From these 30 words, as many per round as you like — up to all of them: first what is due today, then new ones. First you choose, then you fill the gap, then you write it yourself. Mistakes come back again shortly.
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The eighteenth entry is il carico permanente, and two places above it stands il carico da traffico. Italian names the pair for what they do: one is permanent, the other arrives with the traffic, and the codes call that second family il carico variabile. English has named the same pair since the first iron bridges, and named it by a metaphor now so worn that engineers no longer hear it: weight of the structure itself is the « dead load », and everything that walks, drives or blows across it is the « live load ». The two are not optional. « Permanent load » is understood and sounds like a translation; every drawing, every standard and every conversation on site says « dead » and « live ». The habit runs right through technical English: a cable carrying current is « live », a rail that has been switched off is « dead », and a « dead weight » is a load that does nothing but press down. So a bridge is described in one language as half alive, and in the other merely as half changeable.
La spalla del ponte regge l’inizio dell’impalcato.The bridge abutment carries the start of the deck.
la pila del pontethe bridge pierNoun (f)C2
La pila del ponte sta in mezzo alla corrente.The bridge pier stands in the middle of the current.
la precompressionethe prestressingNoun (f)C2
La precompressione chiude le fessure prima che si aprano.Prestressing closes the cracks before they can open.
l’iniezione delle guainethe grouting of the ductsNoun (f)C2
L’iniezione delle guaine protegge i cavi dalla ruggine.Grouting the ducts protects the cables from rust.
la penetrazione dei clorurithe ingress of chloridesNoun (f)C2
La penetrazione dei cloruri comincia dal sale sparso d’inverno.The ingress of chlorides starts with the salt spread in winter.
l’oscillazione indotta dal ventothe wind-induced oscillationNoun (f)C2
L’oscillazione indotta dal vento cresce quando si ripete a ritmo costante.A wind-induced oscillation grows when it repeats at a steady beat.
l’ispezione del pontethe bridge inspectionNoun (f)C2
L’ispezione del ponte guarda anche i punti che nessuno vede.The bridge inspection looks at the places nobody else sees.
la classe di attenzionethe condition ratingNoun (f)C2
La classe di attenzione riassume in una parola lo stato dell’opera.The condition rating sums up the state of the structure in one word.
la verifica della capacità portantethe reassessment of the load-bearing capacityNoun (f)C2
La verifica della capacità portante rifà i conti con le regole di oggi.The reassessment of the load-bearing capacity redoes the sums under the rules of today.
la costruzione a sbalzothe cantilever constructionNoun (f)C2
La costruzione a sbalzo cresce da due lati verso il centro.Cantilever construction grows from both sides towards the middle.
la centina di sostegnothe falseworkNoun (f)C2
La centina di sostegno resta finché il calcestruzzo non fa presa.The falsework stays in place until the concrete has set.
