fractan.net

What It Is

Fractan is an online toolkit for laminated glass engineering. Its target users are not general developers, but professionals working in structural glass, curtain walls, materials testing, and finite element modeling. It emphasizes “Nothing to install,” meaning users can run Prony series fitting, compare interlayer materials, perform thermal analysis, and simulate three-point/four-point bending directly in the browser.

Core Features and Integrations

Based on the information on the site, Fractan is built around four main tools: single-material Prony Series Fit, multi-material Prony Series Fit, laminated glass thermal analysis, and laminated glass bending analysis. The Prony fitting tools can output coefficients for ANSYS or Abaqus and support PDF reports. The thermal analysis accounts for solar loads, seasonal variation, shaded areas, and thermal stresses caused by different material thermal expansion behaviors. The bending analysis supports four-point or three-point bending and is noted as being validated according to EN ISO 1288-3. Its materials database includes public Prony series data for multiple laminated glass interlayer materials, states that it is validated against manufacturer datasheets, and covers materials from brands such as Eastman, Kuraray, and Bridgestone.

Pricing and Openness

Fractan is currently in Public beta. The site explicitly states “Free forever” and “no credit card,” so the barrier to trying it is very low and the value for money is strong. However, the copy does not disclose whether it is open source or closed source, whether self-hosting is available, or whether there are enterprise plans, paid support, or an SLA. There is also no mention of an API or SDK. At this stage, it looks more like a web application for engineers than a platform tool that can be embedded into development workflows.

Pros and Cons

Its strengths are its professional focus and clear workflow: it connects material fitting, a materials database, finite element export, and experimental validation. The founding team has PhD-level backgrounds in structural mechanics and thermal analysis, and the site cites peer-reviewed publications, which adds credibility. The downsides are that it is still in public beta, and information is limited regarding product maturity, collaboration features, data security, version management, and support. Its scope is also quite narrow, so it offers limited value for general software developers or broader CAE users.

Who It’s For and Access from China

Fractan is suitable for engineering teams that need to work on laminated glass curtain wall design, material parameter fitting, ANSYS/Abaqus preprocessing, and comparison with experimental results. The site does not provide enough information to assess access from China, so it should be considered unknown. As for payment, there is currently no obvious payment barrier because no credit card is required. If access or compliance becomes an issue, alternatives include using ANSYS, Abaqus, in-house scripts, or internal corporate calculation templates directly.