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March 23, 2010 - Concise Beam version 4.50h is now available for download

YOUR COMMERCIAL LICENSE MUST BE CURRENT UP TO THE END OF MARCH 2010 AT THE EARLIEST TO BE ABLE TO USE THIS RELEASE.

Version 4.50h is a maintenance release that includes the following changes;

• Changed A23.3-04 shear provisions to use net concrete area in compression for axial strain.
• Corrected unit conversion problem when converting old steel libraries.

March 17, 2010 - Concise Beam version 4.50g is now available for download

YOUR COMMERCIAL LICENSE MUST BE CURRENT UP TO THE END OF MARCH 2010 AT THE EARLIEST TO BE ABLE TO USE THIS RELEASE.

Version 4.50g is a maintenance release that includes the following changes;

• Corrected the display of the strand profile in the strand edit dialog when no strands had yet been added.
• Allow the change of end strand offsets from within Profile dialog.
• Corrected amount of tensile steel resisting transfer stress. Removed steel in CIP pour.
• Changed service stress tensile limit to 7.5 sqrt(f'c) for ACI318-02-08.
• Changed 1.2Mcr to minimum flexural strength in reports and graph. Minimum strength lesser of 1.2 Mcr or 1.33(or 2.0) Mu.

February 25, 2010 - Concise Beam version 4.50f is now available for download

YOUR COMMERCIAL LICENSE MUST BE CURRENT UP TO THE END OF FEBRUARY 2010 AT THE EARLIEST TO BE ABLE TO USE THIS RELEASE.

Version 4.50f is a maintenance release that includes the following changes;

• Adjusted the trial design facility to avoid over-reinforcement.
• Corrected a few problems with the horizontal shear calculations.

February 16, 2010 - Concise Beam version 4.50e is now available for download

YOUR COMMERCIAL LICENSE MUST BE CURRENT UP TO THE END OF FEBRUARY 2010 AT THE EARLIEST TO BE ABLE TO USE THIS RELEASE.

Version 4.50e is a maintenance release that includes the following changes;

• Adjusted the flexural calculations to avoid spikes in capacity within the development length of debonded strands.
• Extended the combined stress report to cover lifting.
• Increased precision on self-weight reports.

December 31, 2009 - Concise Beam version 4.50d is now available for download

YOUR COMMERCIAL LICENSE MUST BE CURRENT UP TO THE END OF DECEMBER 2009 AT THE EARLIEST TO BE ABLE TO USE THIS RELEASE.

Version 4.50d is a maintenance release that includes the following changes;

• Adjusted the checking of section properties in the beam dialog for sections not lying on the x-axis.
• Adjusted the educational license.

December 21, 2009 - Concise Beam version 4.50c is now available for download

YOUR COMMERCIAL LICENSE MUST BE CURRENT UP TO THE END OF DECEMBER 2009 AT THE EARLIEST TO BE ABLE TO USE THIS RELEASE.

Version 4.50c is a maintenance release that includes the following changes;

• Corrected calculation of section properties in Section Editor for sections not lying on the x-axis.
• Corrected Add button in library editors to avoid sections of the same name.

December 17, 2009 - Concise Beam version 4.50b is now available for download

YOUR COMMERCIAL LICENSE MUST BE CURRENT UP TO THE END OF DECEMBER 2009 AT THE EARLIEST TO BE ABLE TO USE THIS RELEASE.

Version 4.50b is a maintenance release that includes the following changes;

• Corrected the use of the strand development length modifers.
• Corrected display of y in properties reports.
• Corrected heading of combined deflection report (D-C changed to E-C).

December 11, 2009 - Concise Beam version 4.50a is now available for download

YOUR COMMERCIAL LICENSE MUST BE CURRENT UP TO THE END OF DECEMBER 2009 AT THE EARLIEST TO BE ABLE TO USE THIS RELEASE.

Version 4.50a is a maintenance release that includes the following changes;

• Adjusted the horizontal shear strength provided for ACI if shear friction is not needed.
• Added flag and note indicating use of shear friction method for horizontal shear strength.
• Changed the note regarding the use of the PCI Standard Practices.

December 1, 2009 - Concise Beam version 4.50 is now available for download

YOUR COMMERCIAL LICENSE MUST BE CURRENT UP TO THE END OF DECEMBER 2009 AT THE EARLIEST TO BE ABLE TO USE THIS RELEASE.

