Large-Scale Fire Tests on Sliding Doors for Building Applications

Abstract

The performance of fire doors is essential for the fire safety in buildings. In the present study, a series of large-scale fire tests on sliding doors is performed in the facilities of the Danish Institute of Fire and Security Technology. The test specimens comprise typical and commercially available door solutions for building applications. Similar doors of approximate dimensions 3 m × 3 m and 5 m × 3 m (width × height) are examined, while separate tests are conducted for each side of door exposed to fire. In all cases, the test specimens are mounted on appropriate wall frames of aeriated concrete as used in practice. The test results are compared in terms of transient temperature and deflection measurements. Findings reveal that the examined sliding doors exhibit satisfactory fire performance meeting the classification requirements. The overall fire performance is not affected by the width opening of door, while the fire resistance rating is significantly influenced by the side of exposure to fire. Finally, the failure characteristics are discussed, and the fire behavior of sliding doors is evaluated.

The finite element method for evaluating the fire behavior of steel structures

“…Application of the FEM is presented for a characteristic case study comprising the fire door tests performed by Thanasoulas et al (2022). In this work, typical fire-resistant sliding doors made of steel and insulation materials were tested in the facilities of the Danish Institute of Fire and Security Technology.…”

“…Application of the FEM is presented for a characteristic case study comprising the fire door tests performed by Thanasoulas et al. (2022).…”

“…In this section, the numerical model is compared with the experimental test results in terms of transient temperature distributions and developed deformations (Thanasoulas et al. , 2022).…”