Volex Labs / Calculations / AISC steel beam design to AISC 360 (LRFD).

AISC steel beam design to AISC 360 (LRFD).

Enter the W-section, span and unbraced length, and Volex Anvil returns the LRFD flexural design strength φMn — including the lateral-torsional buckling limit state with Cb — the shear strength φVn and the service deflection, with every quantity referenced to its AISC 360 section.

The results are checked against the AISC Steel Construction Manual (15th Ed) capacity tables, so the φMn you get matches the published Blue-Book equivalent for US practice.

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What Volex Anvil checks

Flexural design strength φMn — AISC 360 §F2
Lateral-torsional buckling with Cb — AISC 360 §F2.2
Shear design strength φVn — AISC 360 §G2
Compactness / local buckling — AISC 360 §B4
Deflection (serviceability) — AISC Design Guide 3

Validated against the published example

W-section flexural design strength φMn — AISC Manual Table 3-2 AISC Steel Construction Manual 15th Ed, Table 3-2 (available flexural strength)

Quantity	Published	Volex Anvil	Error
Flexural strength φMn (section A)	513.6 kNm	513.9 kNm	0.06%
Flexural strength φMn (section B)	337.6 kNm	338.4 kNm	0.23%

This case is one of 359 published checks the platform passes — the full table, with every source and every error, is public at volexlabs.com/verification.

Frequently asked

Does it check lateral-torsional buckling?

Yes — φMn covers the yielding, inelastic-LTB and elastic-LTB limit states of AISC 360 §F2, with the Cb moment-gradient factor for the unbraced segment.

Is it LRFD or ASD?

The design uses LRFD (φ factors); the nominal strengths are the same, so ASD checks can be derived with the Ω factors where required.

What is it validated against?

Flexural strengths are checked against the AISC Steel Construction Manual Table 3-2 — within 0.23%.

Is it free?

Yes — 10 calculations a month free with references; Pro (£29/month) adds unlimited runs and PDF calc sheets.

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