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Workflow Playbook
Screen a beam or slender member from support case and loading through reactions, section properties, bending and shear stress, deflection, and optional Euler buckling. Use the results for preliminary checking only, not design approval.
Hubs
This workflow is for a preliminary calculation note, classroom exercise, or early engineering screen. First identify the support model and the action you are investigating. A cantilever has one fixed end and a free end; a simply supported beam has two idealized supports. The selected model determines which reaction, moment, shear, and deflection equations are meaningful.
Record the load as either a point load or a uniformly distributed load where the tool supports it. For a simply supported point load away from mid-span, record its distance a from the left support and check that 0 < a < L when using the N/mm calculator. Keep the unit convention visible: the beam and stress tools generally use N, mm, MPa, and mm⁴, while the dedicated reaction and Euler tools use their own stated kN/m or GPa/m combinations.
Run the appropriate beam calculator first. A simply supported case can be checked with beam-reaction-force, which returns the two support reactions along with maximum shear and moment in kN-based units. The simply supported beam calculator provides the same type of actions in N and mm and is useful when the next stress or deflection tool uses that system. For a cantilever, keep the fixed-end moment and shear distinct from a pair of support reactions.
Use the section geometry to calculate I and section modulus with moment-of-inertia-calculator and section-modulus-calculator. Supported shapes include a rectangle, solid circle, hollow tube, and I-beam. Confirm the axis, dimensions, area, and units before copying I into a deflection or buckling input. A plausible-looking number from the wrong axis is still the wrong input.
Use deflection-calculator only for its four classic cases: cantilever with an end point load or UDL, and simply supported beam with a mid-span point load or UDL. Use bending-stress-calculator with the governing bending moment and the matching section shape. Use shear-stress-calculator with the governing shear force and the same shape family; it reports maximum and average shear values for its supported idealizations.
If the member is an axially compressed column rather than a transverse beam, add column-buckling-load. Select the end condition deliberately and provide the inertia about the buckling axis, area, modulus, and length. Treat the returned effective length, slenderness ratio, critical load, and critical stress as an Euler elastic screen, not as a complete stability design.
A usable result states the support case, load mode and position, geometry, material modulus, axis, units, formulas or tool modes, and the reported moment, shear, stress, deflection, or buckling values. Check equilibrium for reactions, confirm that section properties are reused consistently, and note any comparison limit. Assumptions and code checks require a qualified engineer. This workflow does not grant design approval and should not be presented as evidence that a member is safe to build or place in service.
Workflow playbook
Start by drawing or describing the idealized member. Use `cantilever-beam-calculator` for a fixed end with either a free-end point load or a uniformly distributed load. Use `simply-supported-beam-calculator` for a UDL, a mid-span point load, or a point load at a specified position. Use `deflection-calculator` only when its four classic support-and-load cases match the model.
For a simply supported beam, run `beam-reaction-force` with its kN and m inputs to obtain left and right reactions, maximum shear, and maximum moment. Cross-check the same case with `simply-supported-beam-calculator` when your working units are N and mm. For a cantilever, retain the fixed-end moment and shear from `cantilever-beam-calculator`; its result is not a pair of support reactions.
Select the actual rectangle, solid circle, hollow tube, or I-beam geometry. Use `moment-of-inertia-calculator` and `section-modulus-calculator` to obtain the second moment of area, section modulus, area, and related geometric values. Confirm that the bending or buckling axis and the mm-based units are the ones intended for the next checks.
Use the cantilever path for one fixed end and a free end. Use the simply supported path for a beam with two idealized supports; do not swap these cases because the reaction, moment, and deflection formulas differ.
Choose a point load or uniformly distributed load where the selected calculator supports it. For a simply supported beam, use the offset-load mode when the point load is not at mid-span and provide its distance from the left support.
Use section and stress tools for transverse beam actions. Add the Euler tool only for an axially compressed member when its end restraint, area, inertia, modulus, and length are known.
Feed the appropriate I, modulus, length, and load into `deflection-calculator` for a classic elastic deflection case. Use the resulting moment with `bending-stress-calculator`, and the shear action with `shear-stress-calculator`; choose the same cross-section family in both stress tools. Compare values only with a stated preliminary limit, and do not treat a low calculated value as proof of adequacy.
If the member is primarily an axially compressed column, use `column-buckling-load` with E in GPa, I in mm⁴ about the buckling axis, area in mm², length in m, and the selected end condition. Review the effective length, radius of gyration, slenderness ratio, critical load, and critical stress as an elastic Euler screen; short-column behavior and complete stability design require further engineering work.