Safety always comes first in non-residential construction. Users of (public) buildings must be able to stay in the building safely and leave the building quickly and safely in the event of an emergency. The escape routes are, therefore, always already defined in the design. Fire-resistant interior doors play a crucial role in creating these escape routes. They ensure that the escape routes remain accessible for as long as possible. At the same time, they offer opportunities to design an escape route in a pleasant and informative way. Click here for more information and inspiration about safe escape routes.
Functions of fire-resistant interior doors
It is logical that a fire-rated door should keep out the fire, but what exactly does that mean? A fire-resistant door has four functions:
- Slowing down of building collapse in a fire
- Securing the escape routes
- Control and contain the seat of the fire
Functionality and design go hand in hand.
Although fire doors are highly functional, this does not mean that there is no variation in terms of design. Choose a single or double interior door, a door with or without a glass opening, and from numerous different colours of HPL finish. As a result, the fire-resistant door’s function is twofold: on one hand, the door offers security. On the other hand, it is a stylish addition to the room. Also, most of the materials use durable, environmentally friendly materials.
Certification of fire-resistant interior doors
When we talk about interior doors that must be able to stop fires, we see quite a few terms passing by online: fire doors, fire-retardant doors, fireproof and fireproof doors. But when we talk about a door that stops fire, then there is really only one correct term: fire-resistant doors. You can read more about the details and requirement of fire-rated doors in Singapore at https://sgdoors.net/category/fire-rated-door/.
An interior door is only given the fire-resistant mark when experts have tested the door according to the European standard. They look at how the door behaves during ‘the fire’ and measure when a fire breaks through. In other words, how long the door can hold out the fire. Fire resistance is therefore expressed in time.
Fire test
They are extensively tested to ensure that the doors do what is expected of them in the event of a fire. In a fire test, it is examined to what extent a door-frame combination is fire-resistant. The constructed door is placed in a large oven to simulate the environmental conditions. During the test, experts assess the door on, among other things, the surface temperature, heat radiation and flame density. Based on the results, the fire resistance achieved is translated into the European classification system. In the USA, there are the only bodies accredited in the field of fire-resistant interior doors and interior door frames. These authorities issue a certificate after a successful test. In addition, a special fire report is drawn up, which, in short, consists of a summary of the investigations (SVO). This report is provided to the contractor so that he can then hand it over to the client and authorities. Read more about testing fire-resistant interior doors here.
