Beam Catalog V2

Quick start

1. Open an exact catalog beam.
2. Select a parameter chip to release it into its available range.
3. Move the slider to preview, then use the Select button to commit the displayed value.
4. Use Mu to find geometry with adequate moment resistance.
5. Share the committed catalog URL or print one to ten filtered beams.

Mu is a temporary selection helper. It is intentionally excluded from canonical beam URLs, shared links, JSON identifiers, and printed beam identity.

User guide

Fixed and released parameters

A fixed chip contributes an exact catalog filter. Selecting it releases that parameter so the backend returns all available values under the remaining filters. Committing a value fixes it again and updates the URL.

Committed state

Only committed selections update browser history and catalog results. Slider motion is a preview. Back and Forward restore committed geometry; transient Mu resets to zero.

Result behavior

• Every result set keeps the focused-beam sketch and preview navigator visible.
• One to ten results: Print includes every filtered beam and shows that count in its badge.
• More than ten results: Print includes the first ten beams in the current ranking and shows a badge of 10.
• Preview arrows do not commit or change the URL. Select the focused beam name to begin a new exact-beam cycle.
• On phones, swipe left or right across the sketch to preview adjacent beams; the compact position and strength indicator remains visible.

Canonical addresses

/beam/sib300h600fc30fy420fyt420db22dbt13nt6nb6
/beam/sib~300h600fc30fy420fyt420db22dbt13nt6nb6

The ~ marker means that a parameter is released. Canonical order is unit, b, h, fc, fy, fyt, db, dbt, nt, and nb.

Understanding the catalog

V2 is a catalog explorer, not an on-demand geometry generator. Its dimensions, materials, reinforcement combinations, layer details, and strength data are predefined and versioned.

• SI and US catalogs are independent but share the same identity grammar.
• Every URL-resolved beam is an existing catalog record.
• Longitudinal bar arrangement and strength belong to the beam record.
• Stirrup spacing s is a derived complement, not part of beam identity.
• SI schedules begin at 50 mm and advance by exactly 10 mm without exceeding the calculated maximum.
• US schedules begin at 2 in and advance by exactly 1 in without exceeding the calculated maximum.

Catalog updates are identified in API and beam-sheet metadata. A shared geometry URL intentionally does not embed a catalog version.

Legacy V1 Custom Designer

V1 remains available for custom dimensions and on-demand beam generation. Its terminal-style interface searches its cache first and can create a new design when a complete eligible query has no match.

b305 h621 fc30 fy420 db22 m350
b12in h24in fc4ksi fy60ksi db7i m100kft

A complete creation query requires b h fc fy db m. Live V1 commands include help, info, statistics, disclaimer, credits, cls, relax, and donate.

V1 versus V2

Beam sheets

/beamsheet/ creates one A4 portrait page per exact beam, with a maximum batch of ten. Print is always available when results exist: it sends every matching beam when there are ten or fewer, or the first ten beams in the current ranking when there are more. The blue badge is the number of sheets that will print. If any identifier fails validation, the complete batch is rejected.

• Section and material data, reinforcement, and scaled beam sketch
• φMn, R, ρ, longitudinal steel density, d_eff/h, and c/h
• Strain-based compression, transition, or tension classification
• Complete derived s : φVn schedule
• Catalog, calculation, and schema metadata

API guide

GET /beamapi/beam1
GET /beamapi/beam1,beam2
GET /beamsheet/beam1
GET /beamsheet/beam1,beam2

• Use exact canonical beam identifiers only.
• Separate multiple beams with commas and no whitespace.
• Maximum batch size is ten; duplicates are rejected.
• Batch validation is atomic: one invalid beam rejects all.
• JSON API batches may mix SI and US beams.
• Beam sheets reject mixed unit systems.

Metadata

{
  "product": "Beam Catalog",
  "product_version": "2",
  "api_version": "0.3.0",
  "schema_version": 1,
  "design_standard": "ACI 318-19",
  "calculation_version": "beamcatalog-calc-r2",
  "catalog_version": "2026.07.15"
}

Version meanings

Catalog version

The release date of the generated SI or US dataset. It changes when catalog records are regenerated or replaced.

Design standard

The published engineering standard used as the calculation basis. This is independent of Beam Catalog’s software revision.

Calculation version

The revision of Beam Catalog’s calculation implementation. Revision 2 includes the refined SI/US properties, compression-steel concrete displacement, and shear-spacing checks.

Schema version

The structure of the API and beam-sheet data fields. It changes only when fields or their meanings become incompatible; recalculating existing fields does not require a schema change.

Engineering basis and limitations

Current catalog calculations identify ACI 318-19 as their engineering basis. Key reported values include:

φMn

Design flexural strength after the strength-reduction factor.

R

Normalized flexural resistance based on beam width and effective depth.

ρ

Longitudinal tension reinforcement ratio.

εt

Extreme tension reinforcement strain.

d_eff/h and c/h

Normalized effective-depth and neutral-axis indicators.

s : φVn

Permitted stirrup-spacing alternatives and their corresponding design shear strength.

Classification uses εy = fy / Es: compression-controlled when εt ≤ εy, tension-controlled when εt ≥ εy + 0.003, and transition otherwise.

Release notes

Version history

Independent technical versions

Product, API, schema, calculation, and catalog versions have different meanings and may advance independently. API and beam-sheet metadata keep these fields separate.