Question to scholars: what mechanism is designed for home, car, plane and even a spaceship? No need to go into the encyclopedia or frantically enter a request into Google, just go to any door and push it. The door did not fall - it swung open, exposing to the inquisitive mind this unpretentious engineering structure called the door hinge.
In fact, the door hinge is simply irreplaceable, and the person who gave the world such a necessary mechanism was simply a genius. Now created a lot of modifications of this device, which are used in almost all areas of life. Concealed even hinges.
What is a door hinge: purpose
The mechanism by which any door, hatch, window frame has the ability to open, turning relative to a fixed part, such as a door frame, is called a door hinge. In addition to the opening function, the canopy holds the entire mass of the door leaf and fastens it to the opening. For the door to work efficiently, the swing mechanism must provide:
- Reliability of connection with the box. The doors are quite heavy. Therefore, loops, as a rule, are made of steel or metal alloys with high strength.
- Ease of rotation. Quality canopies are adjusted so that there is minimal backlash between the moving parts of the mechanism. This eliminates wedging at the time of opening or closing.
- Availability of service. Hinges usually have technical holes for the possibility of processing them with lubricants.
- Convenient mounting holes. In any canopies, mounting holes are made for countersunk head screws. Due to which there is no load on pulling out the mechanism when closing the door.
- Aesthetic appeal. Modern products are coated with decorative alloys by the electroplating method and look like a filigree made loop (bronze, copper, nickel - the material of its coating). It is beautiful and, most importantly, protects against corrosion.
Types of loops and their features
There are several typical hinge mechanism designs used for wooden doors for domestic use:
- Overhead loops. A feature is their fastening not at the end, but to the main visible plane of the door leaf. They usually have one long and one short sash. Sometimes such canopies perform a bizarre form with patterns or forging.
- Mortise construction. For these hinges in the end of the door and the box a special selection is made for the thickness of the sash. They are most often used for reliability, relative ease of installation and simplicity of design. Basically, this type of mechanism is collapsible, providing the ability to remove the door leaf.
- Hinges are door hidden. If the canopy models described above are visible both when the door is open and when it is closed, then this view is completely invisible to the eye in the position of the shutter doors. The design is not easy to install, as it requires sampling for a complex rotary mechanism both at the end of the door and in the door frame. The price of such accessories is also more expensive.
- Screw- type hinges . The original view of the canopies, which is fastened in one part to the door frame, and the other at the end of the door. In this case, the door should not be flush with the box. There are adjustable and unregulated mechanisms.
- The design of the bar loops. It is interesting in that it allows you to open doors in both directions. It is provided with a double articulated mechanism. In addition, they are equipped with special springs that return the open wings of the hardware to the closed position.
Basement hinges
This option requires a not entirely standard approach. To make the entrance to the basement invisible, what needs to be organized? The answer is simple. Need a hidden hatch. This is possible if the manhole cover is finished with the same material that covers the rest of the floor surface. For better camouflage, the gap between the door and the floor must be kept to a minimum. But the question arises: how to make the lid easy to lift? The fact is that the thickness of the hatch with a floor covering can be several centimeters and with ordinary canopies, the gap is simply not enough to freely open the hatch, it will hook and jam.
There is a special kind of mechanism that can solve this problem - pantograph loops. They are arranged in such a way that first they feed the lid up, and then they take it aside. In the closed state, the awnings are not visible, so they can be considered as hidden hinges. It is possible to additionally enhance the lifting of the hatch by equipping the structure with a pair of pneumatic lifts from the trunk door of the car.
How to install hinges on a door
Let's try to install the mortise type hinges on the door. If the canopies are detachable, then first you need to decide on the side to which the doors will open (there are right and left). Then, taking the loops of the appropriate purpose, it is performed:
- Marking the installation location on the door leaf. To do this, canopies are applied to the end and outline the loop wing loop with a simple pencil.
- Sampling of the plane under the wing of the loop mechanism. A contour, outlined in pencil, is punched with a chisel to the depth of the thickness of the wing. Further, the same chisel removes a layer of wood.
