Prokon’s Crane Beam
Designing a crane beam manually is feasible but can become extremely time-consuming if accuracy is a priority. This is because you need to simulate various positions of the crane assembly along the beam, creating multiple load combinations. Each position requires its own load combination, and the more combinations you analyze, the more precise your design will be.
This is where Prokon’s Crane Beam module revolutionizes the process. By inputting the necessary parameters, you can swiftly run simulations, drastically accelerating your design workflow. Once everything is set up, the software allows you to analyze and design efficiently.
If your initial selection of beam profiles doesn’t meet the requirements, you can easily adjust them and rerun the analysis. Doing this manually would be exceedingly tedious and typically leads to oversizing members just to expedite the process. With Prokon, you can make adjustments and re-simulate in minutes, saving time and optimizing your design economically.
A critical factor in these simulations is the crane step size, which determines the incremental positions of the crane assembly along the beam. Smaller step sizes yield more accurate analysis and design results. This parameter is accessible within the General Parameters panel.
The smallest allowable step size in Prokon is 0.1m, which provides the most precise analysis. Below, you can observe the comparison between a coarse crane step size (1m) and the finest available (0.1m):
- Deflection at 1m step size: 10.38mm
- Deflection at 0.1m step size: 11.83mm
Although the difference in deflection—1.45mm—may seem minor, it can impact whether a beam meets deflection limits.
Prokon’s Crane Beam module simplifies the complex task of simulating crane assemblies on crane beams. It offers rapid and accurate results, leading to substantial time savings and more economical designs.
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