| Structural model: | (english) An idealization for analysis purposes of a real or conceived structure. A structural model includes boundaries limiting the scope of the analysis. Supports occur at these boundaries, representing things which hold the structure in place. |
| Support: | (english) A support contributes to keeping a structure in place by restraining one or more degrees of freedom. In a structural model, supports represent boundary entities which are not included in the model itself, e.g., foundations, abutments, or the earth itself. For each restrained translation degree of freedom at a support, there is a corresponding reaction force; for each restrained rotation degree of freedom, there is a reaction moment. |
| Surface force: | (english) A force applied to the surface of an object. |
| System of Forces: | (english) One or more forces and/or moments acting simultaneously. |
| Translation: | (english) Motion of an object where the path of every point is a straight line. |
| Transmissibility: | (english) The principle stating that a force has the same external effect on an object regardless of where it acts along its line of action. |
| Weight: | (english) The force on an object resulting from gravity. |
| Yield stress: | (english) A material loaded beyond its yield stress, no longer exhibits linear elastic behavior. Metals, particularly mild steel, generally have a very well defined yield stress compared to other materials. Yield stress is sometimes called yield strength. |
| Yield strain: | (english) A material deformed beyond its yield strain, no longer exhibits linear elastic behavior. See yield stress. |
| Adsorption | (Environmental Engineering) A surface phenomena in which a solute (soluble material) concentrates or collects at a surface (the adsorbent). |