Load

noun

A force or weight that a structure has to hold up. The engineers who build bridges have to think about lots of loads at once — the weight of the bridge itself, the vehicles crossing it, the wind pushing against it, even the temperature changing its shape.

Civil & Structural Engineering — Monty
Go Deeper For parents & teachers
In structural engineering, any force acting on a structure. Loads are classified by behaviour: dead loads (permanent, like the structure's own weight), live loads (variable, like traffic or people), environmental loads (wind, snow, temperature, earthquake), and dynamic loads (sudden impacts or vibrations). Good structural design sums these correctly and ensures every member can carry the worst plausible combination with margin to spare.

Appears In

The Burning Mountain Chapter 2 — Lina Hears the Mountain Speak

"He glanced at her now. Not worried. Not protective. Checking. The way a good engineer checks a load-bearing wall."

The Burning Mountain Chapter 10 — Bridge of Nerves

"… crossing tonight. We give it a stronger skeleton. Tension lines. Side braces. Load rules. Tower frames on both ends. Like adding nerves and muscles so it …"

The Burning Mountain Chapter 10 — Bridge of Nerves

"Fingers was already writing. "One-way movement. No running. Load bands marked by lantern colour?""

The Burning Mountain Chapter 10 — Bridge of Nerves

"… marched a donkey off the bridge because donkeys were not exempt from load rules."

The Burning Mountain Chapter 10 — Bridge of Nerves

"Axel saw the geometry all at once. Load, flex, slope, timing."

The Burning Mountain Chapter 15 — Fire, Steam, and Signal

"Axel brought his pod onto the north end of the deck - only as far as the first load mark."

See Also

Pressure Span Tension