What term refers to actions in the form of forces, deformations, or accelerations applied to a structure?

• A. Bridge Loads
• B. Dead Load
• C. Live Load
• D. Seismic Loads

Answer: (A)

External actions on a structure are called loads. They come in several forms, including permanent weights (dead loads), variable or movable forces (live loads), and dynamic actions such as earthquakes or strong winds that cause accelerations (seismic or wind loads). On a bridge, the overall set of actions designers must resist is referred to as bridge loads, which encompasses all these types. The other terms describe specific load types rather than the complete category: dead load is just the self-weight, live load is the occupiable or movable load, and seismic loads are the earthquake-induced dynamic forces. So bridge loads best describes actions in the form of forces, deformations, or accelerations applied to a structure, within the bridge context.