Construction technology terminology

Session 2
What is load baring wall
 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.

 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 collapse of the structure.
Types of load bearing wall

 Load-bearing walls may further be divided into the following types

• Solid masonry wall

• Cavity wall

• Faced wall

• Veneered wall
Solid masonry wall
 Solid 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.
Cavity wall
 A Cavity wall is a wall comprising
two leaves, each leaf being built of
structural units and separated by a
cavity and tied together with metal
ties or bonding units to ensure that
the two leaves act a sone structural
unit.

 The space between the leaves is

either left as a continuous cavity or is
filled with non-load bearing insulting
and waterproofing material.
Faced wall and veneer wall
 A 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 wall
 Non-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.

 However, light and thin partitions often raise problems of sound insulation and fire
resistance.
 The partition wall should fulfill the following requirement.
• The amount wall should be strong enough to carry its own load.

• The partition wall should be strong enough to resist the impact in which the

occupation of the building is likely to subject them.

• The partition wall should have the capacity to support a suitable decorative
surface.

• A partition wall should be stable and strong enough to support some wall
fixtures, wash-basins, etc.

• this wall should be as light as possible.

• A partition wall should be as thin as possible.

• A partition wall should act as a sound barrier, especially when it divides two
rooms.
Load Distribution
 When any load is enforced on any structure, then structure will
transmit and disperse this load to its subsequent elements. When
load is delivering to the slab, it will convey the load to beam, then
from beam the load will be transmitted to column, column will move
this load to footing. Finally, the footing will bear the entire load that is
directed from structure. Below the footings, there is soil.

Given below, the details of load transmission process :-

 Load transmitted to slab: The slab will retain various types of loads
like the dead loads from covering material and wall partitions and it
will also provide support to the live load mainly generated from the
peoples on this slab.
 Load transmitted from slab to beams: The forces transmitted from
slab to beams usually occur either in one way or in two ways. The entire
system totally depends on the geometrical dimensions of the slab in
which if the proportion of long side / short side is under 2 it is treated as
2 way slab, and if the ratio of longer side to shorter side is in excess of 2
then it is treated as 1 way slab.

 Load transferred from beam to columns: As the columns provide support to

hold beams, they will transfer the load already retained by them from
supporting the slab to the column itself. This load transmission will be
primarily axial force and in eccentric column, it will transfer moment also
to the column.
 Load transferred from columns to foundation: As the columns are
supported on the foundation; the load reassigned from all the
components to attain the columns it will be transferred from the
column through the column necks adjoining to the footing in the form
of axial force and in exceptional cases or lateral loads employed, it will
transmit moment and shear also to the footing.

 Load transferred from Footing to soil: Soil is the base of the footing.
All the forces that keep in touch with the footings will be delivered to
the soil, that will bear this force with its bearing strength that differs
from one type of soil to another. The size of the footing mainly
depends on the bearing strength.
Building Loads

 What are the loads?

Simply, loads are some sort of force.

 Major types of loads:

1.Dead loads. (red arrow)

Exerted by the weight of the element of

the structure

2.Live loads. (rest arrow) Loads in simple structure

Exerted by any temporary force acting on

the structure
 DEAD LOADS

 Dead Loads are those loads which are

considered to act permanently; they are
"dead," stationary, and unable to be
removed.

 The self-weight of the structural members

normally provides the largest portion of the
dead load of a building
Exerted by the weight of the element of the structure
 LIVE LOADS

 Live Loads are not permanent and can

change in magnitude.

 They include items found within a

building

All the arrows indicate the live loads unless the red one
 Wind load

 The wind's relatively large

projected areas can develop
substantial forces in the
structure

Wind load
EARTHQUAKE LOADS
 Earthquake loads are another
lateral live load.

 They are very complex,

uncertain, and potentially more
damaging than wind loads.

Mass tends to remain in its original

position, deformation due to sudden
ground moving take place at the base
Wind Loads
 The Wind acts horizontally on the
surfaces of the walls, roofs, and
pitched roofs of the structure. That
means it exerts uniform pressure
on the structural components on
which it acts and tends to disturb
the stability of the structure.

 The value of wind loads varies

depending on several factors such
as the geographical location of the
structure, height of the structure,
duration of wind flow etc.
Snow Loads

 The amount of snow load

depends on various factors such
as shape and size of roof
structure, roofing materials,
location of the structure,
insulation of the structure,
duration, and frequency of snow.
Structural stability
 Structural stability in construction refers to the power of the building to resist
any sudden change or force, that is its ability to maintain equilibrium under any
circumstances. Instability in buildings can have lethal outcomes and must be paid
extreme attention to while designing. Structural members are the primary load
bearers in a building. Beams are horizontal structural members that transfer load
to the supports while Columns are vertical structural members transferring
compression forces to the ground. Footings in the foundation also form vital
structural members comprising the base of construction transferring loads to the
ground. Most Australian homes use brick veneers or masonry with concrete
foundations in construction and a concrete structural framework. Having only
load-bearing walls without column beam grid for structures exceeding Ground + 2
floors isn’t advisable to maintain the structural stability of a building.