“Spalling,” writes Vaillant, “is a verb you don’t encounter much below 500 degrees.” It’s what happens to concrete when all the water is burned out of it.
What is spalling? Spalling is a term used to describe areas of concrete which have cracked and delaminated from the substrate. There are a number of reasons why spalling occurs including freeze thaw cycling, the expansive effects of Alkali Silica Reaction or exposure to fire.
spall /spɔːl/ verb
past tense: spalled; past participle: spalled
break (ore, rock, or stone) into smaller pieces, especially in preparation for sorting.
“the ore was spalled by young women seated at anvils”
(of ore, rock, or stone) break off in fragments.
“cracks below the surface cause slabs of material to spall off”
This is part of the “What are words for?” project.
This word scored a seven on a three part scale of allusiveness, political oomph and cultural capital (min score 1, max score 3 for each part of the scale)
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