EP0891466B1

EP0891466B1 - Fire-resistant partition

Info

Publication number: EP0891466B1
Application number: EP97915755A
Authority: EP
Inventors: Jan Eduard Hilhorst; Gijsbertus Jan Van Vulpen
Original assignee: Voestalpine Polynorm BV
Current assignee: Voestalpine Polynorm BV
Priority date: 1996-04-10
Filing date: 1997-04-10
Publication date: 2000-07-12
Anticipated expiration: 2017-04-10
Also published as: EP0891466A1; ES2147986T3; NL1002837C2; ATE194684T1; PL335212A1; WO1997038201A1; DE69702507D1

Abstract

Construction for separating two or more spaces, comprising: one or more frame parts (3) which are fixable to a wall part or to each other; a door part which is hingedly fixable to a frame part; one or more pane parts which are fixable in frame parts above and/or adjacently of the door part; and securing means (9) for holding the pane parts and/or the door part fixedly against the frame parts.

Description

A particular requirement in a residential building is that an internal separating construction is arranged, the resistance of which to fire penetration and/or spread of fire is sufficient, so that in the case of fire the adjoining area can be reached in a safe manner. In the Netherlands the resistance is stipulated in the Building Materials Decree in which reference is made to the NEN standards 6068 and 6069. Such an internal separating construction can consist of a movable door part and a fixed door frame construction with sidelight and/or fanlight. Heretofore door and frame constructions (partitions) with only a fanlight have been applied in such buildings, or partition constructions which do not comply with the requirements of the above mentioned Building Materials Decree.

Known from the British patent specification GB-A-2 245 301 is a support for a glass panel on a steel frame part, wherein use is made of fitting pieces on the metal frame part and of clamps for the glass panel against these fitting pieces.

From the French patent specification FR-A-2 297 984 is known a fire-resistant frame, wherein use is made of one or more so-called security locks. This relates to a single door frame, for instance of wood or brick. This document shows a separating construction according to the preamble of claim 1.

It is known from GB-A-2 140 063 to provide longitudinal slots in a door frame side member in order to local buckling in the event of a fire.

The present invention provides a construction for separating two or more spaces, comprising:

one or more frame parts which are fixable to a wall part or to each other;
a door part which is hingedly fixable to a frame part;
one or more pane parts which are fixable in frame parts above and/or adjacently of the door part; and
securing means for holding the pane parts and/or the door part fixedly against the frame parts, and
one or more recesses or slots in the frame parts extending substantially transversally of the longitudinal direction of the frame parts for permitting the expansion of the frame parts occurring during heating.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention the securing means comprise claw means in order to prevent that, in the case of heating close to such a hinge element (for instance to a temperature of 500-800°C for 20-40 minutes or longer, wherein a pin hinge can burn out of the door), the door will come loose from its rebate.

In preference the securing means comprise locking means, preferably in the form of a pin which, in the case of heating, locks particularly the upper corner of the door in order to prevent the door coming loose from its rebate due to warping.

In a further preferred embodiment of the invention the securing means comprise clamping means for clamping a pane part fixedly in its rebate.

Further advantages, features and details of the present invention will be elucidated in the light of the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof with reference to the annexed drawings, in which:

fig. 1 shows a view in perspective of a preferred embodiment of the device according to the present invention;

fig. 2 shows a front view of the device of fig. 1;

fig. 3 shows a view in section along line III-III in fig. 1;

fig. 4 shows a view in section along line IV-IV in fig. 1;

fig. 5 is a view in perspective of detail V in fig. 1;

fig. 6 shows a view in section along line VI-VI in fig. 2; and

fig. 7 shows a view in section along line VII-VII in fig. 2.

A fire-resistant partition 1 (fig. 1, 2) comprises an outer frame 2 and

inner frame parts

3, 4 respectively in which an upper pane 5, a door 6 and a side pane 7 are arranged. The steel outer frame is clamped fixedly to wall parts W1, W2 etc. using clamps 8 (see for instance fig. 4). Upper pane 5 (see for instance fig. 3) as well as side pane 7 are clamped fixedly in a rebate of outer frame 2 and inner frame part 3 using additional resilient clamping members 9, over which rebate can be arranged cover strip 18 of for instance plastic.

