AE Calcs Web
AE Calcs Web
AE Calcs Web
This spreadsheet gives a number of basic Architectural Engineering (AE) calculations to allow initial quick estimates of loads and sizes for some
of the major systems. It is a work in progress and will be updated and corrected. It is not exact and should not be used for a building after initial
estimates. Use the professional-level programs for that purpose.
The Calculation column shows how the cell was calcuated using named variables - it should help you understand the logic. In most cases it's just
the application of basic math and physics although a few formulae are empirically derived. The hard part is often the units - which are carefully
shown.
Be sure to look at the "comments" - usually in the "input" column or the description column on this page - you see them by putting the cursor
over any cell that has a small red triangle in the upper right corner. They will explain meanings and give typical values.
- To use it click on the hyperlink to the calculation you're interested in (you may make suggestions for future ones on the "FutureWork" sheet).
- In each worksheet the white boxes are ones you're intended to modify - "reasonable" default values are provided.
- You may "unprotect" the workbook and modify anything you wish.
- The "Return to Index" button will bring you back to this sheet.
- Note the "grouping" indicators at the top of each sheet. By clicking on the "1" or the horizontal line you may hide the calculations - probably
better for printing.
Users are urged to make corrections and additions and send the revised sheet back to J. Mitchell.
When designing a building a critical number is the building size because it affects both the building cost and issues like
siting the building and zoning coverage requirements. While this number can be determined a number of ways one
"usual" starting point is to add up the individual areas for each "function" that must happen in the building - this
produces the "Named Areas Total". The calculation shown takes some typical functions (be sure to check the comments)
then shows how to determine the Building Gross Area, and thus the cost.
Knowing how many people will be in a building is important in many other calculations (HVAC and Plumbing
particularly). This calculation assumes that you know the building gross size and want to know how many people it will
accommodate for a particular use.
A basic distinction is between "live" and "dead" load. It's much easier to predict the "dead" than the live load because the designer has control over
it whereas they have to guess at the worst case for live load.
This calculation is a good approximation - but should not be used for a real design. It does NOT take into account factors of safety, code
requirements and other important ingredients. Take the structures class first.
Note how very much bigger the dead load is than the live load in most cases.
Trib Floor Slab Load per Foot Beam 608 Lbs/LF #VALUE!
Trib Beam Load per foot 169 Lbs/LF #VALUE!
Trib Wall Over Beam Load per foot 730 Lbs/LF #VALUE!
When designing a beam (or girder) it's essential to find how much load is applied to it. To do so one must define the "tributary area" that the beam
is supporting. A conservative approach (neglecting the fact that girders at the end may carry some load too) defines the tributary area as the length
of the beam times the tributary width. The tributary width is best estimated as the distance from halfway to the beam on the left TO halfway to the
beam on the right. (Note that where the widths are constant then this is just the distance from one beam to the next - edges are where life usually
gets more interesting.)
In this case we've also assumed a wall resting on the beam - a fairly typical situation in buildings, especially for fire separation.
We've shown the load per linear foot (Lbs/LF) as well as total loads because that is often used in beam calculations.
This calculation is a good approximation - but should not be used for a real design. It does NOT take into account factors of safety, code
requirements and other important ingredients. Take the structures class first.
Note how very much bigger the dead load is than the live load in most cases.
Deflection Calculations
Bm Deflection due to UDL 0.169 in #VALUE!
BEAM CALCULATIONS
This document is prepared as a starting point for beam design It is important to realize that it is simplified for the sake of education. In particular:
- shear is ignored
- buckling is ignored
- all stresses are assumed in the plane of symmetry.
- the beam is assumed to be simply supported
- factors of safety are built into the allowable stress.
Warning: The calculation is only for point "x" along the beam. You must explore multiple "x" values to determine the 'worst case'. For
symettrically loaded beams that is at the midpoint of the span, but for unsymettrical situations you must find the 'worst case' location. Excel's "solver"
can be very handy for this.
Reference: The specific terms used in this spreadsheet were derived from Timoshenko & Young - Elements of strength of Materials - 4th Edition
(1962).
A more recent reference (used in Drexel's courses) is: Gere & Timoshenko - Mechanics of Materials. - 3rd Edition 1990. The relevant chapter in that
book for fuller understanding of the equations used here is: Chapters 5 (Stresses) & 7 (Deflections).
In HVAC, as in structures, the most basic requirement is to calculate the "Loads" on a system. For HVAC the most important of these is
the amount of Heat (Q) that the system must add to (heating) or remove from (cooling) a space.
In a real building you must take account of not only the heat flow through the windows, but also the air leakage and the amounts of heat
added by the appliances, people and sunlight coming into the room. Once you understand the principles this is best done with a modeling
program like Energy-10 or the commercial programs by Carrier or Trane.