Version 4.50 is a major new release that includes the following changes;

• Concise Beam's library and problem files are now installed in the Concise Beam Files directory under the (Windows) Documents or My Documents folder. Concise Beam's configuration file (*.ini file) will also be stored in that directory.
• Concise Beam now supports ACI 318-08 as well as retaining support for ACI 318-05, 02 & 99. NZS 3101.1:2006 is now fully implemented within the scope of Concise Beam.
• The Custom Code - Concrete Parameters dialog has been rearranged for clarity and Concrete Stress Limits dialog has been extended to suit ACI 318-08 (variable compression limit at transfer).
• Have eliminated steel grade and material libraries and replaced them with combined steel library files.
• The precast section and steel libraries have been changed to a new file format with new extensions. Old library files can be converted to the new format for use with Concise Beam from within the Library Management & Selection dialog.
• Have eliminated the limits on length of names in the library files and number of nodes in a section polygon.
• The user can now rename and delete folders within the edit library dialogs. The edit library dialogs have been rearranged for clarity.
• The precast section library now includes the type of section such as Double Tee. The section types are predefined and allow Concise Beam to make certain calculation decisions based on the section type. For instance the shear provisions are different for hollowcore slabs under some codes.
• The steel libraries now include the type of bar or strand such as Deformed Bar. The bar or strand types are predefined and allow Concise Beam to make certain calculation decisions based on the type. For instance the development length provisions are different for different bar or strand types.
• An option has been added to the Flexure tab to make Concise Beam use strict strain compatibility in the determining the strain in the development length of fully bonded strands.
• To complete Concise Beam's support for PCI Standard Design Practice document TR-7-05 the PCI recommended Zia/Hsu torsion design method has been implemented for ACI users. It's implemented as an option under the Shear tab, off by default, if the ACI code is selected.
• An option has been added to the Deflection tab to allow the inclusion of highly dynamic loads in the live load deflections. This would include wind and seismic loads. The option is off by default since these loads are not generally considered serviceability loads.
• The "Use Midspan Properties for Full Length of Beam" calculation option (Deflection tab) is now saved with the problem file.
• Have added some additional measures to try to discourage unauthorized use of Concise Beam.
• Version 4.5 uses a new format of license key. License keys issued for use with prior versions of Concise Beam will not work with version 4.50. All current license holders will receive a new license key.
• Cleaned up Concrete Dialog by removing the fci/fc ratios which were of minimal use.
• Have added two options to specify whether the concrete in the precast beam is steel fibre reinforced or flowable (SCC). These options can affect shear strength and strand development respectively.
• The density factor for concrete in shear(lambda) is now interpolated for the ACI codes between normal density, semi-low density (sand) and low density concretes.
• The higher concrete density limit for the calculation of Ec under ACI318-08 has been retroactively applied to previous versions of ACI 318.
• Added a warning about defining deep beams in Concise Beam. Concise Beam uses beam theory which is not applicable to deep beams. The strut-and-tie method is recommended for deep beams.
• The cross-section chosen from a library files can now be edited, from the Section Properties dialog, using the section editor without having to modify the currently selected library file. This can be more convenient when editing unique sections that won't have to be reused in the future. The edited section could always be added to a library file (imported into a library) at a later date. You can now even create a new precast section without having to pick one from a library.
• The bearing length in service can now be specified at each end of the beam.
• The topping is now referred to as the cast-in-place pour to reflect the increased flexibility in which Concise Beam can model this part of the composite cross-section. The topping or CIP element can now be adjusted vertically and laterally relative to the top of the precast section so that it can now lie below the top of the precast beam. The CIP element is assumed to be composite with the precast beam. The user can now also specify the exact width and height of the composite interface in case this isn't obvious to Concise Beam. The composite interface is always assumed to be horizontal.
• An option has been added to the Cast-In-Place Pour Definition dialog to specify whether the composite should be considered intentionally roughened.
