Steel tube diameter formula

[Martin Cole]

Hi Glenn,

Hope your keeping well.

You Probably need a wind load calculator, if I’m understanding you right.

This will tell you what sized posts are required, I know Ashby do one and worth a google for others.

Martin

[Glenn Sharp]

I’m good Martin thanks….hope all is well with you

yeah – I’d searched for wind loadings etc but it was coming up with results for roofs etc

Couldn’t find anything that you could just input the size of the sign, ground clearance etc and it would just tell you which diameter to go with

I was actually helping a colleague with this and I’d asked him if he checked with Ashby – he said he had but I’ll have another look

Thanks for the reply

[Steve Morgan]

Glen,

This became a bit of a topic some years ago.
A friend of mine who was an architectural engineer, when I quized him, explained that is was, and surely still is, a very complex subject, however his advice to me was to calculate the Wind Load using a rule of thumb figure 15lbs/sq.ft of sign panel for each mile per hour of wind speed. That will give you some pretty alarming numbers to consider. Then consider how high up for the bending moment at the point where the post goes into the ground and of course how many stiffeners, ribs or whatever will be needed to support the flat panel and prevent it folding up.
I would be inclined to seek professional help to get the figures calculated rather than guess it.

Steve

[Martin Cole]

found this one Glenn…

http://www.road-signs.uk.com/post-calculator.shtml

[Glenn Sharp]

Thanks Steve and Martin…

My colleague managed to find this – it is a free download called SignLoad designer

Sign up to there site and go to the downloads tab at the top and look for SignLoad Designer in the little list

http://www.buchanancomputing.net/downloads.html

this is the interface and is pretty much exactly what we were looking for – it allows you to put in the sign dimensions and ground clearance etc – there is a drop down list for estimated wind pressure and – once you’ve inputted all of your dimensions you just click ‘suggest section’ and it tells you which diameter of tube to go with

We’ve literally just used this once but it backed up our gut feelings based on past experience but please use your own discretion if deciding to use it

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[David Hammond]

Just downloaded that, handy tool.

I’m curious though as to how much the full software is that includes foundations and channel spacing… I’d guess not cheap, but could be a nice revenue stream for someone with the software charging fixed price to input the data and email the report :thumbsup: (all at your own risk)

[Martin Cole]

Good find Glenn…

Martin btw not Colin :smiles:

[Glenn Sharp]

Eeeee ffs Martin – my apologies

I was replying to an email from Colin whilst I was typing that out