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live load

American  
[lahyv] / laɪv /

noun

Engineering.
  1. load11


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

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of live load

First recorded in 1865–70

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

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

In the earlier girder bridges the live load was taken to be equivalent to a uniform load of 1 ton per foot run for each line of way.

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

Live Load on Railway Bridges.—The live load is the weight of the heaviest train which can come on the bridge.

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

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