Middle-third rule

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In civil engineering, the middle-third rule states that no tension is developed in a wall or foundation if the resultant force lies within the middle third of the structure.

Civil engineering engineering discipline and economic branch specialising in design, construction and maintenance of the built environment

Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewerage systems, pipelines, structural components of buildings, and railways. Civil engineering is traditionally broken into a number of sub-disciplines. It is considered the second-oldest engineering discipline after military engineering, and it is defined to distinguish non-military engineering from military engineering. Civil engineering takes place in the public sector from municipal through to national governments, and in the private sector from individual homeowners through to international companies.

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The rule is covered by various standard texts in the field of civil engineering, for instance Principles of Foundation Engineering by B.M. Das. [1] The application of this rule is limited to foundations that are square or rectangular in plan. (For circular foundations a different rule, known as the Middle Quarter Rule applies).

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References

  1. Das, B.M. Principles of Foundation Engineering 3rd Ed. PWS Publishing (1995) p.153