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Civil Engineering & Construction vocabulary · Structures and Loads

Dead load

Meaning in civil engineering & construction, with examples

nounCommon term

In civil engineering & construction, dead load means: The permanent weight a structure always carries: its own self-weight plus fixed items such as floor finishes, walls, ceilings and fixed equipment.

In Turkish: ölü yük, sabit yük, kalıcı yük

How it is used

Used in design calculations and code checks, often abbreviated DL or G (in the Eurocodes, the permanent action Gk). Engineers calculate dead load and combine it with live load using load factors.

Example sentences

  1. The new screed adds about 1.5 kN/m² of dead load to the slab.

  2. We left out the dead load of the plant room equipment in the first calculation.

Common collocations

  • self-weight
  • superimposed dead load
  • dead load factor
  • permanent load
  • live loadThe load from things that move or change over time, such as people, furniture, vehicles and stored goods. It is also called imposed load.
  • loadA force that a structure has to carry, such as its own weight, people and furniture, wind, snow or an earthquake. Engineers usually express it in kilonewtons (kN).
  • seismicRelating to earthquakes and the ground shaking they cause. In engineering it describes the loads, design rules and details that help structures resist earthquakes.
  • 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.

More terms: Structures and Loads

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