The ConbeamU spreadsheet provides Excel user defined functions (UDFs) for the analysis of continuous and simply supported beams and cantilevers using Macaulay’s method.  It allows complex combinations of any number of partial distributed loads, point loads and moments, with changes in section properties along the length of the beam, and partial restraint to translation and rotation at the supports.  All functions have a “unit aware” version, allowing input and output to be in any of a wide variety  of units.  Full details are included in the download file (ConbeamU.zip) and at: Continuous Beam Spreadsheet – with Units.

Recently using the spreadsheet I noticed that some features were not particularly friendly, such as if a blank column was selected for an optional input range, this caused the functions to return an error.  This has now been fixed, and some other features added for added convenience:

• Any number of rows may be selected for each input range.  The ranges will automatically be adjusted to the length of the continuous block of data in the first column (see the previous post for details of the range selection functions).
• Data in optional columns may now be deleted without requiring the input range to be reselected to remove the blank range.
• The input areas in the examples have been rearranged to allow data ranges to be extended more conveniently without re-entering the functions (but note that the functions can be re-entered anywhere on the spreadsheet).
• The examples checked against Strand7 results have been moved to a separate file.
• Two functions to plot the input loads have been added.  PlotLoads and PlotMom allow the input loads to be plotted conveniently without re-adjusting the graph ranges.

Typical input and output is shown in the screenshot below.  The spreadsheet, including full open source code, may be downloaded from: ConbeamU.zip.

ConbeamU; click to view full-size