Meaning 'And'

[GB1000]

Hi,

Can you please assist in a dispute which is currently progressing with an on going project.....


Engineer's certification on their letterhead that the proposed works within the batter zone of the lot will not load the batter profile and revetment wall over 5kN/m2

My understaning is it means batter zone AND revetment wall as a combination.....however the certifier is saying don't load the batter by 5kPa or revetment wall.
The project we have is a swimming pool within the batterzone but no where near the revetment wall

But to be honest I'm slightly unsure.

Thanks

 

[Settingsun]

To me, your two sentences are talking about different things entirely:

Letterhead: The permanent works impose a (dead) load <5kN/m2.

Certifier is talking about construction live load?

But you haven't provided direct quotes in context so there's a lot of room for mine to be misinterpretation.

 

[GB1000]

Hey Steve.

The statement is vague in terms of dead and imposed.

What I think it means is any works (dead or live) should not imposed a 5kN/m2 load on the existing revetment wall AND batter - bearing in mind the revetment wall is affectivley a retaining wall.

Whats your thoughts on the 'and' combination of reventment wall and batter. or either wall or batter

 

[hokie66]

Lateral load or gravity load? 5 kPa as a uniform lateral load on a retaining wall makes little sense. As a uniform gravity load, that is in the order of 200 mm of concrete or 300 mm of soil.

But as to the meaning of "and", that probably means both.

 

[CANPRO]

Can you ask the engineer who wrote the letter for clarification?

 

[dik]

the proposed works within the batter zone of the lot will not load the batter profile and revetment wall over 5kN/m2

Both the batter profile AND the revetment wall cannot be loaded beyond 5 kN/m2, using the logical "AND".

To do one or the other, the logical 'OR' should have been used.

Dik

 

[Settingsun]

If it's a real problem for you (not just idle curiosity at whose interpretation is correct), you should get clarification from the other engineer as Canpro said. All of us here are speculating without enough information.

I wouldn't mind a sketch as I'm not 100% sure what you mean by revetment. I suspect I'd call it stone pitching but that's usually applied to a slope that's self-stable IME, not as a retaining element.

I can't get past the words "will not" in the letter. What is the context? Is there some assumption involved? Eg "if the construction is done as outlined in this letter, the works will not load the batter zone more than the 5kN/m2 permissible limit." Otherwise why isn't is worded as "shall not" or "must not" if they're trying to enforce some condition as both you and the certifier seem to think? Or "This certification is on the basis the works *do not* load the batter zone..." Using 'will not' conveys certainty rather than conditionality to me, unless there are conditions/assumptions attached.