Load Bearing Wall

There are two types of walls in a house non-load bearing and load bearing. Non-
bearing walls divide the internal space into rooms but no carry load. The role of
load bearing wall as dividers, but they also carry the load of the structure. These
serving as important structural elements, bearing walls transfer the weight of the
roof and upper floors to the foundation. All outer walls are bearing walls. They
support the roof at the ends of the joists. The interior bearing walls support the
floors and dead loads. The transfer of load: Slabs >> Walls >> Foundation
A load bearing wall transfers the loads from slabs above it to the foundation.
These walls can be made of concrete, masonry or block materials. Most of the
exterior walls of a building structure are considered as load bearing. Removal of
load bearing wall as a part of renovation must be conducted only after providing
alternative support for the above-supported structures.
The materials most often used to construct load-bearing walls in
large buildings are concrete, block, or brick. By contrast, a 
curtain wall provides no significant structural support beyond what
is necessary to bear its own materials or conduct such loads to a
bearing wall.

Load Bearing Wall

 Statics of Load Bearing Structure

The load-bearing structures is determined by the following analysis process:

1.The whole structure is analyzed initially. The function of each structural

element is hence determined.

2.The forces in the individual structural elements is determined.

3.The forces that is affecting the structural elements is determined along with
the forces that it transmits. These are external forces.

4.The forces within the structural elements are the internal forces or the static
forces.

5.The overall structural stability of the structural element is determined.

6.Finally, determine the proof that the planned structure withstands all the
forces coming over it
 Types of Load Bearing Walls
Followings are the types of load bearing walls:
• Precast Concrete Wall: This wall is aesthetically pleasing. The precast wall has
superior strength and known for its durability. It provides excellent protection
and is easy to install.
• Retaining Wall: It provides lateral support. Installing a retaining wall has many
environmental benefits like reducing erosion and protecting areas from being
saturated. It is also known as revetment or breast wall. 
• Masonry Wall: Masonry is the most durable part of any structure. It allows for
unlimited architectural expressions. They provide strength durability. Masonry
wall also helps to control the temperature in indoor and out. Also, it increases
the fire resistance. Lateral stiffness of the masonry wall is very low.
• Pre-panelized Load Bearing Metal Stud Walls: It is used for building exterior
wall cladding. The metal can be stainless steel, copper, aluminum. It supports
gravity, seismic and wind loading. 
• Engineering Brick Wall: It uses double open-ended bond beam blocks. It is built
using a mold. Block wall is replaced horizontally. 
• Stone Wall: It is treated as a stone structure. It is kind of masonry construction.
This wall provides structure to a building and encloses an area.
Why load Bearing Wall Construction not used Today:-

• Load bearing masonry structure performs badly during the action of earthquakes.

If looked through the history of past earthquake disasters, most of the structures

collapsed are load bearing masonry buildings. As the weight of the load bearing

structure is high, it highly attracts earthquakes.

• Load bearing masonry construction employs more labor. As this involves stacking of

masonry units one over the other, it demands more human labor.

• Load bearing masonry construction is slow. As mentioned above, it is a human

process which takes too much time to complete compared to other construction

technique.

• Load bearing structures consume a large number of masonry units. Hence this

construction is labor intensive. More the material required, more is the consumption

of green resources for their production.

• Costs for the total masonry units used for the construction of these structures make it

unviable.

• The weight of the load bearing masonry structure is high.

• The thermal insulation properties of these structures are very poor.

A non-load bearing wall is a wall that does not carry any gravity

loads from the building, hence doesn't accept any weight besides its

own. A partition wall is a non-load-bearing wall that divides any

interior space. Partition walls include static walls built onto the

existing framed walls in the space or moveable features that slide on

rails or roll on casters. A structural frame of reinforced concrete or

steel can support the loads of the floors and roof, and also of the non-

load bearing walls. The outer walls then perform all the 'enclosure'

functions. Each wall panel also transmits its own weight and resists

wind and seismic loads, but only those that act on the panel itself.
Partition walls are useful for changing the arrangement and
functionality of a space. Following ways partition walls can be used:
1. Constructing separate workspaces in a large office space.
2. Providing a quieter reading or tutoring space in a classroom or
library.
3. Separating a common bedroom into two distinct areas for additional
privacy.
4. Partitioning an apartment to separate the sleeping and living areas.
5. Using pre-fabricated walls and screens to hide storage space.
Partition wall may be purpose-designed and constructed or may be
flexible systems, and can combine openings, windows, doors, ducting,
pipe work, plugs, wiring, skirting and so on.
 Quiz-1
1.What are the different between load bearing wall, cavity wall and
non-load bearing wall?
2.Why not today load bearing wall use in common?
3.List materials of external wall and what are selection criteria of
the material?