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The following model shows how these structural members can be combined together to |
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create a custom home with an open hip roof. |
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Most public, commercial, and industrial buildings can classified into three main categories- |
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wall bearing, skeletal, and long span structures. |
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Wall bearing construction |
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Wall bearing construction is one of the oldest and most common building methods used. |
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Exterior and interior masonry walls support structural members like beams and joists that |
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carry the building's floors and roof. Its use is limited to low profile buildings up to several |
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stories high. |
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Historically, wall bearing construction was used to build some of the largest structures then |
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known. As mentioned previously, the Romans overcame the interior space limitations of |
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the classical post and lintel system by using arched, vaulted, or domed roof designs. These |
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massive superstructures exerted a considerable outward thrusting force on the perimeter |
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walls supporting them. Consequently, bearing walls were very thick to keep from being |
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tipped over from the roof load. The thickness of the walls was not necessary to resist the |
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compressive stresses exerted by the roof load since, as stated before, masonry, such as |
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stone, brick, or concrete has very high compressive strength. However excessive thrusting |
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forces bearing on top of the wall can cause the wall to become unstable over time. This is |
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due to the fact that masonry has a relatively high modulus of elasticity. So the eccentricity, |
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or unbalance, of the thrusting load of the roof will cause the outside of the wall to shrink in |
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compression and the inside of the wall to expand in tension. In reaction the wall begins to |
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Back to Knowhere |
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