- Fastening accessories to the end of the door. A loop is opened and one half is applied to the place where the plane was previously removed. Then they take wood screws and screw the mechanism with them.
- Marking the installation location of the loop on the box. The mechanism is opened at an angle of 90 degrees. A wooden shingle is selected with a thickness of the gap between the door and the floor. Install the door on the shingles at an angle to the opening of 90 degrees so that the wing of the hinge rests on the door frame. Outline the canopy with a pencil.
- Sampling the plane under the loop on the box - repeat step 2.
- Fastening the hinge to the box - step 3 is repeated.
It is preferable to first attach the canopies with two screws, and add the rest after adjustment.
It is better to take one-piece hinges for the hatch in the basement so that the lid in the open state does not move to the side.
How to adjust the loops
After the door is seated, it is ajar and released. Suppose that she remained in place, then they translate her into a position of 90 degrees to the opening and release again. If the door is stationary at any opening point, it means that it hangs correctly and its vertical is not shifted anywhere.
Next, check the operation of the loops. Slowly opening the door leaf, make sure that the canopies do not produce any other movements, except for the rotary ones provided by the design. In the case when the hinges begin to bend or the door randomly moves in any direction when released, it is necessary to adjust the position of the hinges.
You can adjust the awnings so that the door does not open arbitrarily, you can put it under one part of the loop of the substrate. To do this, the lower hinge is released at the attachment point to the box and pieces of cardboard are inserted into the slot, achieving the position when the door stops moving spontaneously. After that, the wooden backing is replaced with cardboard and firmly fixed under a canopy.
Align the loops so that they do not bend in the following way. At the top, the very top screw is slightly released, the second is completely unscrewed. Then they slowly open and close the door, observing how the canopy begins to move from the second landing hole. Note the middle position of the loop for the entire cycle of movements and fix it rigidly through new mounting holes.
Hinges for concealed hatches do not need adjustment. This is a plus of the product. Such ease of use is due to the fact that the countersunk sunroof does not carry any particular burden.
How to care for the mechanism
Any mechanism requires care. For hinges, this is regular lubrication. If the canopies are collapsible, it is better to process them with lithol or similar mastic. Closable or hidden door hinges are usually oiled, but material is produced during movement. Therefore, it is advisable to regularly treat such awnings with oil for the lubrication of sewing machines. Usually, technical holes for these purposes are provided in the hinges.
It is also important to periodically check that the screws are tightly screwed. A small backlash can very quickly break the landing holes or loosen the mechanism itself. You can feel the play when you open the door when it slides slightly.
Homemade Loops
Door hinges are not scarce and affordable for any person. But sometimes there is a need to make a temporary door for any work. For example, to fence a construction site with a board and make an entrance to this territory. It is not necessary to buy iron canopies for this. You can make them yourself from rubber.
For rubber loops, a regular used car tire is suitable. Two rectangular strips of 100X300 mm are cut from it. The strips are one at the top, the second at the bottom attached to a makeshift door. The second parts of the strips are fixed on the fence at the opening. Here is the door and ready.
Car hinges
Awnings on the doors of vehicles require much more care than ordinary doors in the house. Caring for mechanisms such as hinges for the hatch in the basement also can not be compared with car awnings. This is due to the fact that the load on them is much more intense. And also there is an effect of high positive and negative temperatures. Therefore, to care for such mechanisms, special lubricants have been developed that provide:
- low coefficient of friction ;
- long shelf life of lubricating properties;
- stable homogeneous structure;
- high frost resistance;
- corrosion protection.
Conclusion
It is not difficult to answer the question of which loops are best used in a particular case. You need to know the purpose of the door, its mass, and how it should look aesthetically pleasing. All canopies have load limits and purpose. But if you want to experiment, please. For example, the entrance to the basement is a non-standard situation, so you can arrange different hinges for the hatch in the basement. It all depends on the engineering of the performer.