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The Collaborative International Dictionary
Box girder

Girder \Gird"er\, n. [From Gird to encircle.]

  1. One who, or that which, girds.

  2. (Arch. & Engin.) A main beam; a stright, horizontal beam to span an opening or carry weight, such as ends of floor beams, etc.; hence, a framed or built-up member discharging the same office, technically called a compound girder. See Illusts. of Frame, and Doubleframed floor, under Double.

    Bowstring girder, Box girder, etc. See under Bowstring, Box, etc.

    Girder bridge. See under Bridge.

    Lattice girder, a girder consisting of longitudinal bars united by diagonal crossing bars.

    Half-lattice girder, a girder consisting of horizontal upper and lower bars connected by a series of diagonal bars sloping alternately in opposite directions so as to divide the space between the bars into a series of triangles.
    --Knight.

    Sandwich girder, a girder consisting of two parallel wooden beams, between which is an iron plate, the whole clamped together by iron bolts.

Box girder

Box \Box\, n.; pl. Boxes [As. box a small case or vessel with a cover; akin to OHG. buhsa box, G. b["u]chse; fr. L. buxus boxwood, anything made of boxwood. See Pyx, and cf. Box a tree, Bushel.]

  1. A receptacle or case of any firm material and of various shapes.

  2. The quantity that a box contain.

  3. A space with a few seats partitioned off in a theater, or other place of public amusement.

    Laughed at by the pit, box, galleries, nay, stage.
    --Dorset.

    The boxes and the pit are sovereign judges.
    --Dryden.

  4. A chest or any receptacle for the deposit of money; as, a poor box; a contribution box.

    Yet since his neighbors give, the churl unlocks, Damning the poor, his tripple-bolted box.
    --J. Warton.

  5. A small country house. ``A shooting box.''
    --Wilson.

    Tight boxes neatly sashed.
    --Cowper.

  6. A boxlike shed for shelter; as, a sentry box.

  7. (Mach)

    1. An axle box, journal box, journal bearing, or bushing.

    2. A chamber or section of tube in which a valve works; the bucket of a lifting pump.

  8. The driver's seat on a carriage or coach.

  9. A present in a box; a present; esp. a Christmas box or gift. ``A Christmas box.''
    --Dickens.

  10. (Baseball) The square in which the pitcher stands.

  11. (Zo["o]l.) A Mediterranean food fish; the bogue.

    Note: Box is much used adjectively or in composition; as box lid, box maker, box circle, etc.; also with modifying substantives; as money box, letter box, bandbox, hatbox or hat box, snuff box or snuffbox.

    Box beam (Arch.), a beam made of metal plates so as to have the form of a long box.

    Box car (Railroads), a freight car covered with a roof and inclosed on the sides to protect its contents.

    Box chronometer, a ship's chronometer, mounted in gimbals, to preserve its proper position.

    Box coat, a thick overcoat for driving; sometimes with a heavy cape to carry off the rain.

    Box coupling, a metal collar uniting the ends of shafts or other parts in machinery.

    Box crab (Zo["o]l.), a crab of the genus Calappa, which, when at rest with the legs retracted, resembles a box.

    Box drain (Arch.), a drain constructed with upright sides, and with flat top and bottom.

    Box girder (Arch.), a box beam.

    Box groove (Metal Working), a closed groove between two rolls, formed by a collar on one roll fitting between collars on another.
    --R. W. Raymond.

    Box metal, an alloy of copper and tin, or of zinc, lead, and antimony, for the bearings of journals, etc.

    Box plait, a plait that doubles both to the right and the left.

    Box turtle or

    Box tortoise (Zo["o]l.), a land tortoise or turtle of the genera Cistudo and Emys; -- so named because it can withdraw entirely within its shell, which can be closed by hinged joints in the lower shell. Also, humorously, an exceedingly reticent person.
    --Emerson.

    In a box, in a perplexity or an embarrassing position; in difficulty. (Colloq.)

    In the wrong box, out of one's place; out of one's element; awkwardly situated. (Colloq.)
    --Ridley (1554)

Wiktionary
box girder

n. A steel beam with a hollow rectangular cross section; used for constructing bridges

WordNet
box girder

n. a beam built up from boards; has a hollow rectangular cross section [syn: box beam]

Wikipedia
Box girder

thumb|upright=1.20 |The old Britannia Bridge with train track inside the box-girder tunnel.|alt=Drawing of bridge as rectangular tunnel supported by stone trestles in river below. A box or tubular girder is a girder that forms an enclosed tube with multiple walls, rather than an or H-beam. Originally constructed of riveted wrought iron, they are now found in rolled or welded steel, aluminium extrusions or prestressed concrete.

Compared to an -beam, the advantage of a box girder is that it better resists torsion. Having multiple vertical webs, it can also carry more load than an of equal height (although it will use more material than a taller -beam of equivalent capacity).

The distinction in naming between a box girder and a tubular girder is imprecise. Generally the term box girder is used, especially if it is rectangular in section. Where the girder carries its "content" inside the box, such as the Britannia Bridge, it is termed a tubular girder. Tubular girder is also used if the girder is round or oval in cross-section, such as the Royal Albert Bridge.

Where a large box girder contains more than two walls, i.e. with multiple boxes, it is referred to as a cellular girder.