Nonetheless this approximation is quite good, especially for a heating situation - in the middle of winter with no one in the building at
night.
This estimate is crude, but gives an approximation, better for small buildings than large ones, but a reasonable start for both.
Note that the defaults tie this calculation to the conductive loss calculation above, but you can change it to suit your own needs.
-68234.4
Once you know how much heat is required to be transferred you want to know how big the duct is that carries the air (the usual fluid)
carrying the heat. This is a straightforward calculation that uses the velocity, density, and specific heat of the air to determine how much
must flow to carry the required amount of heat. Once you know how much (CFM), the velocity then allows you to calculate the size of the
duct necessary to conduct it.
Note that the velocities in ducts are limited by two things - the noise the air makes in the duct and the friction of the air in the duct - the
slower the flow the less energy is lost in friction. In practical terms, that limits low velocity ducts to about 1,200FPM - which is about13
MPH. High velocity ducts operate about 3,000FPM (34MPH), but require special construction and more fan energy.
Note that the defaults tie this calculation to the conductive loss calculation above and the ventilation/infiltration calculation, but you can
change it to suit your own needs.
The worst case situation is estimated by calculating the loads on the house.
- For heating it is the "conduction load" of heat lost through walls, windows, roof and to a small extent the floor. One must include as
well the "infiltration load" - the heat necessary to warm air that enters from the outside either through intended ventilation or through
cracks.
- For cooling it is the "conduction load" plus the solar energy, plus the infiltration, plus the heat from people, equipment and lights.
The "right" way to calculate the energy consumption is by a simulation using standard weather on an hour-by-hour basis. This requires a
complex program
For small buildings the Degree-Day method uses the Degree-Day number produced by the weather service and the "worst case"
calculation the designer has already performed to estimate the operating costs.
The weather bureau publishes both heating degree-day records and cooling degree day records. Both can be used to calculate the energy
cost for the heating and cooling season respectively.
#VALUE!
Lt1 Watt/SF 2.7 Watts/SF #VALUE!
Calculating the exact number of fixtures is a complex process best accomplished with a method called the "Zonal Cavity Method" or
even better with a simulation program. Nonetheless it's possible to get an approximation at the beginning of a project using a cruder
calculation such as the one given here.
Examples are given here for several different types of lamps The number of lamps possible is very great as is the number of different
fixtures. These are only representative.
To use it all you need to do is put in the SF for each of your uses.
You do NOT need to change the Watt/SF for each use, but they're left available if you have better information.
Note that normally the Area totals should be identical, but there may be some situations where differing is OK. I picked the
maximum as the most reasonable for calculating overall WSF numbers.
Many building loads are quoted in KiloWatts (KW) - Just divide by 1,000 to determine the KW
The transformer for a building is usually in KVA - which is close to the total KW. It is usually sized with a growth factor of 20% or
more.
One of the first tasks in defining a plumbing system is to determine the overall requirements, both on average and at
a peak time. This is particularly important because one must check the service available to the building - either a
water "main" or a well. If these are not sufficient for the need then there is likely to be significant additional expense
to provide the necessary water.
- If the average daily Demand is greater than the supply then a new "main" or well must be provided.
- If the peak demand is greater than the "main" or well can supply, but the daily average is adequate, then a storage
system will be necessary.
Reverberation is the time for a sound (e.g. a hand clapping is a good test) to decrease by 60 decibels.
The reverberation time of larger spaces is an important characteristic because it strongly influences the type of use for which space is
suited. Spaces in which understanding speech is important (a large classroom for instance) want minimal reverberation because it will
confuse the audience's comprehension. For much music, on the other hand, a significant reverberation time (here defined as 1.2
seconds) causes the music to blend together in a pleasing manner.
For rooms in which electronic amplification is used the reverberation is important, but the amplification can often address shortcomings
if well designed.
Remember that other factors determine the actual character of the sound - this is only an approximation. In particular the frequency
composition of the sound and the specific shape of the space are extremely important and are not addressed here.
Category ConverstionConversio Amt1 Units1 Eq Result1 Units1R Amt2 Units2 Eq Result2 Units2R
Area SqIN/SF 144 1 SF = 144 SqIn 144 SqIn = 1 SF Square Foot
Power BTU/Wt-Hr 3.412 1 Watt = 3.412 BTU/Hr 3.412 BTU/Hr = 1 Watts
Power Watt/HSP 745.7 1 HSP = 745.7 Watts 1000 Watts = 1.34 Hsp
Time Min/Hr 60 1 Hr = 60 Min 60 Min = 1 Hr
Velocity FPM/MPH 0.011364 3000 FPM = 34.1 MPH 1 MPH = 88 FMP Feet Per Minute
Users are urged to make corrections and additions and send the revised sheet back to J. Mitchell.