The purpose of ___ is to distribute a concentrated load on the floor over a wider area.

The purpose of ___ is to distribute a concentrated load on the floor over a wider area.

• A. Bridging
• B. Blocking
• C. Subflooring
• D. Decking

Answer: (A)

Distributing a concentrated load across a floor by sharing it among several joists is accomplished with bridging. When a heavy object sits on the floor, a small area might push down on a single joist; bridging provides short members between adjacent joists, creating a brace that transfers some of that load to neighboring joists. This increases the effective bearing area, reduces local deflection, and helps keep the floor stiff and stable. Subflooring serves as the surface that rests on top of the joists and helps spread loads across the floor system, but its main role is to provide a continuous walking surface rather than specifically distributing a point load. Blocking is installed between joists to prevent twisting and to give solid support in localized spots, yet it’s not primarily about spreading a concentrated load across multiple joists like bridging. Decking refers to exterior surface boards and isn’t involved in this floor-load distribution function.

Distributing a concentrated load across a floor by sharing it among several joists is accomplished with bridging. When a heavy object sits on the floor, a small area might push down on a single joist; bridging provides short members between adjacent joists, creating a brace that transfers some of that load to neighboring joists. This increases the effective bearing area, reduces local deflection, and helps keep the floor stiff and stable.

Subflooring serves as the surface that rests on top of the joists and helps spread loads across the floor system, but its main role is to provide a continuous walking surface rather than specifically distributing a point load. Blocking is installed between joists to prevent twisting and to give solid support in localized spots, yet it’s not primarily about spreading a concentrated load across multiple joists like bridging. Decking refers to exterior surface boards and isn’t involved in this floor-load distribution function.