This page outlines the general use of the Cross Sections Database.

Reference

A general description of the properties of cross sections can be found here.

"Your Cross Sections" vs. "Cross Sections Database"

There are 2 different tabs within the database:

• Your Cross Sections
• Cross Sections Database

These tabs will be discussed in the following sections.

"Your Cross Sections" Tab

The "Your Cross Sections" tab contains all of the cross sections that can be used within the various calculators on this website. Any calculator with a cross sections drop-down menu will display all cross sections that exist in this tab.

You can create new cross sections from scratch on this tab, or you can copy cross sections from the database on the next tab. You can also edit and delete cross sections on this tab.

Cross Sections Table

At the top of the "Your Cross Sections" tab is a table showing all of the cross sections in your list. Select a cross section by clicking on it in the table. The selected cross section will be highlighted in blue:

Viewing & Editing Cross Sections

After selecting a cross section, all of the relevant properties for the cross section will be displayed in a form beneath the table:

You can edit the cross section properties within the form abve. The gray disabled fields are calculated based on the specified inputs and cannot be edited directly -- only the white enabled fields can be edited. After making the desired edits, click the green "Edit Cross Section" button. You can also delete the selected cross section by clicking the orange "Delete Cross Section" button.

Adding Cross Sections

If the "(new)" row in the cross sections table is selected (this is the very first row in the table), a blank form will be displayed as shown below:

To add a new cross section, fill out the blank form with the relevant cross section properties and click the "Add Cross Section" button. After the cross section is added, an entry for the cross section will appear in the cross sections table above the form and the cross section will be available for use in the calculators.

"Cross Sections Database" Tab

The "Cross Sections Database" tab contains a repository of common engineering cross sections. You can browse the database to look through all of the available cross sections, or you can use the provided search form to search for a specific cross section:

If you click on a cross section in the table (as shown above), all of the properties for the selected cross section will be shown in a form below the table:

If you find a cross section in the database that you would like to add to the "Your Cross Sections" tab, you can copy it by clicking the "Copy to Your Cross Sections" button as shown in the form above. After copying a cross section from the database, you will be able to edit it, and it will also be available for use in the calculators on this site.