Cantilever (redirected from Microcantilever)

cantilever (kăn`təlēvər), beam supported rigidly at one end to carry a load along the free arm or at the free end. A slanting beam fixed at the base is often used to support the free end, as in a common bracket. The springboard is a simple cantilever beam, and the cantilever design is often used for canopies, balconies, sidewalks outside the trusses of bridges, and large cranes such as those used in shipyards. By the use of cantilever trusses, obstructing columns are eliminated in theaters. The cantilever principle is one of the methods that may be used in constructing a bridge.

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cantilever

Projecting beam or other horizontal member supported at one or more points but not at both ends. Some engineers distinguish between a cantilever, supported at only one fixed end, and an overhanging beam that projects beyond one of its end supports. The free, unsupported end is capable of supporting a weight or surface, such as a concrete slab. Any beam built into a wall with a projecting free end forms a cantilever, which may carry a balcony, canopy, roof, or part of a building above. Cantilevering can be used for constructions as simple as bookshelves or as complicated as bridges.

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Cantilever

A linear structural member supported both transversely and rotationally at one end only; the other end of the member is free to deflect and rotate. Cantilevers are common throughout nature and engineered structures; examples are a bird's wing, an airplane wing, a roof overhang, and a balcony. See Wing

A horizontal cantilever must be counterbalanced at its one support against rotation. This requirement is simply achieved in the design of a playground seesaw, with its double-balanced cantilever. This principle of counterbalancing the cantilever is part of the basic design of a crane, such as a tower crane (see illustration). More commonly, horizontal cantilevers are resisted by being continuous with a backup span that is supported at both ends. This design is common for cantilever bridges; all swing bridges or drawbridges are cantilevers. See Bridge

Cantilever configuration in the form of a tower support crane

Vertical cantilevers primarily resist lateral wind loads and horizontal loads created by earthquakes. Common vertical cantilevers are chimneys, stacks, masts, flagpoles, lampposts, and railings or fences. All skyscrapers are vertical cantilevers. One common system to provide the strength to resist lateral loads acting on the skyscraper is the use of a truss (known as bracing). See Buildings, Shear, Truss

Some of the largest cantilevers are used in the roofs of airplane hangars. It has become common practice to include cantilevers in the design of theaters and stadiums, where an unobstructed view is desired; balconies and tiers are supported in the back and cantilevered out toward the stage or playing field so that the audience has column-free viewing. See Beam, Roof construction