live load

American  

[lahyv] / laɪv /

noun

Engineering.

1. load11

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live load British  

/ laɪv /

noun

1. Also called: superload.  a variable weight on a structure, such as moving traffic on a bridge Compare dead load

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Etymology

Origin of live load

First recorded in 1865–70

Example Sentences

Drive to a shipper or receiver and either "drop and hook" or "live load" or "live unload".

From The Guardian • Jul. 11, 2013

The legs are like towers at each end of a bridge, the backbone is an arched cantilever system suspended from the towers, the chest and abdomen constitute the "live load."

From Time Magazine Archive

And that did not include the 200,000 pounds of additional live load that would be added as passengers filled the cars.

From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson

Each track was proportioned for a dead load of 330 pounds per lineal foot and a live load of 25,000 pounds per axle.

From The New York Subway Its Construction and Equipment by Anonymous

He takes as the live load for a bridge two such engines, followed by a train of wagons covering the span.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Part 3 "Brescia" to "Bulgaria" by Various