Patent Application
20240191561
The invention relates to edge guard and end cap system for installation on fire doors. More particularly, the invention relates to U-channel and end cap system that protects edges of fire doors from burning due to fire.
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) develops codes and standards that minimize the risk and effects of fire and other hazardous situations. NFPA 80 regulates the installation and maintenance of assemblies and devices used to protect openings in walls, floors, and ceilings. This standard is herein incorporated in its entirety by reference. NFPA 80 specifies the allowable clearances or gaps between fire door and frame and the floor.
Precise standards regulating fire doors exist to ensure that a fire door assembly, which includes a fire door and a fire door frame functions as desired to stop the flow of fire, hot gases, and smoke in a fire. The standards require that the fire door assembly, i.e., the fire door withstand fire for a certain period of time in a fire condition to keep the fire door in place and together, when a fire hose water stream is put onto the fire door, and to hold back the fire, hot gases, and smoke, and also to allow for shrinkage in wood doors, as the wood edges burn away in a fire condition.
Unfortunately, the doors and door frames can be built to the minimum standards and, if the installation isn't perfect, the clearance between the edge of the labeled fire door and the labeled door frame may be excessive, such that the overlap is less than specified or that a gap exists between the edge of the door and the edge of the frame. There are an estimated 150 million fire doors installed in the US today and 80% of them fail a first-time inspection.
What is needed, therefore, is a simple, reliable means of eliminating a gap between a labeled fire door and labeled fire door frame and for the fire door to sustain fire, heat, smoke, and water for a required period of time.
Aspects and embodiments relate to edge guard and end cap system that is part of an overall fire door stop system for use on steel or wood fire door assemblies.
Aspects and embodiments are directed to a U-shaped channel edge guard and end cap that can be attached to at least one end of the U-shaped channel. The U-shaped channel and end cap also referred to herein as a “an edge guard system,” is installed on edges of fire doors as part of fire door assemblies. The system helps to protect the at least one edge of the fire door from burning and may also be used to correct excessive clearances for certain edges of fire door assemblies to bring the fire door system into compliance with the fire safety codes.
Aspect and embodiments include an edge guard system for use with a fire door assembly to be installed on a fire door. The edge guard system includes a U-shaped channel edge guard that is sized and configured to fit over and to be secured to at least one edge of a fire door. The edge guard includes a first part of a fastener assembly to fasten an end cap to at least one end of the edge guard. The edge guard system also includes at least one end cap sized and configured to fit and be fastened to at least one end of the edge guard. The end cap includes a second part of the fastener assembly.
According to aspects and embodiments, the first part of the fastener assembly and the second part of the fastener assembly are configured so that the end cap can be attached and secured to one end of the edge guard when the edge guard is installed on the fire door.
According to aspects and embodiments, the edge guard includes a U-shaped channel.
According to aspects and embodiments, the first part of the fastener assembly includes at least one hole in each vertical side of the U-channel.
According to aspects and embodiments, the at least one hole includes a slotted hole having a length that is at least twice the diameter of the first part of the fastener assembly. According to aspects and embodiments, the at least one hole includes a portion that is sized to be greater than a diameter of the first part of the fastener assembly. According to aspects and embodiments, the at least one hole includes an additional portion that is substantially the same diameter of the first part of the fastener assembly.
According to aspects and embodiments, the first part of the fastener includes at least two holes attached to each vertical side of the U-channel. According to aspects and embodiments, the end cap is a substantially U-shaped end cap, and the second part of the fastener includes at least one PEM fasteners on each vertical side of the U-shaped end cap that is placed and arranged to mate with at least two holes in each vertical side of the U-channel.
According to aspects and embodiments, the end cap is a beveled end cap.
According to aspects and embodiments, the edge guard is constructed of 16-to-20-gauge steel. According to aspects and embodiments, the end cap is constructed of 16-to-20-gauge steel.
According to aspects and embodiments, the edge protector has a front face, a rear face, and a horizontal edge, wherein the horizontal edge protector is a three-sided U-shaped channel shape that fits over the horizontal edge face and extends a distance onto the front face and the rear face of the fire door, so as to be installed on and protect the horizontal edge face at one or both of the top and/or the bottom of the fire door.
According to aspects and embodiments, the horizontal edge protector is configured to be fastenable to a bottom edge of the fire door and to be adjustable in its placement on the bottom edge of the fire door so as to reduce a gap between the bottom edge of the fire door and a finished floor surface.
