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longrine

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n. f. · grade beam (US) · ground beam (UK)

Definition

FR
Poutre en béton armé posée au niveau du sol ou juste au-dessus, qui relie des semelles, des plots ou des pieux. Elle répartit les charges, limite les tassements différentiels et reçoit souvent le mur du rez-de-chaussée ou un plancher bas.
EN
A reinforced-concrete beam at or just above ground level that ties together footings, piers or piles. It spreads loads, limits differential settlement and often carries the ground-floor wall or the lowest floor.

Diagram

murwalllongrinegrade beam (US) · ground beam (UK)plot / poteaupiersemellefootingsol porteurbearing soilPerspective cavalière · schéma de principe, non à l'échelle
Oblique view: a grade beam between two footings, under a wall.

Example sentences

Written (email, official document)

FRLes longrines relient les semelles isolées et reçoivent le mur de façade.

ENThe grade beams tie the isolated footings together and carry the façade wall.

Spoken (standard)

FROn coffre les longrines demain, le béton arrive à huit heures.

ENWe're forming the grade beams tomorrow, the concrete arrives at eight.

Spoken (informal)

FRIl manque une longrine sur le plan de fondations, on la rajoute ?

ENA grade beam is missing on the foundation plan, shall we add it?

Nuances and pitfalls

Longrine (n. f.) or chaînage horizontal? The longrine is at the bottom: it ties the foundations together, at ground level or just above. The chaînage horizontal is a reinforced-concrete ring inside a masonry wall, at each floor, that holds the walls together; there are also chaînages verticaux, at corners and around openings. Two elements, two functions. In English, a chaînage horizontal is a ring beam (UK) or a bond beam (US, in masonry).

Longrine and strip footing. A strip footing is itself a continuous foundation under a wall; a longrine is a beam that links separate foundations (isolated footings, piers, piles) and carries the wall above. On a foundation plan you therefore often find isolated footings tied together by longrines.

Related terms

semellechaînage horizontalfondationsradier

Regulatory and standard references

France
US
UK
NF DTU 21 (exécution des ouvrages en béton)? Not verified
ACI CODE-318-25 (Building Code for Structural Concrete)? Not verified
BS EN 1992-1-1 (Eurocode 2, concrete structures)? Not verified

Legislation in force may differ from what is shown here.

Validation

Reviewed by Raphaël B. · 7 Oct 2026

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