• The Torsion Parameters dialog has been extended to accomodate the use of the Zia/Hsu torsion method as recommended by PCI. This optional method is only available if using one of the ACI codes.
• The torsion dialog also now allows the user to specify whether the applied torsion can be reduced by moment redistribution.
• Adjusted the torsion calculations for hollow sections under the ACI codes.
• The Applied Loads dialog now gives you the option to specify whether a load is applied directly to the current beam or to an adjacent beam. If applied to an adjacent beam then the current beam would only be affected by load distribution.
• You can now select whether a selected reinforcing is rebar or wire. This may affect certain limits such as the maximum yield strength for stirrups under ACI. Selecting wire allows you to model WWR. The reinforcing steel ibraries have been expanded to show commonly available wire sizes and grades in Canada, the USA and Australia. When modelling WWR the user can specify the spacing of the cross wires for shear steel or the number of wires for longitudinal steel (assuming laid horizontal as in a slab). The spacing of the bars and wires can now be specified for the sake of development length calculations. This spacing isn't used to calculate the number of bars or wires included in the section.
• The steel material is now specified directly by the user instead of selected from a library. The bar/wire size can still be selected from a library or it could simply be input by the user directly.
• The end type of the bar or wire is now expanded to include straight embedment (old non-hooked option), fully developed, standard hook, or headed bar. Fully developed means that the development length is zero. This would match the old hooked option and can be used to model a continuous bar when simulating a multi-span beam. The standard hook and headed bar have a development length as calculated by the relevant design code.
• The steel material is now specified directly by the user instead of selected from a library. The strand size can still be selected from a library or it could simply be input by the user directly.
• The user can now specify whether a strand is epoxy coated.
• The user now has more control over the calculation of the strand development length including accounting for actual strand end slippage or providing user defined transfer and development length. The user can also specify modification factors for debonding, top location, and coating for each strand group. Thanks to Karl Truderung of Lafarge for the suggestion.
• The steel material is now specified directly by the user instead of selected from a library. The bar/wire size can still be selected from a library or it could simply be input by the user directly.
• The steel material is now specified directly by the user instead of selected from a library. The bar, wire, or strand size can still be selected from a library or it could simply be input by the user directly.
• Added two new text reports for service concrete stresses in the cast-in-place pour.
• Added a text report for the uncracked transformed section properties at the lifting stage.
• Updated the Externally Applied Loads table of the Summary Report to show the load distribution.
• The text reports list has been rearranged.
• The analysis reports now show the serviceability load combinations (total unfactored loads in some codes).
• The rebar and strand development lengths have been removed from the Summary Report and given their own report - "Strand, Bar and Wire Development Lengths" report.
• The Summary Report has been rearranged a bit.
• The Summary Report now includes the UNCRACKED TRANSFORMED SECTION PROPERTIES IN SERVICE table which includes the transformed section properties of the steel and how that may vary along the length of the beam.
• The deflection table in the Summary Report now includes an explanation of the columns. Thanks to Chad Kohler of CKR Engineers for the suggestion. The calculation of long-term deflections has been improved by properly accounting for the construction schedule dates including a newly scheduled date for completion of construction.
• Extended the Prestress Force reports to show initial prestress and offsets.
• Extended the section property reports to show net properties if used.
• The graph list has been rearranged.
• The graphing functions were rewritten to allow for partial length lines.
• The "Flexural Design Check" report now includes a curve for the minimum required flexural design strength (i.e. 1.2 Mcr) unless the "Check Minimum Strength at Critical Sections Only" (Options->Calculation Options) is selected.
• The longitudinal shear steel graph (for CSA A23.3) has been clarified a bit.
• New graph for Horizontal Interface Shear.
• Changed graphs to show bearing lengths if available.
• Many bug fixes and adjustments. You can look at the Revision History for a full list.

