Chapter1:
Code of practice hardware for fire and escape doors in U.K AND European fire door standard EN1634
The UK fire code is very complete and comprehensive compared to other European countries. This is directly related to continuous door hardware professional education. GAI(Guildof Architectural Ironmonger) in the UK is the cradle of training professional registered hardware technicians(Dip GAI, Registered Architectural Ironmonger). Hundreds of hardware engineers graduate every year.
The United Kingdom has always used the BS British standard, and has now switched to the more complete CE/EN standard. Adding BS before the EN standard code becomes a British National Standard, such as BS EN1154.
The measures to ensure fire doors, there are FDIS(Fire Door Inspection Scheme), which are jointly operated by BWF-British Woodworking Federation and GAI-Guild of Architectural Ironmongers, and Certifed Fire Door Maintainers by BM TRADA Q-Mark.
Chapter2 Three functions of fire doors
- Control the fire situation in the starting stage – the tightly closed and installed fire doors (doors and hardware accessories) limit the indoor oxygen supply, which can effectively control the fire in the initial stage.
- Prevents flames and smoke from spreading throughout the building – When a fire reaches a certain stage, a tightly closed fire door can prevent fireworks from spreading throughout the building, giving survivors more time to escape.
- Protect the escape channel – the escape channel is basically a fire door, which is effectively protected when people escape.
Chapter3 European and British standards for fire doors
- European Standard EN1634
- British Standard BS476:22
Chapter4 British fire code requirements for hardware
Except that the hardware on the fire door must pass the fire test EN1634 together with the fire door. It must also comply with CE/EN formal testing requirements and be certified by a third-party certification body such as CERTIFIRE or BRE. Only allowed for fire doors
Hinge-BS EN1935
According to the British fire protection regulations, in addition to complying with the BS EN1935 standard, the use of hinges on fire doors has the following regulations:
-long-term maintenance measures should be taken, and damaged hinges should be replaced in time.
-It is recommended not to use rising hinges and spring hinges.
-The diameter of screws used for wooden doors should not be less than 3.8mm and the length should not be less than 30mm.
-The torque resistance produced by the 2 hinges should be between 2Nm and 4Nm.
-The melting point of the material used should not be lower than 800 degrees Celsius.
When calculating the use of door closers, consider the added load of the hinges.
Door closer-BS EN1154
According to the British Fire Code, in addition to complying with the BS EN1145 standard, the following regulations apply to the use of gating devices on fire doors:
-long-term maintenance measures should be taken, and damaged hinges should be replaced in time.
-Automatically closes the door at any angle
-Resists the resistance created by the latch bolt, sequencer and seal
-It is recommended not to use rising hinges and spring hinges.
-Door control products with positioning devices cannot be used
-The door control device must use the closing force above EN3
-It is recommended to use an adjustable force closing device. When encountering unpredictable resistance, the force can be adjusted to meet the requirements of fire tight closing.
Electrically powered hold open devices-BS EN1155
According to UK fire regulations, in addition to complying with BS EN1155, the following regulations apply to the use of positioning devices on fire doors.
-Any manual positioning device shall not be used for fire doors
-It is recommended to use an electronically controlled (power off or release after receiving a fire signal) positioning device, such as an electromagnetic buckle.
Door co-ordinator devices-BS EN1158
Lock&Latches-BS EN12209
According to the British Fire Code, in addition to complying with BS EN12209 and BS EN1303 standards, the following provisions are required for door locking devices on fire doors:
-long-term maintenance measures should be taken, and damaged hinges should be replaced in time.
-The melting point of the material of the lock body and the bolt shall not be lower than 800 degrees Celsius, and the melting point of the material of the fireproof steel door used for more than 90 minutes shall not be lower than 900 degrees Celsius.
Fire-resisting doors on Accessible Routes
According to the British fire protection regulations, the door control device BS EN1154 and the building import and export regulations ADM (Access to and use of building) standards, there are the following regulations for the door control device on the fire door.
-The door control system with more than 65% efficiency should be selected, and the closing force should not be less than 18Nm according to BS EN1154.
-It is recommended to use automatic door systems, push-pull, swing or swing door operators, etc.
Fire Rated Panic&Emergency Exit Devices
According to the UK Fire Code, in addition to escape devices BS EN1125 and BS EN179, the following are specified for gating devices on fire doors.
-long-term maintenance measures should be taken, and damaged hinges should be replaced in time.
-If more than 60 people live or work in the building, the escape door must use an escape device.
-When hinges and seals are used, make sure that the escape device is used properly.
Chapter5 American NFPA80 and American fire standard UL10C
1.NFPA80 (Nation Fire Protection Association)
This is the specification for the installation and use of fire doors in the United States. It is a very complete set of guidelines for the use, installation, maintenance and testing of fire doors.
This set of specifications has very complete inspection and maintenance guidelines, and stipulates that AHJ is responsible for the fire door and its related hardware accessories.
AHJ- Authorized Having Jurisdiction This is the inspection agency for the use and installation of hardware accessories related to fire door bodies in various states in the United States. They perform inspections and permits strictly in accordance with NFPA80 for the use and installation of fire doors and all accessories. They can be government departments related to fire protection, or they can be executive inspection agencies composed of residential owners and management companies.
2. NFPA80 fire rated door hardware
-Hinges used on fire doors must be certified to ANSI/BHMA156.1
-If using spring hinges, more than 2 must be used
-Fire doors must be equipped with door control devices, and it is recommended to use surface-mounted door closers.