According to aspects and embodiments, the horizontal edge protector is configured to be fastenable to a top edge of the fire door.
The present invention is described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numbers indicate identical or functionally similar elements. The drawings are not drawn to scale.
Aspect and embodiments will now be described more fully in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This disclosure should not, however, be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, they are provided so that this disclosure will be complete and will fully convey the scope to those skilled in the art.
Aspects and embodiments relate to edge guard and end cap system that is used as part of an overall fire door stop system for use on steel or wood fire door assemblies. Aspects and embodiments are directed to a U-Channel door edge guard and beveled end cap that can be attached to at least one end of the U-channel. The U-channel and beveled end cap system also referred to as a “system,” herein is typically installed on top and/or bottom edges of fire doors of fire door assemblies. The system helps to protect the at least one horizontal edge of the fire door from burning and may also be used to correct excessive clearances for certain edges of fire door assemblies to bring the fire door system into compliance with the fire safety codes.
Reference is made to U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,151,106 and 8,518,422, which are incorporated by reference herein. U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,151,106 and 8,518,422 disclose a fire door stop system 10 that is used with a fire door assembly, to ensure that the assembly remains compliant with fire safety codes. A fire door assembly that is compliant includes a labeled fire door D and a fire door frame. U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,151,106 and 8,518,422 disclose a partial section of a fire door assembly, i.e., a conventional labeled fire door D and a conventional labeled fire door frame 1 with a soffit 2. As illustrated in the figure, there can a gap between the door D and the soffit 2. The fire door stop system 10 of U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,151,106 and 8,518,422 disclose includes a profile strip 3 and an intumescent sealer 4 that is mountable on the profile strip 2, to provide a seal between the fire door D and the profile strip 3. The profile strip 3 has a flange 3A that extends the soffit height of the soffit 2 out from the door frame 1, thereby providing a greater “overlap” area of the edge of the door against the soffit 2.
The fire door stop system 10 of U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,151,106 and 8,518,422 is applied to areas of excessive clearance that frequently occur between the fire door D and the door frame 1, such as between the vertical edge of the fire door D that closes against the door frame 2. The fire door stop system 10 of U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,151,106 and 8,518,422 also includes edge protection, as needed, between the top of the fire door D and the fire door frame 2 and between the bottom of the fire door D and the finished floor.
For example, wood fire doors need added edge protection, because the wood edges, if not protected, may burn out within minutes in a fire condition, leaving little interface between the fire door and the fire door frame. For this reason, the fire door stop system 10 of U.S. Pat. Nos. 9,151,106 and 8,518,422 includes a horizontal edge protector 5, a vertical edge protector 9, and a bottom-edge extender 7.
Wood fire doors have wood edges that burn within minutes in a fire condition, in some cases, leaving no edge to interface with the door frame. These edges require added fire protection along the horizontal edge and/or the vertical edge of the door when clearances are excessive. The edge protector and end cap system including a U-channel and beveled end cap according to aspects and embodiments provides additional structure for protecting these edges.
Referring to
In a preferred embodiment, the fasteners are PEM fasteners. The fasteners can be Part #SF-3-1.2-ZI, Type SF SpotFast® Fasteners produced by Manufacturer Penn Engineering® (PEM®). In one embodiment, as configured, a user can slightly squeeze the parallel sides 104 of the U-channel edge protector 5 and align the beveled end cap PEM fasteners 102 with the corresponding holes 108 in the U-channel edge protector 5 and then stop squeezing the sides of the U-channel edge protector 5 so as to insert the PEM fasteners into place with the corresponding holes. In such embodiment, the end cap 100 is held in place by the outward pressure applied by the vertical sides 104 of the edge protector. In another embodiment, after PEM fasteners 102 are aligned with the corresponding holes 108, the end cap can be moved so that the fasteners are moved along and in engagement with the slot 110 so as to securely attach the beveled end cap 100 to at least one end of the U-channel edge protector 5. With either arrangement, the U-channel edge protector and end cap can then be installed, for example, on a horizontal top edge and/or the horizontal bottom edge of the fire door D. The width of the U-channel edge protector 5 and the end cap 100 is such that the edge protector and the end cap can be snugly fit over and the horizontal edge of the fire door D. It is further appreciated that the edge protector 5 and end cap 100 combination can further be secured to the fire door D, for example by way of additional screws inserted through the horizontal face of the edge protector or one or both vertical sides 104 of the edge protector.
