Within StruCalc is the hip/valley beam portion of the roof beam module. Our users can easily determine the size of a hip or valley beam by entering the span length and the pitch of the two roofs that are coming together. StruCalc will then determine the slope adjusted actual length of the beam, behind the scenes StruCalc also calculates the loading that the beam feels, and the size of the member. These are then viewable in the print outs.
Below is an actual representation of a hip beam in a construction view before inputting the design into StruCalc:
As you can see in the actual module here please click the thumbnail for design view:
StruCalc offers these options in Hip/Valley beam design:
- Choosing to force Side 1 and Side 2 to be equal length and equal roof pitch
- Allowing Side 1 and Side 2 to have independent width and pitch
- Choosing Half Rafter tributary Width or Full Rafter Tributary Width independently for each Side 1 and Side 2
- Adding Intermediate Support at any distance along the beam from the left end
- Checking Unbalanced Loads