Computational Code for guide the decision on the type of structure: Steel, Wood or Concrete

Resumo

In views of rationalization in the civil construction, the knowledge about the properties of materials,
such as steel and wood, it’s necessary to compare their properties, in financial and structural terms with concrete.
Thus, the objective of this study was to compare the structural and financial conditions obtained for beams, from
the development of software in the Visual Basic programming language. The study was carried out from the
adoption of fixed calculation parameters for the materials, with variation only in the span length of the beam to
analyze each material performance. It was found that for the small spans, up to 5 meters, there were no significant
variations in the values found for the materials. Above this interval, the advantage of using concrete beams was
found, when only the cost of the reinforced concrete was considered. When the possibility of reducing the height
and weight of the building elements was considered, the steel beams proved to be more advantageous. The analysis
considered isolated parameters, and additional studies regarding the buildings’ execution time, expenses with the
materials’ maintenance, and resistant properties are necessary to achieve the best parameter and adoption of the
construction system that fits the requirements of each construction.