Berm
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A berm is a level space, shelf, or raised barrier (usually made of
Etymology
The word is one of Middle Dutch and came into usage in English via French.[1]
Military use
History
In
In the
Modern usage
In modern military engineering, a berm is the earthen or sod wall or parapet, especially a low earthen wall adjacent to a ditch. The digging of the ditch (often by a bulldozer or military engineering vehicle) can provide the soil from which the berm is constructed. Walls constructed in this manner are an obstacle to vehicles, including most armoured fighting vehicles but are easily crossed by infantry. Because of the ease of construction, such walls can be made hundreds or thousands of kilometres long. A prominent example of such a berm is the 2,700 km (1,700 mi) Moroccan Western Sahara Wall.
Erosion control
Berms are also used to control soil
Geography
In coastal geography, a
House construction
Earth is piled up against exterior walls and packed, sloping down away from the house. The roof may or may not be fully earth covered, and windows/openings may occur on one or more sides of the shelter. Due to the building being above ground, fewer moisture problems are associated with earth berming in comparison to underground/fully recessed construction.
Other applications
For general applications, a berm is a physical, stationary barrier of some kind. For example, in
Physical security systems employ berms to exclude hostile vehicles and slow attackers on foot (similar to the military application without the trench). Security berms are common around military and nuclear facilities. An example is the berm proposed for Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant in Vermont.[9] At Baylor Ballpark, a baseball stadium on the campus of Baylor University, a berm is constructed down the right field line. The berm replaces bleachers, and general admission tickets are sold for fans who wish to sit on the grass or watch the game from the top of the hill.
Berms are also used as a method of environmental spill containment and liquid spill control.
See also
- Road verge
- Earthworks (engineering)
- Bund
- Moroccan Wall
- Marches
- Limes (Roman Empire)
- Long acre
- Flood-meadow
- Floodplain
References
- ^ a b Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. 1989.
- ^ the CNN Wire Staff (2010-06-03). "'Top Kill' fails, BP moves on 'to next option.'". Cnn.com. Retrieved 2010-06-23.
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has generic name (help) - ISBN 0395448956.
The shoulder of a road.
- ^ Pro Snowboarder. "EXPN.com BMX Glossary". Expn.go.com. Retrieved 2010-06-23.
- ^ Glossary of Snow and Ice Control Terms
- ^ M. Awschalom, D. Theriot, and A, Van Ginneken. "NAL Off-Site Dose-Equivalent Rates Due to Accelerator-Caused Radiation" (PDF). Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory.
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: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) - Interactive Training - Surface Powered Haulage Safety". Msha.gov. Retrieved 2010-06-23.
- ^ "Microsoft PowerPoint - DumpPointSafety.ppt [Read-Only]" (PDF). Retrieved 2010-06-23.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2010-06-24.
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: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
External links
Media related to Berms at Wikimedia Commons