Capital Project Word of the Week - Civil/Structural Engineering
Thank you for visiting our Capital Project Word of the Week website feature. Our theme this month is Civil/Structural Engineering. We hope this provides you with some meaningful information about our industry and the services we provide. Each week we will be adding a new Word of the Week to the page. Come back frequently to see our new additions!
Week of April 5, 2021

Moment
[ moh-muhnt ]
Moment is the measure of force that causes an item to want to rotate about a specific point or axis and is a term regularly used in the field of structural engineering. The magnitude of the moment is affected by two variables, “Force” and “Moment Arm”. To calculate the magnitude of a moment, you multiply a “Force” times its “Moment Arm”. In industrial designs, these types of forces are seen in almost every design. Moments need to be accounted for to assure we have designed and erected a safe structural system.
Moment = Force x Distance or M = (F)(d)
Example calculation: Pushing on a 2ft long wrench with 10lbs of force to turn a nut.

The Moment calculation for this example is shown below. Forthis example, you would say you are applying 20 foot-pounds of moment on thenut.
- Moment = Force x Moment Arm
- Moment = 10lbs x 2ft
- Moment = 20 ft-lbs
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