In this post, we would like to share some exciting news! After beams and trusses, it’s time for the next step – something that naturally complements our EquiStruct application and allows us to move to a higher level in structural analysis. This is how EquiFrame was created – a module dedicated to learning the analysis of frames and complex structural systems.
EquiFrame is not just another “solver” that produces a results table and a colorful diagram after entering the data. Such tools are, of course, necessary—for example, for practicing engineers—but we created EquiFrame specifically for educational purposes. Its goal is to help users understand every stage of the calculation process and go through it exactly as it is done during university exercises and lectures.
Frame analysis is the point where simple engineering considerations end and real structural analysis begins – with different types of connections, complex geometry, and various support conditions – just like in real-life structures used in everyday engineering practice. This type of analysis includes the calculation of internal forces, stresses, and displacements – and this is exactly what EquiFrame presents, step by step.
With EquiFrame, students learn how to:
- determine the degrees of freedom of a frame system,
- perform a kinematic stability check of a structure,
- correctly formulate the equilibrium equations for the entire system,
- determine support reactions,
- calculate internal forces in frame members (N, T, M),
- compute nodal displacements and rotation angles,
- analyze statically determinate and indeterminate systems,
- understand the relationship between element stiffness and the overall structural behavior,
- solve problems in accordance with examination requirements.
EquiFrame combines functionalities known from EquiBeam and EquiTruss while introducing an entirely new level of complexity – precisely the level students encounter in structural mechanics and strength of materials courses.
From the very beginning, our goal was to create a tool that does not replace critical thinking but supports it, enabling the analysis of any number of different cases. A tool that allows users to follow every step of the solution process and truly understand where the results come from. We are convinced that with EquiFrame, frames will no longer be an unsolvable challenge but will instead become a logical extension of the knowledge you have already acquired.
Best regards, and we wish you productive and enjoyable work with EquiFrame! Remember – if you have any questions, we are at your disposal 😊
