Section Property Calculator Skill
Purpose
The Section Property Calculator Skill calculates cross-sectional properties for structural sections including area, moment of inertia, section modulus, and plastic modulus for both standard and custom shapes.
Capabilities
- Calculate cross-sectional properties (A, I, S, Z, r)
- Support for standard shapes (W, HSS, C, L, pipe)
- Custom section analysis
- Composite section properties
- Cracked section analysis for concrete
- Plastic section modulus calculation
- Effective section properties
- Built-up section analysis
Usage Guidelines
When to Use
- Determining section properties for design
- Analyzing composite sections
- Evaluating cracked concrete sections
- Designing built-up members
Prerequisites
- Section geometry defined
- Material properties specified
- Cracking criteria established (for concrete)
- Effective width defined (for composites)
Best Practices
- Use correct axis orientation
- Account for holes and penetrations
- Consider effective sections per code
- Verify against published values
Process Integration
This skill integrates with:
- Reinforced Concrete Design
- Structural Steel Design
- Bridge Design LRFD
Configuration
section-property-calculator:
standard-shapes:
- W-shapes
- HSS-rectangular
- HSS-round
- channels
- angles
- pipes
analysis-types:
- gross
- net
- effective
- cracked
Output Artifacts
- Section property tables
- Cross-section drawings
- Calculation summaries
- Composite section analysis