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

---

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

Counterbracing.—In the case of girders with braced webs, the tension bars of which are not adapted to resist a thrust, another circumstance due to the position of the live load must be considered.

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

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