AWC Connection Calc vs RCS

Provides users with a mobile approach to calculating capacities for single bolts, nails, lag screws and wood screws per the 2024 NDS. Both lateral (single and double shear) and withdrawal capacities can be determined. Wood-to-wood, wood-to-concrete, and wood-to-steel connections are possible. LIMITS OF USE SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS Connection capacities are calculated on the basis of design provisions in the 2024 National Design Specification® for Wood Construction (NDS®). The calculated capacities are based on the following assumptions and conditions: · Bolts and lag screws must meet the requirements of ANSI/ASME B18.2.1, wood screws must meet the requirements of ANSI/ASME B18.6.1, and nails must meet the requirements of ASTM F1667. · Bolts, lag screws and wood screws must be installed in predrilled lead holes in accordance with the provisions of NDS Chapter 11. · Bolts, lag screws and wood screws must not be forcibly driven into connection members with a hammer or other impact device. · The faces of adjacent connection members are brought into contact when fasteners are installed. · Adequate edge distances, end distances and spacing must be provided for all fasteners to prevent splitting of wood connection members, in accordance with NDS Chapter 11. · Steel side plates with thickness of ¼ in. or greater must meet the requirements of ASTM A36, and steel side plates with thickness less than ¼ in. must meet the requirements of ASTM A653, Grade 33. · Concrete connection members must have compressive strength (fc') of at least 2500 psi. · The on-line Connection Calculator does not specifically address multiple-fastener connections. See NDS Chapters 10-11 and NDS Appendix E for applicable design provisions. · The on-line Connection Calculator does not address fasteners installed at an angle to grain (e.g., toe-nails). See NDS Chapters 10-11 for applicable design provisions. · The on-line Connection Calculator does not address fasteners subjected to combined lateral and withdrawal loading. See NDS Chapters 10-11 for applicable design provisions. · The on-line Connection Calculator does not address connections with gaps or non-structural spacer blocks between members. GENERAL STRUCTURAL GUIDELINES The quality of structural wood products and fasteners and the design of load-supporting members and connections shall conform to provisions of the NDS. The on-line Connection Calculator is based on design equations for lateral loading and withdrawal loading specified in NDS Chapters 10 and 11, along with fastener characteristics specified in NDS Appendix L. The NDS Commentary, NDS Appendices I through N, and NDS Chapters 12-13 provide additional guidelines regarding the design of connections in wood structures. RESPONSIBILITY FOR DESIGN While every effort has been made to insure the accuracy of the information presented, and special effort has been made to assure that the information reflects the state-of-the-art, neither the American Wood Council nor its members assume any responsibility for any particular design prepared from this on-line Connection Calculator. Those using this on-line Connection Calculator assume all liability from its use. This Connection Calculator is not meant to be a replacement for the NDS and does not encompass all of its design options. The American Wood Council On behalf of the industry it represents, AWC is committed to ensuring a resilient, safe and sustainable built environment. To achieve these objectives, AWC contributes to the development of sound public policies, codes and regulations that allow for the appropriate and responsible manufacture and use of wood products. We support the utilization of wood products by developing and disseminating consensus standards, comprehensive technical guidelines and tools for wood design and construction, as well as providing education regarding their application. Contact AWC via email: info@awc.org or connect with one of AWC’s regional building code experts.

Analyse and design reinforced concrete sections on your iPhone. RCS brings geometry, material properties, load cases and calculation results into one workflow, with professional PDF reports. DEFINE YOUR CROSS SECTION Choose from solid and hollow circular, rectangular, oblong and other standard sections. Build beam and wall sections, or define custom contours, openings and reinforcement. Use bar catalogues or custom diameters, with count and spacing modes where available. SET MATERIALS AND THE DESIGN CODE Define the concrete and steel properties, and select from the supported editions of ACI 318, AASHTO LRFD, CSA A23.3, CSA S6, AS 3600 and NZS 3101. Review material behaviour and adjust the advanced parameters for the selected profile. US and SI units are available. ADD YOUR LOAD CASES Enter axial forces and bending moments manually, import them from a file or paste a table of values. CALCULATE SECTION PROPERTIES Obtain areas, centroids, bending inertias and principal axes. Use finite element calculations for torsional properties, shear areas and the shear centre, and inspect shear stress distributions. CHECK RESISTANCE IN BIAXIAL BENDING Section check combines a 3D interaction surface, 2D curves and load checks in one page. Compare design and nominal resistance. Review resistant moments at each load's axial force, demand-to-resistance ratios and characteristic limit states. Identify the load cases the section can resist and those for which its resistance is insufficient. DESIGN THE REINFORCEMENT Determine the minimum steel area for the selected load cases. Review the resulting resistance surface, then recalculate a catalogue bar proposal selected from the design standard for the defined arrangement. CREATE PROFESSIONAL REPORTS Combine geometry, materials, loads and selected analysis results in a PDF report. Include project and engineer details, then save or share the report using your preferred app. LEARN THROUGH A GUIDED EXAMPLE Follow a circular-section example through section properties, section checks, reinforcement design and the final report. Contextual help explains each page and its results. LOCAL CALCULATIONS. NO ACCOUNT. Calculations run on your device. Save and load your project inputs locally, and choose when to share your reports. No RCS account is required. BUY ONCE, KEEP IT FOREVER Full access is a one-time purchase: no subscription, no recurring billing and no account. Updates are included. The App Store displays the price for your region before confirmation. Try RCS first with a free trial of 7 days or 20 analyses, whichever comes first, with no automatic charge. Restore purchases from Settings using the same Apple Account. RCS calculates cross-section resistance and properties. It does not perform a complete structural or member design. Review the selected code edition, material assumptions and input data for your project. Apple Standard EULA: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/