March 6, 2009 - Concise Beam version 4.47j is now available for download

YOUR COMMERCIAL LICENSE MUST BE CURRENT UP TO THE END OF MARCH 2009 AT THE EARLIEST TO BE ABLE TO USE THIS RELEASE.

Version 4.47j is a maintenance release that includes the following changes;

• Corrected a bug that would affect crack section calculations.
• Adjusted the calculation of transformed section properties with large amounts of reinforcing steel.

January 5, 2009 - Concise Beam version 4.47i is now available for download

YOUR COMMERCIAL LICENSE MUST BE CURRENT UP TO THE END OF JANUARY 2009 AT THE EARLIEST TO BE ABLE TO USE THIS RELEASE.

Version 4.47i is a maintenance release that includes the following changes;

• Corrected a bug that would allow point loads a distance h/2 from the support from being considered when determining whether the design shear force could be limited to the critical shear force at h/2.
• Removed the limits on the input values for the torsional section parameters.
• Adjusted the calculation of shear depth where the effective depth is small.

January 5, 2009 - Concise Beam version 4.47h has been reposted for download

YOUR COMMERCIAL LICENSE MUST BE CURRENT UP TO THE END OF AUGUST 2008 AT THE EARLIEST TO BE ABLE TO USE THIS RELEASE.

Version 4.47h has been reposted with an updated security certificate for 2009. The updated setup file is "ConciseBeam4.47hSetUpRev1.exe".

August 11, 2008 - Concise Beam version 4.47h is now available for download

YOUR COMMERCIAL LICENSE MUST BE CURRENT UP TO THE END OF AUGUST 2008 AT THE EARLIEST TO BE ABLE TO USE THIS RELEASE.

Version 4.47h is a maintenance release that includes the following changes;

• Adjusted the calculation of bilinear deflections where the section properties at midspan are used throughout the length of the beam. This method is used when the "Use Midspan Properties for Full Length of Beam" calculation option (Deflection tab) is turned on. This option is only used for comparison with hand calculations only.

YOUR COMMERCIAL LICENSE MUST BE CURRENT UP TO THE END OF JUNE 2008 AT THE EARLIEST TO BE ABLE TO USE THIS RELEASE.

Version 4.47g is a maintenance release that includes the following changes;

• Corrected a bug that caused the licensee name to change temporarily when loading some previously saved files. Thanks to Abdo Makhoul of AlMarshad Tarraf Precast Co. for reporting this problem.

June 3, 2008 - Concise Beam version 4.47f is now available for download

YOUR COMMERCIAL LICENSE MUST BE CURRENT UP TO THE END OF JUNE 2008 AT THE EARLIEST TO BE ABLE TO USE THIS RELEASE.

Version 4.47f is a maintenance release that includes the following changes;

• Corrected a bug that caused the strength reduction factor for flexure under ACI318-02 & 05 and AS3600 to be miscalculated for transitional and compression controlled beams. Thanks to James Gerloff of Computerized Structural Design for reporting this problem.

February 27, 2008 - Concise Beam version 4.47e is now available for download

YOUR COMMERCIAL LICENSE MUST BE CURRENT UP TO THE END OF FEBRUARY 2008 AT THE EARLIEST TO BE ABLE TO USE THIS RELEASE.

Version 4.47e is a maintenance release that includes the following changes;

• Adjusted the calculation of flexural strength for cut strands within their development length. Thanks to Melgre Mariano of AlRashid-Abetong Company for pointing out the issue.
• Corrected the display of the over-reinforcement warning for prestressed beams under ACI318-02/05.

February 14, 2008 - Concise Beam version 4.47d is now available for download

YOUR COMMERCIAL LICENSE MUST BE CURRENT UP TO THE END OF FEBRUARY 2008 AT THE EARLIEST TO BE ABLE TO USE THIS RELEASE.

Version 4.47d is a maintenance release that includes the following changes;

• Corrected a bug in the calculation of the c/d ratio for beams with large amounts of prestressing near the compression face of a beam. Thanks to Kaz Simbeya of Cook Engineering for reporting this problem.
• Corrected the search for tension steel to resist cracking at transfer. Thanks to Dwayne Van Harberden of Stubbe's Precast.

February 7, 2008 - Concise Beam version 4.47c is now available for download

YOUR COMMERCIAL LICENSE MUST BE CURRENT UP TO THE END OF FEBRUARY 2008 AT THE EARLIEST TO BE ABLE TO USE THIS RELEASE.

Version 4.47c is a maintenance release that includes the following changes;

• Corrected a bug in the Lifting Stage Stress graph where the transfer stress limits are shown instead of the proper limits at the lifting stage. Thanks to Osama Eissa for reporting this problem.

November 27, 2007 - Concise Beam version 4.47b is now available for download

YOUR COMMERCIAL LICENSE MUST BE CURRENT UP TO THE END OF NOVEMBER 2007 AT THE EARLIEST TO BE ABLE TO USE THIS RELEASE.

