pillar(redirected from ruminal pillar)
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pillar,freestanding columnar supporting member. It is a general term, little used as an exact architectural definition except as applied to an upright support in the medieval styles, consisting of an assemblage of juxtaposed shafts and moldings; unlike the column, it does not adhere to the rules of the orders of architectureorders of architecture.
In classical tyles of architecture the various columnar types fall, in general, into the five so-called classical orders, which are named Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, Tuscan, and Composite.
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part of a bed or seam of a mineral that is left untouched when working a deposit in order to support the roof and protect mine excavations and surface structures.
Based on their purposes various types of pillars are distin guished: protective pillars (between levels, above and below drifts, between chambers), which protect objects during mining operations; fire safety pillars, which separate individual parts of the mine field from one another and help contain the fire, should it begin, within small areas; barrier pillars, which prevent surface or subterranean waters, gases, or loose silt from an excavation or unused mine from entering working mines; and support pillars, which prevent the rocks of the roof of the seam or ore body from caving in into an excavated area. The pillar size depends on the mining-geological conditions and the purpose of the pillar and is built according to standard guidelines.