Kannamwar Engineering · browser-based analysis
Structural analysis for beams, frames and sections. In the browser.
Built by a naval architecture and offshore engineering consultancy for the beams, girders and frames that turn up on every drawing. Model it, solve it, read every result with its location, and export a report a checker can trace.
- Beam · Frame · Section
- 3 workspaces
- AISC · CISC · EN · BS · AS/NZS
- 5 catalogues
- Free beam solver
- No install
- h × b
- 300 × 150 mm
- A
- 53.8 cm²
- Iₓ
- 8 360 cm⁴
- Wₓ
- 557 cm³
- Mass
- 42.2 kg/m
01 · How it works
Three workspaces, one model, one report
Pick the workspace that matches what is on the drawing. A section built once is reused in beams and frames, and every result goes into a calculation report.
Beam Calculator
Deck girders, stiffeners, skid beams, pipe-rack beams, crane runways. Any supports, any loads, results at every station.
Try the beam below FRAME2D Structural Analysis
Portal frames, lifting frames, pipe racks, trusses and bracing. Nodes, members, releases, load cases and combinations.
See the frame SECTIONSection Builder
Rolled shapes, built-up girders, stiffened plate, tubulars and anything from a DXF. Elastic, plastic, torsion and warping properties.
Build a section- 1 ModelSpan, supports, loads, section
- 2 SolveReactions, V, M, slope, δ, stresses
- 3 CheckMax / min with x, and the code check
- 4 RedesignChange the section, re-run instantly
- 5 ReportPDF with tables and diagrams
02 · Beam Calculator
Change a value. Watch the beam re-solve.
Choose the support case, move the point load, change the section. Shear, moment, deflection and stress update as you go, from the exact textbook solution. The Beam Calculator adds continuous spans, overhangs, more load types and sections along the span.
Sign convention: x from x = 0 to x = L, downward loads positive, sagging moment positive (drawn below the axis), bending stress + in tension.
Any support layout
Pinned, roller and fixed supports anywhere along the span: multi-span continuous beams and overhangs.
Any load pattern
Point loads, applied moments, and uniform, triangular and trapezoidal distributed loads over any length.
Results at every station
Reactions, deflection, moment, shear, slope, bending and shear stress, each with its maximum, minimum and x.
Catalogue or custom section
AISC, CISC, EN, British Steel and AS/NZS shapes, sections that change along the span, or one from its dimensions.
03 · Stresses
Through the depth, along the span
The contour below is driven by the beam you set above. Switch between von Mises, bending and shear. In the Beam Calculator the same field is drawn in 2D and 3D with the same nine bands and MX / MN tags, and printed in the report exactly as it is on screen.
MPa · coloured by magnitude, sign in the MX / MN labels (+ tension)
Checked against a code. The Beam Calculator’s code check gives the bending and shear utilisation to AISC 360-16 (ASD), API RP 2A-WSD, EN 1993-1-1 or IS 800:2007 (WSM). It does not check buckling, combined actions or deflection, and does not claim to.
Stated conventions. Positions run from x = 0 to x = L, downward loads are positive, sagging moment is positive and bending stress is + in tension. The documentation sets them out in full.
04 · 2D Structural Analysis
Frames and trusses on a drawing canvas
Draw nodes and members, assign sections, apply loads per case and solve with the direct stiffness method. Below, change the roof load and the horizontal load and the portal frame is re-solved by the 2D workspace’s own engine.
The exaggeration is capped so the shape stays on the canvas. In the workspace: fixed, pinned, roller and custom supports, member end releases, nodal and member loads, self-weight, load cases and combinations.
Draw or type
Nodes and members on a snap grid or by coordinates, with undo and redo. Members take sections from the catalogues or the section library.
Cases and combinations
Load cases, factored combinations and self-weight, solved case by case or combined.
Member results
Axial force, shear, moment and displacement along every member, and the reactions at every support.
Model checks
Mechanisms, unconnected nodes and invalid members are reported before the solve, and equilibrium is checked after it.
05 · Section Builder
Any cross-section, every property
Pick a shape family and drag the dimensions. Area, centroid, second moments, elastic and plastic moduli and radii of gyration are computed as you go. The Section Builder adds built-up sections from plates and catalogue shapes, drawn polygons, voids and DXF import, with torsion and warping constants from a finite element mesh.
Sharp-cornered shapes; catalogue values include root fillets and sit a little higher.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| A | 51.0 cm² |
| Cy from bottom | 150.0 mm |
| Ix | 7 870 cm⁴ |
| Iy | 591 cm⁴ |
| Sx top / bottom | 525 / 525 cm³ |
| Zx | 592 cm³ |
| rx / ry | 12.42 / 3.40 cm |
| Mass (steel) | 40.1 kg/m |
06 · Reports
The solved model becomes a calculation record
The PDF follows the model from inputs to results so a checker can trace every number: your project, document number, engineer, reviewer and approver on every sheet, and your company logo on Professional.
