Doors are generally used to separate in exterior interior spaces for convenience, privacy, safety, and security reasons. Doors are also used to secure passages into a building from the exterior, for reasons of climate control and safety. It is of key importance for the architectural design and sustainability of your buildings. The doors can represent an unlimited amount of things depending on the context. A door serves as a point of welcoming, or as a barrier for protection, a connection between the interior and exterior of buildings. Your door should be chosen to meet a building’s functionality criteria. Few of these criterias are load passing, size, security, materials and safety factors. Given below are different types of doors used in multipurpose applications.
Types of doors for multipurpose applications
Fire-rated doors
Fire-rated doors are the specialized doors that make sure that the occupants of a building are completely secure from the dangers of a fire. The door is more secure and safer in the event of a fire. The doors have a fire-resistance rating and can be made out of a combination of materials such as glass sections, gypsum, steel, timber, vermiculite and aluminum. These doors are certified by licensed fire door specialists. They are automatically operated with sensors. So in case of any fire accident, when the fire alarm starts ringing, they can also be operated using remote controllers.
Fire-rated doors are required in buildings to protect occupants, block the spread of flames and smoke, and minimize the overall property damage. As these doors close and open automatically when a fire is detected in the building, these doors are a key component of a building’s protection system. These doors help block or delay the spread of heat, smoke and flames through hallways, stairwells and other sections of the building. They also offer heat resistance and allow quick egress from the building in case of an emergency. The building codes enforced in different countries mandate the fire-resistance rating of the fire door assembly. The doors must be well maintained and still ensure adequate protection, these doors must be inspected yearly. These doors are used in residential, commercial and industrial applications.
Cleanroom doors
The cleanroom door is designed specifically for bio-pharmaceutical and GMP facilities. It features continuous seam welds and flush-mount windows to simplify cleaning and sterilization. The doors have automatic controls and safety sensors embedded. They are durable and function for prolonged periods without compromising production and causing costly downtime. The biggest challenge in designing cleanroom doors for the pharmaceutical industry is creating a sturdy door with a high hygienic performance that is easy to clean.
These doors are comes with a clean aesthetic appearance. The door does not harbour bacteria and is unaffected by moisture and common cleaning chemicals, making them particularly suitable in areas that have regular and rigorous cleaning regimes. The door blade is protected by black polypropylene bumpers and is smooth and easy to operate. The door’s built-in colour is aesthetically pleasing and requires no maintenance. Today, steel and GRP doors are now the main choices available to the pharmaceutical industry.
Acoustic doors
Acoustic doors are soundproof that have a standard appearance.. The doors have specific soundproofing seals at various points on the door to ensure the sound tightness of the enclosed space. Depending on the insulation requirements required by the acoustic conditioning of a space, either acoustic doors or soundproof doors should be used with different insulation levels and they should be approved and certified. Finally, considering the aesthetic requirements of the room, you may install acoustic doors or soundproof doors with glass visors or any other hardware or accessory.
These doors are designed to reduce the spread of noise and vibrations between rooms. They aim to insulate the sound within a room, which is achievable due to insulation engineering within the body of the door. They act as a barrier that restricts the vibration of sound. The materials with the optimum sound-proofing insulating qualities that reflect and absorb sound include Steel, Timber, Aluminium, and PVC. There are two standard acoustic ratings for acoustic doors. There are two major versions available, the high-performance version and the low-performance version. The high-performance version has a noise reduction value of 44dB while the medium performance version has a noise reduction value of 34dB.
Fire Rated Doors
Sliding doors
Sliding doors offer numerous advantages for both industrial and commercial properties. Whether as an interior or exterior entryway, sliding doors can serve both practical and attractive needs. The ergonomic design of sliding doors strikes the perfect balance between easy operability and functionality. Gliding through a smooth parallel track, sliding doors also prevent any jams or creaks that may happen in case of standard door designs.
