What is a bearing plate?

In most cases, a bearing plate is a specially designed metal plate used to distribute the force of a bearing wall or column over a larger area. It can also refer to a plate used to cover, hide or protect the internal bearing system of a machine, but this definition is less common. The bearing plate is usually placed under the load-bearing structure, but other configurations can also be used. These plates often have additional screw holes or bolt holes to provide additional options when securing load-bearing structures.

The load-bearing structure holds the weight of the building above it. Not every part of a building can handle the weight. In a standard house, most of the weight is placed on one or two interior structures and on the four exterior corners. Very large or very small homes may have more or less space, but five to six total load points are common. To preserve the longevity of these structures and prevent the building from settling or sagging, support slabs are placed beneath them to redistribute the weight.

The basic support plate is a metal plate that is usually less than an inch (3 cm) thick but very wide and long. The actual size of the board depends mainly on the type of structure it is designed to fit. In any case, the actual board has a much larger area than the object sitting on top of it.

Load bearing panels are often used under walls and columns during the construction of buildings. This style of slab requires a larger surface area as the height of the building increases. Plates near the bottom of the building are larger than those near the top. This helps distribute the weight of the structure more evenly, thus maintaining the stability of the building.

It is not uncommon for support plates to have additional features to improve their usefulness. Most boards have a selection of holes and attachment points to help ensure that the load-bearing structure is securely fastened and the board is properly attached to the surface. This is especially common in bearing brackets. These brackets are attached to load surfaces and surfaces at an angle, transferring vertical forces to the horizontal and vice versa.

A common modification of the standard bearing plate is the plain bearing plate. They are attached to the surface, but not to the structure above. These boards have a smooth surface that allows objects sitting on the board to move as they expand and contract. It both redistributes weight and prevents damage to the system due to high friction.