Defense structures in avalanche starting zones - SLF

2 > Nomenclature 13
2 > Nomenclature
2.1 Organizations
FOEN Federal Office for the Environment, Bern
EKLS Expert Commission for Avalanches and Rockfall, Bern
EMPA Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research, Dübendorf and St.Gall
SIA Swiss Society of Engineers and Architects, Zurich
SLF Swiss Federal Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research, Davos
(The SLF forms a part of the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL), Birmensdorf)
VSE Swiss Electricity Supply Association
WSL Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research, Birmensdorf
2.2 Technical Terms
General
Effect Reaction of the supporting structure to actions
(loading, stresses, internal forces, reactions, deformations, etc.; according to SIA 260: 2003).
Total ground
resistance
Limiting strength of the ground
(ground resistance, base failure resistance, glide resistance, shear strength; according to SIA 267: 2003).
Dimensioning Specification of dimensions, building materials (incl. material properties) and the structural design of a supporting structure on the
basis of structural or implementational considerations and/or computational verification procedures (according to SIA 260: 2003).
Design value Value derived from a characteristic or other representative value, or from a function of design values in conjunction with partial and
conversion factors or (where appropriate) directly specified value used in a verification procedure (according to SIA 260: 2003).
Characteristic
value
Value of an action, a geometrical dimension or property of a building material or the ground (average, upper or lower value) normally
determined by statistical methods, or (where appropriate) the nominal or tentative (anticipated) value (according to SIA 260: 2003).
Characteristic values do not include coefficients of resistance. The values for snow pressure given in this guideline are characteristic
values.
Influence factor The influence factor of an element of finite width is the ratio of the snow pressure effectively sustained by the element to the snow
pressure that would impinge on a section of a continuous wall of equal width.
Single structure Independent structure usually having 2 supports and girders.
Load Gravitational force impinging on a supporting structure (according to SIA 261: 2003).
End of structure Area over which the end-effect loads impinge with a distance between structures of 2 m.
Solifluction Ground creep, downward creep or creep in the loose upper ground layers saturated with water.
Supporting
structure
Arrangement of several supporting structures.
Ultimate limit state Maximum resistance (according to SIA 260 or SIA 262, 263, 265 and 267: 2003).
Variable action Action that is not continuously present, not constant, or not changing monotonically (according to SIA 260: 2003); e.g. snow pressure.
Unprotected end
of a structure
Area on which the end-effect loads impinge.