Fire doors: GOST and types

The doors in their homes, mankind has been using for many centuries. However, if earlier this element was intended only to protect the house from intruders, today the functions of doors have become much wider. And one of the most important is to become an obstacle to the fire. Modern fire doors (GOST, its main requirements and recommendations will be discussed later) are able, at a minimum, to delay the time of penetration of an open flame into the room, thereby giving people the opportunity to leave the building or, if this is impossible, wait for outside help from the fire services. The maximum that fire door structures are capable of is to block the flame in a burning room until the fire extinguishing services arrive.

Key regulatory documents

The main regulatory document governing the requirements for fire doors is GOST. Today there are several such documents, and each of them describes certain parameters of door structures.

The fundamental factor in choosing a door is the characteristics that determine the resistance to fire. When marking structures in alphabetic terms, this is as follows:

• "E" - the appearance of cracks on the door or loss of integrity of the entire structure with direct exposure to fire after a designated period of time. For example, “E30” means that the destruction will begin after 30 minutes of burning.
• “I” - loss of properties or combustion of a heat-insulating material.
• "R" - the ultimate indication of the integrity of the door leaf. After the specified period of time, deformation or fracture will begin.

Types of Fire Doors

Before deciding on any one option, you must carefully familiarize yourself with what types of fire doors are generally available. GOST, SNiP or other regulatory documents regulate the classification of door structures in three directions.

• With regard to the material from which they are made, the doors can be wooden, metal and glass (the latter is very convenient, since the source of ignition and the intensity of the flame are visible).
• According to the type of construction, fire doors can be made single and double-leaf.
• According to the degree of resistance to fire, there are 3 types of doors - 1st, 2nd and 3rd.

In the production process of products such as fire doors, GOST regulates the technical requirements to which any ordinary door is subject, and in addition to this, requirements are put forward regarding fire resistance and flame retardation. The main point is that structural elements should not be heated to high temperatures and, moreover, melted. In addition, deformation from high temperatures should be directed outward or inward.

Dimensions

Today, in the construction market, quite a few manufacturers produce fire doors. The dimensions of GOST R53303-2009 are regulated as follows. Typically, any one door size of a particular manufacturer is checked for fire resistance. The test results described in the protocol are valid for this model in certain permissible deviations from the overall dimensions, which are from + 10% to -30% in height and width. Rounding is possible up to 5 cm up and 10 cm down.

Simply put, this manufacturer of doors fire GOST allows you to produce with deviations of + 10% to -30% of the dimensions of the door, which has been tested and has a certificate.

Already a gate or another door?

What size design can be considered a fire hatch? And what size doorways are spoken about when fire doors and gates are installed? GOST describes both designs with absolute dimensions (the market for certified products will not be able to offer products with larger or smaller dimensions), as well as certified doors from a particular manufacturer. Since the dimensions start from the doors, a deviation of -30% to the smallest design will determine the transition point from the doors to the hatches. And an amendment of + 10% to the door with the largest dimensions will indicate the moment the doors go into the gate.

Possible installation locations

Installation of fire doors (GOST and SNiP contain complete information) is possible only in certain places. Since the main purpose of such structures is to protect people and property from fire, premises with an increased risk of fire are considered the main installation points. In the industry, these are warehouses, corridors, the main switchboard of the enterprise, and workshops. In office premises it makes sense to install such doors where important documentation is stored.

Applicable Materials

According to the majority of consumers, a metal fire door has the highest degree of fire resistance. GOST - the main regulatory document - requires the use of alloy steels for manufacturing. As coatings and heaters, non-toxic refractory compositions and materials should be used. Reliable enough and providing good protection against fire are wooden fire doors, previously impregnated with special compounds that slow down combustion.

In general, modern technologies make it possible to use aluminum profiles with heat-accumulating fillers and laminated refractory glass for the manufacture of doors . As a rule, supporting structures made of aluminum profiles provide high-quality fittings.

The main stages of door manufacturing

The technological process, as a rule, gradually looks as follows:

• the materials from which the door structures will subsequently be made are tested;
• basic design elements are made in strict accordance with GOST;
• fire doors GOST 30247.0-94 recommends subjecting various tests.

Each structural element has its own specific characteristics. For the manufacture of the door frame, a steel bent profile is used. According to technical requirements, a threshold is mandatory. Door handles are made of metal and coated with a special polymer composition, which will open even the door that has time to heat up. The lock case must be fireproof. For the manufacture of its components used high-quality steel.

Special technologies have been developed and are widely used in the process of manufacturing metal doors; heat-insulating fillers, thermal tapes expanding from hot smoke, and rubber sealants from cold smoke are used.

Do I need a license to install doors?

Before you give preference to a company for installing fire doors, you need to find out whether a license is needed for such an activity. Since this kind of work should be performed exclusively by professionals in their field and with the highest possible quality, a license, of course, is needed. Until the client sees a full set of permits, he can hardly fully trust the contractor. The issuing of such papers is the responsibility of the fire department. In the future, it is this structure (fire department) that will have to track whether the installation of fire doors has been carried out in a quality manner, and whether all the requirements and standards described in GOSTs and Construction Norms and Regulations have been complied with.

All requirements, in turn, can be divided into two parts: those stipulated by the regulatory document and those that are put forward by the customer to the contractor.

Requirements of regulatory documents (GOST, SNiP)

There is no normative document regulating the installation of fire door structures. However, for the installation of conventional iron doors with some nuances and features, such a document has been developed, and this is GOST. Installation of fire doors should be carried out with construction anchors with a diameter of at least 10 mm. The distance between adjacent fasteners is at least 700 mm. The door structure itself must be installed using level and plumb. Deviation of the box from the axes is allowed no more than 1.5 mm per 1 meter of length. The door block must be installed in the prepared opening symmetrically with respect to the vertical of the opening. Building gaps and joints must be filled with foam.

Customer requirements for the contractor

Firstly, this is a necessary package of documents. These include:

• a document authorizing the installation of fire doors (license);
• fire safety certificate ;
• passport on the door.

It is also necessary to have a well-adjusted closer, under the force of which the door itself must be closed. You need to make sure that a special non-combustible fire-fighting foam was used for installation . To do this is quite simple, since it has a pink color. Foam of any other color should be replaced. Accessible for review should be places where the main parameters of the door and its manufacturer are indicated. In addition, the metal fire door (GOST does not contain such information) should fit snugly against the box. The backlash noticeable for the visual review is a low-quality work on installation of a door. Sealing rubber should be slightly compressed. Coloring should be uniform, the thermally expanding tape is glued qualitatively, and the door should be closed by the closer without blows.

If the customer is happy with everything, then an act on the installation of doors is signed.

Operation and maintenance

Caring for a fire door is no different from servicing a conventional design; it is not regulated by GOST. Wooden fire doors, just like metal doors, must be operated for their stated service life. Subject to replacement are designs that have performed their primary function during a fire. In such cases, the door is dismantled and another is installed.