Version 4.47b is a maintenance release that includes the following changes;

• I've corrected a bug in the Load Distribution Editor dialog where the position along the beam was being mis-converted when Adding or Modifying an effective width. Thanks to Scott Reay of Spancrete for reporting the problem.
• Concise Beam is now required to support a Microsoft library ("gdiplus.dll") which was not available prior to Windows XP. To use Concise Beam in versions of Windows prior to Windows XP the "gdiplus.dll" library file must be distributed with Concise Beam and place in the Concise Beam directory. This file is now included in the installation file and is installed along with Concise Beam.

November 19, 2007 - Concise Beam version 4.47a is now available for download

YOUR COMMERCIAL LICENSE MUST BE CURRENT UP TO THE END OF NOVEMBER 2007 AT THE EARLIEST TO BE ABLE TO USE THIS RELEASE.

Version 4.47a is a maintenance release that includes the following changes;

• I've corrected a bug that can prevent the crack results from being updated. Thanks to Brian McDonald of JB McDonald & Associates for reporting the problem.

November 14, 2007 - Concise Beam version 4.47 is now available for download

YOUR COMMERCIAL LICENSE MUST BE CURRENT UP TO THE END OF NOVEMBER 2007 AT THE EARLIEST TO BE ABLE TO USE THIS RELEASE.

Version 4.47 includes the following changes;

• New Load Distribution Facility - A new load distribution method has been implemented in Concise Beam. Each individual applied load can be assigned a pre-defined, or user-defined, load distribution. This will allow concentrated or line loads to be input as the full load while the load results are distributed to adjacent beams. This load distribution contains independent patterns for shear, moment and torsion effect. By default each applied load is assigned a special pre-defined load distribution which results in no load distribution to adjacent beams.
• New Lifting Load Case - Prior versions of Concise Beam performed a stress analysis at the transfer and in-service stages. The support conditions for these stages are defined in the Beam dialog. This version adds a new stage at lifting shortly after transfer. The new support conditions (lifting points) can now be defined in the Beam dialog. A stress analysis is performed at this load stage for all design codes except the Australian code where a strength check is performed at this stage.
• Long-Term Deflection Modifier Changes - Changed the adjustment of long-term deflection multipliers for rebar by measuring the rebar properties at the point of maximum moment instead of at every section. This avoids discontinuities in the deflection curve where there is a sudden change in the rebar or strand amounts - particularly where all strands stop short of the end of the beam.
• Summary Report Changes - The analysis results in the Summary Report now show the load combination that governs the factored results. The Summary Report has also been updated to reflect the addition of the lifting stage.
• Combined Graphs - The number of design graphs has been reduced by combining graphs for the top and bottom of beam stresses. There have also been some changes to the graph titles.
• New Help System - For the Windows Vista release Microsoft has dropped support for it's Microsoft Help system used by Concise Beam for it's on-line manual. I have converted the manual to Microsoft's alternate HTML Help system. The new help system will be familiar to most users.
• New Libraries and Library Names - The Canadian and American libraries have been updated to reflect the content of the latest editions of the CPCI Design Manual, 3rd Ed. and the PCI Design Handbook, 6th Ed. The library files have also been renamed to reflect the source of their contents. The Canadian library names are now CPCI_3.*, the American are PCI_6.*, and the Australian are NPCAA_1.* for the NPCAA Precast Concrete Handbook, 1st Ed.
• New Text Report Creation Method - Unannounced security changes made by Microsoft to some versions of Windows through their updates has prevented some users from being able to open text reports within Concise Beam. Concise Beam uses temporary files to generate the text reports (a memory saving scheme required by the limited computer memories of the early 1990's). Some standard directories used by Concise Beam have been (silently) declared off limits by Microsoft in their fight against viruses. I have rewritten Concise Beam to eliminate the creation of these temporary files. The reports are now stored in memory. Given the small size of the reports and large memories of current computers this won't be noticeable to the user.
• New File Format - A new file format has been created for the problem files to accommodate additional data used by the program. It still uses the *.con extension but cannot be read by versions of Concise Beam prior to version 4.47. Version 4.47 will read files created by Concise Beam version 3.x and all prior versions of Concise Beam 4.x. Files will now be saved in the new file format.
• Corrections - Corrected a problem in selecting the library directory in the Library Management dialog.
• Corrected a bug that would allow the program to crash if any section of the beam is unreinforced.
• Many changes for the sake of efficiency or for future use.

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