuous pieces. It's hard to get 2x12's longer than 24 feet. I think you can get LVL's longer. I have done LVL flitch beams before. If the span get longer than 24 feet you should probably be using a steel beam anyway. I'd be concerned about a floor beam getting bouncy. Also how the beam is braced will impact the length. Although typically you'll have the top continuously braced unless you have some weird transfer girder or something.

For the bolts, I use the bolt design values in the NDS, I think they are for A307 bolt, not sure though. I take the moment and divide by the distance between the rows of bolts to get the shear force along the top and the bottom of the beam.

I have a spreadsheet I made up for flitch beams. Bug me about it and I will e-mail it to you. I'd like someone else to check it over anyway if you are up to it. It's probably still a little rough around the edges.

RE: AutoCad plug-ins and Flitch Beams

(OP)
Ben 1212
please see Flitch Plates thread

RE: AutoCad plug-ins and Flitch Beams

I've used Architectural Desktop 3.3 with Acad 2000 and found it does everything you're looking for.  StruCalc just came out with their latest update and it now includes Flitch Plate beam designs and checks.  Looks like you're doing similar work to me.  Good luck.

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources