Text written in Basque and translated automatically by Elia without any subsequent editing. SEE ORIGINAL

Fast fire doors

At Tecnalia they want to create doors that will not be burned or destroyed by fire. They have been working on this task together with other European research centres and companies for the last three years. The goal has been to build a door that will not be damaged by fire, but that will also be light. Let's see what they've done.

This is the first fast fireproof door on the market. It is called NO-FIRE, and the research to achieve it has lasted almost 3 years. It has nothing in common in its field; in fact, being of fast open-close type, it was not even intended to be a fire-resistant product. These two characteristics have been opposite so far.

ASIER KONSTANZ, Tecnalia: The usual doors are always made of canvas, that’s why they are fast doors. And our desire was to achieve the same speed as those conventional doors. Our challenge has been to achieve this speed with lightweight panels and, in addition, to have greater fire resistance.

The panels have therefore replaced the fabric. They’re lightweight, but not as light as plastic or rubber. Therefore, in order for the door to remain fast, it has been necessary to design a new entrainment system.

To prove that the door is resistant to fire, it is set on fire. This is an oven for such tests. The prototype door covers the oven. The fire's back there. the temperature inside is over 1,000 degrees. On the outside, just half a meter away, it's only 20 degrees. Thermocouples or sensors are placed on the surface of the door. If any of them measure a temperature above 180 degrees, or if the average limit of 140 is exceeded, the door will not obtain a fireproof accreditation. All these measures are regulated.

ABEL CAPELASTEGUI, Tecnalia: All parameters are standardized so that all laboratories work in the same way before, during and after the test. The samples are mounted equally everywhere, the ovens are standard, and also the instrumentation to measure the temperature or deformation.

Before putting it on fire, it has been necessary to find the components of the panels that form the basis of the door and their most appropriate structure. One that will resist the fire and be as light as possible. This is done with the help of this machine. The materials used have been aerojeles, rock fibre and ceramic elements. Their response to fire has been measured individually and organized in different ways to find the most effective sandwich design within the panel.

AITOR BARRIO, Tecnalia: One of the first things we needed to achieve was to get a certain response on the side where there was no fire, a certain isolation. This is a calorimetric cone, and here a simulation of what happens inside the oven is performed. On the non-fire side, the temperature cannot rise above a certain level, as this would mean that the material has not passed the test. This is measured by placing a sensor or thermocouple on the unprotected side and another on the protected side.

The tests are first carried out on a small scale, then the tests are carried out with samples on the side of one meter, the last step being to carry out them with a door of real dimensions, with a door that is 3 meters wide and so high.

AITOR BARRIO, Tecnalia: These are 100 x 100 mm samples, and then after passing the 1 meter sample through the experimental oven, the panel is stopped as follows.

There is tension in the researchers involved in the project. Not all previous tests are 100% sure that today’s test will go well. The response of a small sample and a door of 9 square meters is not the same. The door has many more elements, such as external structures and mechanisms between the panels. The fire can take advantage of any weak point to advance.

AMAIA ARAMBURU, Tecnalia: The data we have obtained in the small trials have been good and based on them the big door has been made. Numerous studies have been carried out with different panel designs; tests have been carried out and combinations of materials have been tested. And the result is that we expect to get 90 minutes of resistance.

the 90 minutes far exceeded the doors, one of the conditions was to overcome it, so the test goes well. This is not the first test. Another prototype was also tested, which did not last more than 36 minutes. The bottom failed. The underlying panel was constricted, and the flames of fire passed.

The criteria for the test to be considered as not passed are two: integrity failures, such as the passage of the door by flames for more than 10 seconds, and insulation failure, i.e. exceeding the temperatures established by the standard. Learn from the above, and several door elements have been redesigned for this second test. The last lower panel is now narrower and has also been fitted with some kind of fireplaces.

JON ETXABE, Tecnalia: Smoke was generated, which eventually caused the temperature in the structure to rise. In order to provide an outlet for this smoke, holes or slits have been formed within the columns of the structure.

The door is equipped with a double security system. On the one hand, the contact band of the lower part and, on the other hand, the light barrier that carries it in the columns themselves. It is usually operated by light sensors. But when the fire is detected, the contact band starts working with the light barrier turned off. The reason is simple. In a fire, the light sensors would detect smoke and would not allow the door to close.

Small flames appear in the area under the door, but if they last less than 10 seconds, the test does not stop. the 113th minute. The sensors on the door surface have exceeded the average temperature allowed by the standard. The test should be discontinued, but the results are satisfactory. According to these results, the door now has a certificate that will later be a guarantee during its commercialization. an overall resistance of 90 minutes, and 120 taking into account only the integrity of the door. The test has been passed.