Verification
Each release is checked against published values, such as the AISC Design Examples and Manual tables or the worked examples in TR-55, before it goes live. The version and release date print on every sheet the tool produces, so any sheet can be traced back to the version that made it and the tests that version passed.
A new version number is issued whenever a tool changes, and the tests below are rerun before it is released.
| Tool | Version | Released | Tested against | Cases |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steel beam checker | v1.1.0 | 24 Sep 2026 | AISC Design Examples, Manual Table 3-2 | 6 |
| Bolted connection check | v1.1.0 | 30 Sep 2026 | AISC Manual Tables 7-1, 7-3, 7-4, 7-5; AISC Design Examples | 12 |
| Stormwater runoff & detention | v1.0.0 | 25 Sep 2026 | TR-55 worked examples | 5 |
| Façade report builder | v1.1.0 | 25 Sep 2026 | PM-315, 1 RCNY §103-04, Chicago §14A-6-603.2 | — |
Tested against the AISC Design Examples for a W18×50 on a 35 ft span (wD = 0.45 klf, wL = 0.75 klf) and against Manual Table 3-2.
| Case | Quantity | AISC | SamsonasCalc |
|---|---|---|---|
| F.1-1A · continuously braced | Mu / φMn | 266 / 379 | 266.4 / 378.8 |
| F.1-1B · ASD | Ma / Mn/Ω | 184 / 252 | 183.8 / 252.0 |
| F.1-2B · braced at third points | Cb / φMn | 1.01 / 305 | 1.014 / 306.5 |
| F.1-3A · braced at midspan | Cb / φMn | 1.30 / 288 | 1.299 / 287.6 |
| Table 3-2 · W18×50 | Lp / Lr (ft) | 5.83 / 16.9 | 5.83 / 16.9 |
| Table 3-2 · W21×48, noncompact flange | φMn | 398 | 397.9 |
Moments in kip-ft. The small differences come from AISC rounding Cb to two decimals; the tool carries it unrounded. In F.1-2B, the unrounded Cb of 1.014 (AISC uses 1.01) is what moves φMn from 305 to 306.5.
Not covered: web local yielding and crippling at bearing (J10), bearing plates, connections, floor vibration, combined axial load. Results are a design aid and must be reviewed by a licensed engineer.
Open the beam checker →Tested against the AISC Steel Construction Manual, 16th edition, Tables 7-1, 7-3, 7-4 and 7-5, and for block shear against the AISC Design Examples. On the tool page these values are recomputed by the same engine every time the page loads.
| Case | Quantity | AISC | SamsonasCalc |
|---|---|---|---|
| Table 7-1 · 3/4 in. Group A, N, single shear | φrn | 17.9 | 17.9 |
| Table 7-1 · 1 in. Group A, X, single shear | φrn | 40.1 | 40.1 |
| Table 7-1 · 3/4 in. Group B, X, single shear | φrn | 27.8 | 27.8 |
| Table 7-4 · 3/4 in. bolt, s = 3 in. | φrn / in. | 78.3 | 78.3 |
| Table 7-5 · 3/4 in. bolt, Le = 1.25 in. | φrn / in. | 44.0 | 44.0 |
| Table 7-3 · 3/4 in. Group A, Class A, STD, 1 plane | φrn | 9.49 | 9.49 |
| Block shear · II.A-4 · coped W18×50 web, 3 bolts | φRn | 68.6 | 68.8 |
| Block shear · II.A-17B · ½ in. plate, 5 bolts, shear | φRn | 177 | 176.7 |
| Block shear · II.A-17B · same plate, axial, between the outer bolts | φRn | 251 | 251.3 |
| Block shear · II.A-17B · same plate, axial, out to the side edge | φRn | 242 | 241.4 |
| Block shear · II.A-1B · two angles 5×3½×⅝, 5 bolts each | φRn | 310 | 309.1 |
| Block shear · II.C-3 · two ⅜ in. gusset plates, 2 lines of 5 bolts | φRn | 480 | 479.6 |
Strengths in kips (LRFD); bearing and tear-out per inch of thickness, Fu = 58 ksi. Block shear cases are from the AISC Design Examples, v15.1, written to AISC 360-16; Eq. J4-5 is the same in 360-22. AISC rounds each area to three significant figures and the tool does not, so the block shear results agree within 0.3%. In II.A-4, Leh is 1⅜ in. after AISC's ¼ in. length tolerance.
Not covered: block shear paths other than the whole bolt group tearing out toward the end edge, shear lag and net section rupture (D3, J4.1), bolt tension or combined tension and shear (J3.7), prying action, eccentricity on the bolt group, weld checks. Results are a design aid and must be reviewed by a licensed engineer.
Open the bolt check →Tested against the worked examples in TR-55, Urban Hydrology for Small Watersheds. On the tool page these values are recomputed by the same engine every time the page loads.
| Case | Quantity | TR-55 | SamsonasCalc |
|---|---|---|---|
| Example 2-1 · pasture (good), CN 70, P = 6.0 in | Q (in) | 2.81 | 2.81 |
| Example 2-2 · ½-acre lots on 75 ac HSG B and 100 ac HSG C, open space (good) on 75 ac HSG C | CN / Q (in) | 75 / 3.28 | 75 / 3.28 |
| Example 2-3 · CN 77, P = 6.0 in | Q (in) | 3.48 | 3.48 |
| Example 3-1 · sheet, shallow concentrated and channel flow | Tt and Tc (hr) | 0.30 + 0.24 + 0.99 = 1.53 | 0.30 + 0.24 + 0.99 = 1.53 |
| Example 4-1 · 250 ac, CN 75, Tc 1.53 hr, P = 6.0 in, Type II | qu (csm/in) / qp (cfs) | 270 / 345 | 269 / 345 |
TR-55 reads the unit peak discharge in Example 4-1 from its chart (270 csm/in); the tool uses the Appendix F equation for the same curves (269 csm/in), and both give 345 cfs. The detention estimate uses the TR-55 figure 6-1 relationship with its published coefficients; this release has no worked-example test for it yet.
Not covered: hydrograph routing and multiple subareas (use TR-20, HEC-HMS or your routing software for final design), NOAA Atlas 14 rainfall distributions, water quality requirements, BMP design and infiltration testing. The storage figure is a planning estimate, not a routed design. Results are a design aid and must be reviewed by a licensed engineer.
Open the stormwater calc →The report builder doesn't calculate a design value, so it is checked on its logic and wording instead. Checked for each release:
Not covered: the tool doesn't decide classifications or repair timeframes. Those are set by the inspecting professional, who reviews, seals and files the report.
Open the report builder →For a tool built for your firm, your past calcs or reports become the test cases. The tool has to reproduce them before handover, and the comparison ships with it, so your engineers can check it themselves and rerun it after any change.
Talk to us about your calcs →