A chute is a vertical or

inclined plane An inclined plane, also known as a ramp, is a flat supporting surface tilted at an angle from the vertical direction, with one end higher than the other, used as an aid for raising or lowering a load. The inclined plane is one of the six clas ...

, channel, or passage through which objects are moved by means of

gravity In physics, gravity (), also known as gravitation or a gravitational interaction, is a fundamental interaction, a mutual attraction between all massive particles. On Earth, gravity takes a slightly different meaning: the observed force b ...

Landform

A chute, also known as a race,

flume A flume is a human-made channel for water, in the form of an open declined gravity chute whose walls are raised above the surrounding terrain, in contrast to a trench or ditch. Flumes are not to be confused with aqueducts, which are built to t ...

, cat, or river canyon, is a steep-sided passage through which water flows rapidly. Akin to these, man-made chutes, such as the timber slide and

log flume A log flume or lumber flume is a watertight flume constructed to transport lumber and logs down mountainous terrain using flowing water. Flumes replaced horse- or oxen-drawn carriages on dangerous mountain trails in the late 19th century. Loggi ...

, were used in the

logging Logging is the process of cutting, processing, and moving trees to a location for transport. It may include skidder, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or trunk (botany), logs onto logging truck, trucksspillway A spillway is a structure used to provide the controlled release of water downstream from a dam or levee, typically into the riverbed of the dammed river itself. In the United Kingdom, they may be known as overflow channels. Spillways ensure tha ...

s on some

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aqua ...

s. Some types of water supply and irrigation systems are gravity fed, hence chutes. These include aqueducts, puquios, and

acequia An acequia () or (, also known as síquia , all from ) is a community-operated watercourse used in Spain and former Spanish colonies in the Americas for irrigation. Acequias are found in parts of Spain, the Andes, northern Mexico, and what i ...

Building chutes

Chutes are in common use in tall buildings to allow fast and efficient transport of items and materials from the upper floors to a central location on one of the lower floors, especially the

basement A basement is any Storey, floor of a building that is not above the grade plane. Especially in residential buildings, it often is used as a utility space for a building, where such items as the Furnace (house heating), furnace, water heating, ...

. Chutes may be of a round, square or rectangular cross-section at the top and/or the bottom. *

Laundry Laundry is the washing of clothing and other textiles, and, more broadly, their drying and ironing as well. Laundry has been part of history since humans began to wear clothes, so the methods by which different cultures have dealt with this u ...

chutes in

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

s are placed on each floor to allow the expedient transfer and collection of dirty laundry to the hotel's laundry facility without having to use

elevator An elevator (American English) or lift (Commonwealth English) is a machine that vertically transports people or freight between levels. They are typically powered by electric motors that drive traction cables and counterweight systems suc ...

s or stairs. These chutes are generally constructed from aluminized or stainless steel sections, welded together to avoid any extruding parts or sharp edges that may tear or damage the materials. Home laundry chutes are typically found in

home A home, or domicile, is a space used as a permanent or semi-permanent residence for one or more human occupants, and sometimes various companion animals. Homes provide sheltered spaces, for instance rooms, where domestic activity can be p ...

s with basement laundry to allow the collection of all household members' dirty laundry, conveniently near the bedrooms and laundry facilities, without the constant transport of laundry bins from floor-to-floor, room-to-room or up and down stairs. Home laundry chutes may be less common than previously due to building codes or concern regarding fireblocking, the prevention of fire from spreading from floor-to-floor, as well as child safety. However, construction including cabinets, doors, lids, and locks may make both risks significantly less than with simple stairwells. * Refuse chutes, rubbish chutes, or garbage chutes are common in high-rise

apartment An apartment (American English, Canadian English), flat (British English, Indian English, South African English), tenement (Scots English), or unit (Australian English) is a self-contained housing unit (a type of residential real estate) that ...

buildings and are used to collect all the building's waste in one place. The bottom end of the chute is normally positioned directly above a large, open-topped

waste container A waste container, also known as a dustbin, rubbish bin, trash can, garbage can, wastepaper basket, and wastebasket, among other names, is a type of container intended to store waste that is usually made out of metal or plastic. The words "r ...

, but sometimes may also include a mechanical waste compactor. This makes

garbage collection Waste collection is a part of the process of waste management. It is the transfer of solid waste from the point of use and disposal to the point of treatment or landfill. Waste collection also includes the curbside collection of recyclable ...

and disposal faster and more efficient, however it can be a potential hygiene risk and health hazard due to garbage residue left inside the chutes, which must be cleaned regularly. * Mail chutes are used in some buildings to collect and store the occupants' mail. A notable example is the Asia Insurance Building. * Escape chutes are used and proposed for use in evacuation of mining equipment and high-rise buildings. * Construction chutes are used to safely remove

rubble Rubble is broken stone, of irregular size, shape and texture; undressed especially as a filling-in. Rubble naturally found in the soil is known also as 'brash' (compare cornbrash)."Rubble" def. 2., "Brash n. 2. def. 1. ''Oxford English Dictionar ...

and similar demolition materials and waste from taller buildings. These temporary structures typically consist of a chain of cylindrical or conical plastic tubes, each fitted into the top of the one below and tied together, usually with a strong metal

chain A chain is a serial assembly of connected pieces, called links, typically made of metal, with an overall character similar to that of a rope in that it is flexible and curved in compression but linear, rigid, and load-bearing in tension. A ...

. Together, they form a long flexible tube, which is hung down the side of the building. The lower end of this tube is placed over a

skip Skip or Skips may refer to: Acronyms * SKIP (Skeletal muscle and kidney enriched inositol phosphatase), a human gene * Simple Key-Management for Internet Protocol * SKIP of New York (Sick Kids need Involved People), a non-profit agency aiding ...

or other receptacle, and waste materials are dropped from the top. Heavy duty steel chutes may also be used when the waste being deposited is heavy duty and in cases of particularly taller buildings. An

is not a chute, as it is not moved under gravity. File:Residential Laundry Chute.jpg, Home laundry chute File:Musoroprovod in the stairwell on the eighth floor of multistory homes.jpg, Garbage chute File:Decarie Incinerator (32075560283).jpg, Waste incinerator chute, no longer in use File:U.S. Mail Chute.jpg, Mail chute File:Schütte 01 (fcm).jpg, Construction chute File:Circular garbage chute.jpg, Circular garbage chute

Chutes in transportation

Goust, a hamlet in southwestern

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, is notable for its mountainside chute that is used to transport

coffin A coffin or casket is a funerary box used for viewing or keeping a corpse, for burial, entombment or cremation. Coffins are sometimes referred to as caskets, particularly in American English. A distinction is commonly drawn between "coffins" a ...

s. Chutes are also found in: *

Hopper car A hopper car () or hopper wagon () is a type of railroad freight car that has opening doors or gates on the underside or on the sides to discharge its cargo. They are used to transport loose solid bulk commodities such as coal, ore, grain, a ...

s * Hopper barges

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chute (Gravity) Building engineering Landforms