EuroBeam - Eurocode-based beam design software

FORTHCOMING CHANGE:

1. The steel/timber beam type will be removed in forthcoming EuroBeam releases. If you want to design steel and timber alternatives for the same loads please create two beams, one steel, one timber.

Release 3.21k, 13 September 2021

• Fixed bug which caused beam loading duration to be copied into load description field when adding beam loads in beam edit dialog.
• On flange plate beam splice calculations the F_b,Rd,hor line (two lines from end) was wrongly labelled as F_b,Rd,ver with the wrong value being printed at the end of the line - fixed: this was purely a presentational error - the correct value was used in determining the splice shear capacity (shown on following line).

Release 3.21j, 23 July 2021

• Autosave code has been changed so as not to close any open edit dialog when it cuts in
• Beam load cut and copy buttons didn't work in 3.21i - fixed
• The Eurobeam.net browser version of EuroBeam has been discontinued due to lack of use

Release 3.21i, 5 July 2021

• IMPORTANT FIX: in releases 3.21a-h timber post/stud using 6.10a/b the 6.10a moment could be used although the 6.10b moment was higher - fixed
• The handling of automatically added beam self weights has been improved. The o.w. load is now automatically placed at the top of the load table and is given a type of 'O'.
• Angle cleat connection calculations with just one set of bolts have been reworked.
• For timber beams the permissible bearing stress at the beam and padstone/bearing plate interface was incorrectly calculated - we were using the formula from the original EC5; we missed the change made in the 2007 revision, §6.1.5 - now incorporated.
• Timber beam copy and paste didn't carry over notes - fixed
• Fonts weren't correctly initialised on first-time install.
• This release is built with Embarcadero Delphi Sydney 10.4.2 which hopefully fixes random stability errors reported by a few users.

Release 3.21h, 26 April 2021

• IMPORTANT FIX: in releases 3.21a-f timber post/stud major axis effective lengths could be incorrectly calculated where the major and minor axis effective lengths differ.
• Further improvements made to grid load entry.
• Previously for padstones you could only enter a height if the 'Unreinforced padstone' box was checked. Now you can enter a height in all cases. If you enter a height of zero it is not shown on the printout.
• Beams added to project could be initialised with a grade of S355 although default steel grade set to S275 in User Setup dialog - fixed.

Release 3.21g, 7 April 2021

• IMPORTANT FIX: in releases 3.21a-f deflections for timber beams with B/F loads were incorrectly calculated.
• Problems with entering loads in beam edit dialog fixed
• AV error was thrown on trying to print RC beam analysis - fixed
• Print dialog didn't show correct options for steel+timber beams - fixed

Release 3.21f, 28 March 2021

• Fixes a bug introduced into 3.21e: Adding a beam with Automatically calculate beam o.w. selected in the Project Details gave an invalid expression error message - fixed.

Release 3.21e, 25 March 2021

• Changing load type to '-' in beam edit dialog load table now clears table row as for columns and timber posts
• Pressing B/F button in post edit dialog put N/A in load column instead of appropriate #nRx expression - fixed
• When new beam is added to project notes from last beam are no longer brought forward as default
• Sundry small fixes

Release 3.21d, 15 March 2021

• Adding a text page with Link lines set and no text caused a program hang - fixed
• Masonry strength calculator masonry stress could be lost on saving and reloading - fixed
• Bearing lines now prominently show bearing plate thickness - user suggestion
• Where bearings at R1 and R2 are the same, summary didn't mention R2 - fixed

Release 3.21c, 7 March 2021

• In the beam edit dialog if you entered a load description whose first letter(s) matched one of the dropdown list item the cursor incorrectly jumped to the next cell - fixed
• Issues with B/F loads and loads on bearings not being correctly evaluated fixed
• New item windows are now created expanded if 'Expand' box in Project Manager is checked (user request)
• Default steel grade set in User Setup dialog wasn't saved on exiting program - was always set to S355 on restarting - fixed
• Steel Check button on toolbar and right-click 'Check' on steel calculation didn't work in 3.21a/b - fixed
• Cut/copy/paste of beam splices caused AV errors - fixed
• The column edit dialog baseplate page has been modified: Adding a base is now selected by Yes/No radio buttons instead of a checkbox; if No, the base data fields are hidden.
• Project Manager was not always updated when adding items or editing data - fixed

Release 3.21b, 19 February 2021 - withdrawn

• Adding column to project could trigger AV error - fixed
• Bring forward load on columns didn't work (button put # load expression in wrong column) - fixed
• Additional B/F bearing load didn't work - fixed
• Bearing masonry stress of less than 0.05 is now changed to 0.70 (default value)

Release 3.21a, 14 February 2021 - withdrawn

This long overdue release is the result of a major project that has consolidated the SuperBeam, ProSteel and EuroBeam code into one largely common codebase. When work on EuroBeam started in 2009, the decision was made to build it off an independent codebase, the thinking being that by about 2014-15 no further work would be done on SuperBeam and ProSteel. Ten years on all three programs sell in similar numbers and having to maintain two separate codebases has caused lots of duplicated work. Now everything that can be commonised has been.

Key changes

• Beam edit dialog load page now adds four quick add buttons under the load grid - press 'U', 'R', 'V' or 'D' to add a dead load of this type; Ctrl+Click adds a live load
• Beam calculations now show the deflection coefficient for each load is shown in a new column that has been added to the beam printout load table.
• The A/1/2/3/4 buttons now they act as radio buttons: press one to select, then (as appropriate) press 'Add dead load', 'Add live load' or 'B/F' to add the corresponding row(s), then edit as necessary.
• Steel column printout didn't print hollow sections on load position diagram - fixed.
• Timber post dialog now has member dimensions on second page.
• Script for 140mm wide Catnic BSD140, BHD140 and BXD140 lintels has been added
• The User Setup, Create Backup on Save option has been removed. Now whenever you save a project (or it's saved by autosave) is set [default], what previously happened is that on saving your project the previous file was renamed with the first character of the file extension being replaced by a tilde, e.g MyProject.sbw was backed up as MyProject.~bw, any earlier .~bw files being discarded. Now, where possible, these files are sent to the Recycle Bin, giving you the opportunity to recover an earlier version, though this won't happen where you're saving to a network or cloud drive. Note that what hasn't been saved can't be recovered, so (in SuperBeam, ProSteel, Word, Excel etc) please don't put in hours of work without ever saving your changes.
• In connection with the last change, the File Open dialog now adds an Open Backup file type option. If you open such a file you will need to use File, Save As to save it under a new name.
• Configuration, Apply Closes option has been removed: now in edit dialogs, press Apply, then Close when done.
• When editing show current item option has been removed from User Setup, Preferences.
• A new Configuration Preference checkbox, Show startup dialog, has been added.
• The colour dialog now has buttons to set screen window colours to light and dark defaults. Pressing one of the buttons resets the font colours appropriately.
• Colour themes Golden Graphite and Metro Blue have been replaced by Glow Black and Stellar Blue.
• A number of improvements to the way in which calculations are presented have been made, e.g. showing some additional working and trying to show values with the appropriate number of decimal points.
• This release is built with Embarcadero Delphi 10.4 which should improve rendering on 4K displays.