- · An index of chapters, figures and tables on page 1
- · Units and sign conventions, the loading diagram, the section drawn to scale
- · Reactions, then every diagram with its maximum, minimum and x
- · 2D and 3D stress contours exactly as on screen, then the code check
07 · Verification
Results you can check yourself
The 2D solver is compared with 16 closed-form and hand-calculated benchmarks (142 of 142 checks pass) and the Beam Calculator with 19 reference models (152 of 152). The verification centre lists every case with its reference value, the solver’s value and the difference.
| Case | Quantity | Reference | Ref. value | Solver | Rel. diff. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simply supported · UDL | M max | wL²/8 | 45 kN m | 45 kN m | 3.2e-16 |
| Fixed–pinned · UDL | M at fixed end | wL²/8 | 45 kN m | 45 kN m | 0 |
| Fixed–fixed · UDL | M at support | wL²/12 | 30 kN m | 30 kN m | 1.2e-16 |
| Cantilever · UDL | M at root | wL²/2 | 80 kN m | 80 kN m | 5.3e-16 |
| Pratt truss · joint loads | N in diagonal M7 | Method of joints | -33.9411 kN | -33.9411 kN | 2.1e-15 |
| Portal frame · roof + lateral | Sway at N2 | Stiffness + equilibrium | 1.289 mm | 1.289 mm | 0 |
| Three-span continuous · UDL | M at support | Reference engine | -25 kN m | -25 kN m | 8.3e-9 |
Tolerances: 1e-8 for the 2D benchmarks, 1e-4 of each diagram’s largest value for the beam models, and every reaction exactly.
Open the verification centre08 · Platform
Everything around the solver
The parts that make a calculation usable day to day.
Steel beam sizes
6,691 sections from AISC, CISC, EN, British Steel and AS/NZS, with filters, a compare tray, datasheets and Excel and PDF size charts.
Unit converters
Eleven categories, from force and stress to section properties, with a tributary-width tool and material densities.
DXF import
Section outlines straight from CAD into the Section Builder, parsed in your browser rather than uploaded.
Saved work and history
Beam models in folders, reusable sections, and 2D projects with checkpoints, version history and restore.
Kannamwar AI
Proposes model and section changes for you to review in the Beam, 2D and Section Builder workspaces.
PDF reports
Every workspace exports a report with your project details, and your company logo on Professional.
Model checks
Mechanisms, unconnected nodes and invalid members are flagged before a 2D solve, and equilibrium is checked after.
Runs in the browser
Any current browser on Windows, macOS or Linux. Nothing to install, no licence server.
09 · Pricing
Free to solve. Paid to keep and share.
Beams, frames, trusses and section properties solve free, with no install and no credit card, and every account starts with 7 days of full Professional access. Yearly billing saves up to a third.
| Feature | Free $0 after 7 days of full access | Starter $9.99 per month | ProfessionalPopular $14.99 per month | Team $14.99 per user per month, 3+ seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Determinate and indeterminate beams, 2D frames and trusses | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Section Builder calculation and DXF import | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Catalogue shapes in the Section Builder | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Beam deflection diagrams and 2D displacements | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 2D load cases, combinations and self-weight | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Commercial use | — | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Saved models and reusable sections | — | 10 + 10 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| PDF reports | — | 10 a month | Unlimited, your logo | Unlimited, your logo |
| Kannamwar AI for Beam and 2D, project folders, 2D version history | — | — | ✓ | ✓ |
| Central billing and seat management | — | — | — | ✓ |
| Start free | Choose Starter | Choose Professional | Start a Team |
Monthly prices in US dollars. Compare every feature on the pricing page
10 · Before you start
Documentation and guides
Is it free to use?
Yes. Determinate and indeterminate beams, 2D frames and trusses, Section Builder calculations with DXF import, the steel catalogue and the unit converters are free, with no credit card. Every account starts with seven days of full Professional access. After that, PDF reports, saved models, deflection results and commercial use need a paid plan; the pricing page lists exactly what each plan includes.
What does the beam calculator check?
It gives the support reactions, and along the whole span the deflection, bending moment, shear force, slope, bending stress at the top and bottom fibres and average shear stress, each with its maximum, minimum and location, plus 2D and 3D von Mises, bending and shear stress contours. Its code check gives the bending and shear utilisation to AISC 360-16 (ASD), API RP 2A-WSD, EN 1993-1-1 or IS 800:2007 (WSM) for the steel grade you choose; buckling, combined actions and deflection are not checked.
How are positions and signs defined?
Positions are measured along the beam as x, from x = 0 at the start to x = L at the end, so 0 ≤ x ≤ L. The axes have their origin (0, 0, 0) at the start of the beam: x along the beam, y upwards and z towards you. A positive load acts downwards and a negative load upwards. Bending stress is + in tension and − in compression.
How do I know the results are right?
The beam solver is compared with 19 reference models (152 of 152 checks pass), and the 2D solver with 16 closed-form benchmarks (142 of 142 checks pass). The verification centre lists every case, its reference values and its tolerance.
Which sections can I use?
Any of the 6,691 catalogued steel sections from the AISC Shapes Database, the CISC tables, the EN families, the British Steel tables and the AS/NZS families (browse them in Steel Beam Sizes), or a custom section: choose its shape and enter its dimensions, and the area, second moment of area and fibre distances are calculated for you.
Do I need to install anything?
No. Every tool runs in the browser, and DXF files for the Section Builder are parsed on your machine rather than uploaded.
Start with a beam. It’s free.
No install and no credit card. Open the calculator, solve your first span and export the report when you’re ready.