| Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary 1,507,074,201 visitors served. |
|
Dictionary/ thesaurus | Medical dictionary | Legal dictionary | Financial dictionary | Acronyms | Idioms | Encyclopedia | Wikipedia encyclopedia | ? |
settling |
Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Legal, Financial, Idioms, Wikipedia, Hutchinson | 0.07 sec. |
settlingIn building construction, the gradual subsiding of a structure as the soil beneath its foundation consolidates under loading. This may continue for several years after the structure's completion. Primary consolidation occurs as water is squeezed out from the voids within the soil mass. Secondary consolidation results from adjustments in the internal structure of the soil mass under a sustained load. Whenever the possibility of settlement exists, care must be taken to choose a structural system and foundation capable of adapting. Fixed-end beams present a problem as they are incapable of rotating under uneven settlement loads and bend in response to the stress; simply supported beams, the ends of which act as hinges, will rotate slightly and remain straight. Special columns with jacking devices may then be used to level the beams. Floating foundations and piles are often used to overcome the problems of building on yielding soils. See also soil mechanics. How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content. |
|
| ? Mentioned in | ? References in classic literature | |
|---|---|---|
In settling the preliminaries of the arbitration they had, however, the misfortune to disagree, and appealed to arms. I looked at her mouth for an expression that could give me a clue to what she felt; I watched her eyes for some tell-tale flash, some hint of dismay or bitterness; I scanned her brow for any passing line that might indicate a settling emotion. Under the certain oppression of this weight upon my mind, I laboured in the case I have been naming; and the only relief I found for it was to let my husband into so much of it as I thought would convince him of the necessity there was for us to think of settling in some other part of the world; and the next consideration before us was, which part of the English settlements we should go to. |
| Encyclopedia |
| Free Tools: |
For surfers:
Browser extension |
Word of the Day |
Help
For webmasters: Free content | Linking | Lookup box | Double-click lookup | Partner with us |
|---|