Weekly News
New Mcr calculation tool released
The British Constructional Steelwork Association (BCSA), Steel for Life and the Steel Construction Institute (SCI) have launched a new and greatly enhanced Mcr tool to assist steelwork designers and give them more flexibility in their work.
Initially launched more than three years ago, the tool was well received as it helped designers with a particularly tricky calculation. However, it had its limitations and to address these shortcomings the BCSA and Steel for Life has engaged the SCI to develop this new version.
“The new version allows full flexibility to define supports, restraints and loading to reflect complex arrangements,” said SCI Director David Brown.
“Intermediate supports and restraints may be defined at any position along the member, at a user-defined position from the shear centre. Point loads, distributed loads and moments may also be applied at any position. This gives the user the means to assess a member with a non-standard loading arrangement, perhaps with intermittent restraints to – for example – one flange only.”
Members may be UB or UC sections, or defined by dimensions or by properties. Defining members by dimensions allows the user to assess tapered members.
Comprehensive output is reported, which may be printed or exported to other applications. This new tool is available free at: www.steelconstruction.info and is another example of the comprehensive technical support provided by the steel construction sector.