Masonry walls are not typically designed to resist which type of forces?

Masonry walls are primarily designed to support vertical loads and resist compressive forces, which are critical for their stability under the weight they bear. These walls can also handle shear forces, which occur due to lateral loads such as wind or earthquakes, especially when properly reinforced.

However, masonry materials, including brick and concrete block, are not well-suited to resist tensile forces, which tend to pull apart or stretch materials. Since masonry is inherently weak in tension, the design of masonry walls does not typically account for significant tensile stresses.

Lateral impact loads are not a primary design consideration for masonry walls as they are generally not constructed to withstand sudden or dynamic forces that occur from impacts, such as those from vehicles or debris. As a result, while masonry structures may sometimes experience lateral impacts, they are not typically engineered specifically for that purpose, making them less effective in resisting such forces. Therefore, lateral impact loads are a type of force that masonry walls are not designed to resist.