At temperatures in the order of magnitude of 300-800°C cover strips will soften while the

panes

5 and 7, which for fire safety purposes preferably comprise wire-reinforced glass, are held in their rebates by steel clamping members for at least for instance 40 minutes or longer.

The wooden door 6 is suspended hingedly on frame part 4 in pin hinges 10 (fig. 1, 2, 4 and 6), wherein close to such a pin hinge 10 an additional locking pin 11 is arranged which in closed position of the door 6 (fig. 6) falls into a corresponding opening in frame part 4 in order to prevent the door coming loose from inner frame 4 on the side of the pin hinges when heating occurs and the connection between the pin hinges and the door can fail.

The above stated preferred embodiment refers to a wooden door; it will be apparent that the present invention is not limited thereto.

On the opposite side of door 6, in particular close to the top corner 20 thereof, outer frame 2 (fig. 7) which is arranged on a wall part W2 is provided with a locking element 21 comprising a locking pin 22, a pressure spring 23 and a substantially cylindrical member 24 of softenable plastic mass which are arranged in a housing 25. Door 6 is provided with a corresponding opening 26 for receiving locking pin 22 which is urged outward by pressure spring 23 when the temperature increases or heating occurs, since the softenable plastic mass of member 24 then no longer holds the spring in its compressed position, so that pin 22 is pressed into the receiving opening 26.

A locking element (not shown) corresponding with element 21 is preferably arranged between frame part 3 and door 6 close to the top corner 20. Such locking elements, which can also be arranged at other positions between door 6 and outer frame 2 respectively frame part 3, prevent particularly the top corner of the door from warping in the case heating occurs and coming loose from the rebate formed by outer frame 2 and frame part 3. The thermally softening mass is preferably of a composition such that the pin 22 will already be pressed into receiving opening 26 at a temperature of 80°C.

In order to reduce warping of frame part 3 in the case of heating, this frame part 3 (fig. 5) is provided with one or more slots 30 respectively 31, behind which covering elements 32 respectively 33 are preferably arranged in order to absorb expansion of the profile part 3.

Since warping of profile part 3 in particular must be reduced, the recesses or slots therein are of the most importance for the fire resistance. However, the present invention by no means excludes such recesses or slots also being arranged in other frame profile parts.

The present invention is not limited to the above described preferred embodiment thereof; the rights applied for are defined in the first instance by the following claims, within the scope of which many modifications can be envisaged. The above described preferred embodiment refers for instance to a fanlight and-a sidelight, since this is deemed to be the construction which is the most difficult to embody in fire-resistant manner. It will however be apparent that the present invention is also applicable to constructions which include only one or more sidelights or one or more fanlights.

Claims

Separating construction (1) for separating two or more spaces, comprising:

one or more frame parts (2, 3, 4) which are fixable to a wall part or to each other;

a door part (6) which is hingedly fixable to a frame part;

one or more pane parts (5, 7) which are fixable in frame parts above and/or adjacently of the door part; and

securing means (9) for holding the pane parts and/or the door part fixedly against the frame parts,

characterized by one or more recesses or slots (30, 31) in the frame parts, said recesses or slots extending substantially transversally of the longitudinal direction of the frame parts for permitting the expansion thereof during heating.
Separating construction as claimed in claim 1, wherein the securing means comprise clamping means comprising resilient clamping members (9) which engage in a rebate of a frame part to clamp a pane part fixedly therein.
Separating construction as claimed in any of claims 1-2, wherein the frame parts have a cross-sectional profile such that they form a rebate for both the door part and the pane parts.
Separating construction as claimed in any of claims 1-3 wherein the frame parts are substantially tubular with a protruding tubular portion, wherein the rebate is formed by the transition between the protruding portion and the tubular part.
Separating construction as claimed in any of claims 1-4 wherein the securing means comprise claw means which in the closed position of the door part extend close to the hinge element of the door part between said door part and the associated frame part.
Separating construction as claimed in any of claim 1-5, wherein the claw means comprise a locking pin (22) and an opening (26) in a frame part corresponding with the locking pin.
Separating construction as claimed in any of claims 1-6, wherein the securing means comprise locking means which, in the case of heating to a predetermined level, lock the edge of the door part opposite the hinge elements in the associated frame part.
Separating construction as claimed in claim 7, wherein the locking means comprise a locking pin (22), a pressure spring (23) and a substantially cylindrical member (24) of a mass which is softenable on heating.