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Civil Engineering & Construction vocabulary · Structures and Loads

Cantilever

Meaning in civil engineering & construction, with examples

/ˈkæntɪliːvər/nounCommon term

In civil engineering & construction, cantilever means: A beam, slab or other structural element supported at one end only, with the other end projecting freely, as in a balcony or a canopy.

In Turkish: konsol, konsol kiriş

How it is used

Used as a noun and a verb: a balcony cantilevers two metres from the facade. Cantilevers need careful checks of deflection and of the reinforcement at the support, where the main bars are at the top.

Example sentences

  1. The cantilever over the entrance is three metres long, so check the deflection carefully.

  2. The bridge was built using the balanced cantilever method.

Common collocations

  • cantilever beam
  • cantilever balcony
  • cantilevered slab
  • balanced cantilever
  • beamA horizontal structural member that carries loads across an opening and passes them to the columns or walls at its ends. It works mainly in bending.
  • spanThe distance between two supports of a beam, slab or bridge. As a verb, to span means to stretch across a space from one support to another.
  • deflectionThe amount a beam, slab or other member bends or moves under load, measured as a distance, usually at the middle of the span.
  • bending momentThe turning effect of loads on a beam or slab that makes it bend. It is measured in kilonewton-metres (kNm) and is largest where the member is most heavily stressed.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Structures and Loads

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