The general meaning of lateral is at to toward the side. We will cover the use of lateral in irrigation and the its use in construction.
IRRIGATION
The pipe installed downstream from the control valve on which the sprinklers are located.
Mainline pipe delivers water from the source to the Zone valves. Lateral pipe connects the valves to the heads or emitters. Emitters are irrigation devices used to provide a regulated amount of water to a specific plant or location.
EXAMPLE:
CONSTRUCTION
Lateral refers to a force applied sideways or in a horizontal direction. Lateral loads are live loads that are applied parallel to the ground; that is, they are horizontal forces acting on a structure. They are different to gravity loads for example which are vertical, downward forces. The most common types are: Wind load. Seismic load.
The figure below shows a lateral load being applied. Engineers must design a building to withstand these forces.
