A Load bearing wall (or bearing wall) is a wall that bears a load resting upon it by conducting its weight off to a foundation structure. Show
The materials most often used to construct load-bearing walls in large buildings are concrete, block, or brick. A load bearing wall supports loads of a structure, such as floors, equipment, furniture, and people. At one-time building were constructed with very thick bricks walls carrying all floor and other loads. Design of these walls was not based on engineering data but only on well-intentioned but unscientific building codes. As buildings grew taller, the building code requirement for the thickness of a brick wall becomes economically prohibitive. Depending on the type of building and the number of stories, load-bearing walls ar egauged to the appropriate thickness to carry the weight above them, without doing so, it is possible that an outer wall could be becomes unstable if the load exceeds the strength fo the materials used, potentially leading to the coilapse of the structure. Types of load bearing wallLoad-bearing walls may further be divided into the following types
Types of load bearing wallSolid masonry wallSolid masonry walls are the most commonly use. These walls built of individual blocks of material, such as bricks, clay or concrete blocks, or stone, usually in horizontal courses, cemented together with suitable mortar. A solid wall construct of the same type of building unties throughout its thickness. However, it may have an opening for doors, windows, etc.  Faced wall and veneer wallA facing wall is a wall in which the facing and backing are of two different materials which bound together to ensure common action under load, Veneer walls are similar to non-load bearing walls in that they carry no weight except their own. The brick or tile fasten to a backing, but it does not exert a common action with the backing. Perhaps the most common use brick veneer on wood frame dwelling. Other examples are architectural cotta and thin ceramic veneer on monumental buildings. Non- load bearing wallNon-load bearing walls carry only their own weigh. This type of wall used to close in a steel or concrete frame building. It is usually carried by supports, normally steel shelf angles at each floor, and is called a panel wall. When the wall is supported at the base only, it is called a curtain wall. A partition wall is a thin internal wall which constructs to divide the space within the building into rooms or area. Generally, partition walls are non-load bearing. A partition wall, separating two adjoining rooms must often provide a barrier to the passages of sound from one to another. An additional requirement in all partitions walls is their capacity to support a surface suitable for decoration and which is able to withstand the casual damage by impact to which the occupation of the building is likely to subject them. On ground floors, partitions rest either on flooring concrete or on beams spanning between the main walls. In multi-storeyed buildings, partitions support on concrete beams spanning between columns. The total self-weight of partitions may considerably affect the total load carried on the framework and on the structural elements, and the building as a whole will become more economical, The thickness of partitions will affect the amount of usable floor space available in the building. Wall is a structural element which divides the space (room) into two spaces (rooms) and also provides safety and shelter. Generally, the walls are differentiated as a two types outer-walls and inner-walls. Outer-walls gives an enclosure to the house for shelter and inner-walls helps to partition the enclosure into the required number of rooms. Inner walls are also called as Partition walls or Interior Walls and Outer walls are also called as Exterior walls. In the technical point of view the walls are divided into the following types: Different Types of Walls:-Contents 1.Load Bearing Wall :As the name itself suggests that, the whole building structure is rested on walls instead of columns. In general, the loads from slab transfers to the beams, from beams to the columns and then spread to the foundation.
From the above image, you can identify that the structure has beams and slabs but not columns. In simple words, whether its exterior or interior walls, the wall which is bearing the whole weight of the structure, including self-weight of structural elements is called Load bearing wall. Strip foundation is adopted for the load-bearing type of wall. 2. Non-load Bearing wall or Drop Wall:This type of wall doesn’t support floor or roof loads above them which means it wont carry any of the weight of the structure above it. Partition walls inside the building are the best example of it, where these are constructed only to divide the rooms and these walls don’t possess any structural integrity. The non-load bearing wall can be removed or shortened without affecting the building structure. Non-Load bearing walls are also called as Drop wall or Filling wall. The thickness of Non Load bearing wall generally lies in between 100mm to 125mm. 3. Shear wall:Shear wall is the wall which is constructed around the lift pit, Water sump or Staircase to retain the soil. Any shear wall bears two pressures on it either it may be wind pressure and soil pressure or wind pressure or water pressure . Shear wall is adopted to resist these forces. These walls are used to carry the lateral force exerted on the structure due to wind, earthquake or any other lateral load. To make it clear, Let us take an example of the overhead water tank. Overhead tank is exposed to the wind as it is constructed on heights which share Wind pressure on it. The water tank has water in it which creates water pressure inside the tank. Shear wall resists these forces without any deflection. We will explain more about shear wall soon in a separate post. 4. Retaining Wall:The wall which is built to maintain the unequal level of the ground on its two faces is called a Retaining wall. The wall which is constructed all around the building to show the limits of the plot is called a boundary wall. What type of wall supports only its weight?Non-load bearing walls only carry their own weight and does not support any structural members such as beams and slabs. These walls are just used as partition walls or to separate rooms from outside. It is known as interior wall (doesn't carry other load than its own load.
Which walls are usually load bearing?Walls more than 6 inches thick are usually load-bearing walls. Walls in the center of a building usually support most of the roof's weight. Walls that end in supports or columns are probably load-bearing walls. Many masonry walls are load bearing, especially exterior walls.
What is a structural loadA load bearing wall is a structural element commonly incorporated in the structure of a building to transfer loads in a vertical direction through compression, similar to a column. Load bearing walls transfer loads in a vertical direction.
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