Proper Spelling of Terms

[BigH]

Colleagues:

mmmmmm. Have a question as I am involved with the putting together of a specification for a starter dam. Specifications should encourage the consistent use of terms.

Do you use earth fill in an earth fill dam? or earth fill in an earthfill dam? or earthfill in an earthfill dam?

Do you use rock fill in a rock fill dam? or rock fill in a rockfill dam? or rockfill in a rockfill dam?

Or is it most proper to use earth-fill (rock-fill)?

 

[fattdad]

Just to add one other choice:

Earth fill in an earth-fill dam (or rock fill in a rock-fill dam).

Note that in the first instance of "earth fill" the word "earth" is an adjuctive to the word "fill". In the second instance, the term "earth-fill" is a compound adjuctive to the word "dam". You use the hyphen for compound adjuctives when your intent is to convey that it's neither an "earth" dam, or a "fill" dam, but an "earth-fill" dam.

Now that I've complicated your initial post, I really don't know what I'd do if I was publishing. I'd likely just make it one word (i.e., earthfill or rockfill).

Hope this helps (well, a little. . . . )

f-d

¡papá gordo ain’t no madre flaca!

 

[dgillette]

If you are writing specs in English for use in Indonesia, you can probably do it however you want. The meaning will be clear enough either way, and you, being a native speaker, will be assumed to be correct.

I tend to use 'earthfill' as an adjective (e.g., earthfill dam), and 'earth fill' where it's a noun ("the earth fill shall be placed in lifts not to exceed 30 cm..."). I'm not sure that there is a "correct" Noah Webster-approved way.

 

[SlideRuleEra]

In this type situation I like to look at a widely recognized document and use the terms that they use. In this case, the US Department of the Interior's book "Design of Small Dams" would seem to be an appropriate reference. On page 60, it talks about "earthfill dams", and on page 61, about "rockfill dams".

http://www.SlideRuleEra.net

 

[BigH]

Thanks - I know that Terzaghi and Peck use rockfill (no hyphen) - some, though, use rock-fill. Basically you have confirmed my thoughts that the dam has a single word adjective (earthfill; rockfill) but that the actual fill would be earth or rock (and, of course, we shouldn't really use earth, should we?? - what is earth? not rock! - so . . . but earth in the sense of dams is understood to be different from earth (as in topsoil, etc.). Cheers to all.

 

[oldestguy]

Wow!!! Real important question there.

Do you suppose the poor guys doing the work really give a rat's hind end? They probably call it dirt.

Regardless of the wording, I'll bet no one will notice it either way.

BigH you have more critical things to worry about that this.

 

[cvg]

OK, is it riprap or rip-rap or rock riprap? and how about rip-rap rockfilled gabions?

 

[BigH]

oldestguy - sometimes we need to sit back and enjoy a question!! I really doesn't make a difference but it would be nice if there was "some" order in the use of them! This was my phun (oops, fun) query!

 

[oldestguy]

BigH

You are right. As engineers we tend to be too serious.

You heard the one about the two engineer students that met on the quadrangle one day. Of course at Cornell.

One says to the other "Where did you get that new bike?"

Other says: "Met this coed behind Lincoln Hall riding a new bike and she says "Take what ever you please", as she strips.

Other says:"So I took the bike".

One says: "Good choice. Clothes probably didn't fit anyhow"

 

[BigH]

Yeah - I heard that before - but it was still a good laugh!

One other reason for proper spelling is in specifications/tender docs, I like to see things consistent.