Typically. SFM fasteners create a permanent, flush joining of two sheets. The SF fastener is designed for joining metal to metal. They install smooth with the top sheet, and flush or sub-flush with the bottom sheet. Fasteners can attach two metal sheets too difficult to weld; fasten sheets of unequal thicknesses; join dissimilar metals unable to be welded; and even attach ultra-thin metal sections. Typically an installation procedure for joining two sheets of metal with would include preparing a properly sized mounting hole in both panels, placing a second panel with a smaller mounting hole than the first panel on an anvil and aligning a first panel mounting hole with the mounting hole of the second panel, placing the smaller diameter end of the fastener through the mounting holes and with a punch and the anvil surfaces parallel, applying a squeezing force until the fastener is flush with the top of Panel and any gap between the panels is eliminated. Squeezing the fastener into place causes a cold flow of panel material into the fastener's two separate clinch profiles.
It is appreciated that according to aspects and embodiments of the disclosure, the SF SpotFast® Fasteners are used in a different way than typically used to create a permanent connection between two sheets. In particular, the SF SpotFast® Fasteners are used as noted above to create a secure, but non-permanent, connection of U-shaped end cap to the U-shaped edge protector. In particular, the end cap including two PEM fasteners 102 on each vertical side of the U-shaped end cap is aligned with the corresponding holes in the vertical sides of the U-channel edge protector 5, so as to insert the PEM fasteners into place with the corresponding holes 108 to secure the end cap 100 to at least one end of the U-channel edge protector 5. In another embodiment, the fasteners 102 are further slid along the slot 110 so as to securely attach the end cap 102 to the at least one end of the U-channel edge protector 5.
It is also appreciated that in an alternate embodiment, the fastener 102 can also be inserted and installed (attached) to the blind side (inside) of the U-channel edge protector with the SF™ fastener portion being on the vertical portions of the U-shaped channel and the corresponding holes (108, 110) formed in the vertical sides of the U-shaped end cap 100.
According to aspects and embodiments of this disclosure, SF™ fasteners can be used to create a non-permanent, flush joining of a U-shaped end cap to a U-shaped door edge guard. Some of the advantages of using SF™ fasteners as disclose herein are that:
Unlike rivets that “bulb” during installation, the ultimately flush profile of SpotFast® fasteners allows for unobtrusive attachment requiring minimal space. A smooth surface can be retained for finishing and fasteners can be concealed easily with paints or powder coatings.
According to the fire safety code, the bottom edge of a fire door has to be with a certain distance of the floor, i.e., within ¾ inch or closer to the finished floor. Often, the gap between the bottom edge of the door and the floor is greater than the distance specified by the safety code. According to aspects of the disclosure, the bottom-edge extender 7 including the edge protector and end cap system is attached to the bottom edge of a finished fire door and attached to the door so that a lower edge of the bottom-edge extender is provides a proper distance from the finished floor, thereby bringing the labeled fire door into compliance with the code. The extender 7 included the horizontal edge protector 5 with, for example, the beveled end cap 100 according to aspects and embodiments of this disclosure. The U-Channel is sized so that doors with a clearance of up to two inches may be extended downward to meet the code minimum distance requirement and be brought into compliance with the fire safety code.
The U-channel and beveled end cap system can be made of 16-gauge to 20-gauge steel that is applied to the one or more edges of the door. The U-channel and beveled end cap system protects the edge of the fire door and can provide an overlap of the door with that frame ensures that the fire door is capable of withstanding any of the fire hose stream pressure, fire, smoke, and heat requirements.
The U-channel and beveled end cap system according to aspects and embodiments provides edge protection as part of an overall fire door stop system that provides enhanced performance of the fire door, which is an integral part of a life-safety protection system. The fire door stop system including the U-channel and beveled end cap system accommodates the typical business practice of manufacturing to minimum standards and imperfections in manufacturing and installation.
It is appreciated that the beveled end cap can be secured to the edge protector at both ends. It is also appreciated that the edge protector and beveled end cap be used on at least one vertical edge of the fire door D. It is further appreciated that a first part of the fastener can be provided in either the vertical sides of end cap or the U-shaped channel and the second part of the fastener, in particular the PEM fastener, can be installed in the other of the vertical sides of the U-shaped channel or the vertical sides of the end cap. A door stop system including an edge protector 5 and beveled end cap 100 according to aspects and embodiments is constructed to match the rating of the fire door assembly.
It is understood that the embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the present invention. Variations in the construction of the fire door stop system may be contemplated by one skilled in the art without limiting the intended scope of the invention herein disclosed.
