gross weight load

[Altai]

Dear native English speaking professionals!
Would someone please advise on the term "gross weight load" - is it possible to use it for gravity force of a fully loaded railcar?

I use it in the following context:

"Estimated vertical force on one chord section is assumed to be equal to:
q(v) = P(gr) : n
where P(gr) is gross weight load;
n is number of car dumper clamps; it is assumed that n = 8 (4 per side)."

Is it OK to use this term here? Being no native English speaker, I'm not 100% sure...

[tiny-tim]

Hi Altai! :smile:

I'm not familiar with transport terminology :redface:, but I've always understood gross weight to include the load, and net weight to exclude the load …

see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gross_weight#Measuring_weight …
Gross weight is a term that generally is found in commerce or trade applications, and refers to the total weight of a product and its packaging. Conversely, net weight refers to the weight of the product alone, discounting the weight of its container or packaging; and tare weight is the weight of the packaging alone.

So the word "load" would be unnecessary (I think).

[Altai]

Thanks for your reply tiny-tim.
I was also thinking about "gross weight force", but... again, I'm not so sure. Though what "P" stands for is really a force due to the weight of a fully loaded railcar - including the weight of the car itself (tare weight) and the weight of its contents (net weight).

[tiny-tim]

Hi Altai! :smile:

Weight is a force.

m is mass, and mg is weight.

Of course, a lot of people say "weight" when they mean "mass" …

who is this being written for?

[Altai]

It's for English-speaking railwaymen. I'm just translating some Russian material into English.
So the "force" part is also excessive here? Oops.

[tiny-tim]

It's for English-speaking railwaymen.

mmm … I don't really understand why a railwayman would be interested in force :confused: …

what calculations do they need to make?

Don't they simply want to know what the weight (the mass) is?

[Altai]

mmm … I don't really understand why a railwayman would be interested in force :confused: …

Well, the material is about all kinds of loads and forces acting on a railcar, so why not?

[SteamKing]

Tare weight = weight of the empty container or car
Net weight = weight of the contents of the container or car
Gross weight = total of Tare and Net weights

These figures are displayed on the sides of shipping containers, for instance