Section property calculator

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