In modern-day, space-cramped urban dwellings, sliding doors are a boon thanks to their practical design. Unlike traditional doors that swing open and require hinges, these doors slide seamlessly on a horizontal track. As the arc is completely taken out of the context, you end up saving space. Where hinged doors require space in which to swing open, sliding doors operate sideways. These doors are not just a great practical feature, they also provide a number of aesthetic benefits. With a wide variety of styles and designs available, sliding doors come in a range of types, including those that can open round corners, fold up or slide straight.
Curved sliding doors
A curved sliding door consists of a single slide or bi-part automatic doors that moves radially. It combines comfort and an elegant design that achieves a special touch to the entrances of the buildings where they are installed. Each door type has different radii and degrees of curvature. It comes with the option of mounting semi-circular or circular doors with bi-part or single slide openings. Its design also allows adapting the measurements to the space it requires, as well as giving it different finishes and colours which manage to perfectly integrate its functionality with its value. These are available in a complete circle, semi-circle and arc shapes.
The main advantage of curved sliding doors is the fact they do not interfere with the space around them. This type of door is used in commercial buildings, healthcare institutions, airports, shopping centres, hotels, restaurants, casinos and spas.
High-speed doors
A high-speed door is a very fast door with opening speeds of up to 4 m/s, mainly used in the sectors where the speed of a door has an effect on the speed of production logistics, temperature and pressure control. High-speed clean room doors are used in industrial and pharmaceutical sectors with special curtain and stainless steel frames.
The powerful high-speed doors have a smooth surface structure and no protruding edges. Therefore, they can be easily cleaned and depositing of particles is largely excluded. High-speed doors are made to handle a high number of openings, which approximately 200,000 a year, depending on customisations it can be increased further. They must be built with heavy-duty parts and counterbalance systems for speed enhancement and emergency opening functions.
Sliding Doors
Steel doors
Steel doors prove to be some of the most durable and long-lasting options on the market. These doors are built to withstand the elements and provide you with years and years of steady service. Most steel doors are manufactured using 20-26 gauge steel which is quite sturdy and reliable. Steel provides a superb option for maximizing the amount of energy and it has been found that steel actually comes with higher insulation. Steel doors consist of either a polyurethane or polystyrene core with a steel skin over the top.
Steel doors come in a range of styles and offer a variety of aesthetic and practical advantages. They provide attractive entrances; long-term security; fire, blast and sound resistance; ease of cleaning; and corrosion resistance. Stainless steel may frame a glass door, clad a wood or metal door can also be used for an overhead door. A wide variety of finishes are used on stainless steel doors including traditional polished finishes, textures, decorative raised designs, and colours. Some of the most common applications for stainless steel doors are office building and store entrances, decorative interiors, medical facilities, prisons and detention facilities, factories, warehouses, storage facilities, swimming pools, private residences, public housing, tunnels, and transit facilities.
Aluminum doors
Aluminum doors are widely used in commercial properties for they are durable and add strength. The durability, strength, and stability of doors made from aluminum are their biggest advantage. These doors blend well in structures that are already fitted with aluminum windows. They blend together well, creating an exceptionally beautiful finish. Another key advantage of these doors is that they are able to withstand any climatic conditions. No matter where you live, be it in a coastal or heated region these doors have proven to be strong and weatherproof. They can withstand extreme temperature and constant changes in temperature.
A great advantage of building owners who use these doors is that they will not have to maintain them often. Aluminum provides exceptional weather resistance and superior thermal and acoustic insulation. Its reliability makes it a premium entrance door material. There is a lot of leeway and the freedom to design windows and doors without any inhibitions. Aluminum is flexible and can be molded and customized according to the specifications of the builder easily.
Flush doors
Flush doors have plain facings on both sides. They can be used for interior and exterior applications. The doors may have a solid, hollow or stave core. If the core is solid then low-density particle board or foam often being used to fill the space within the door completely, it may be supplemented with a type of laminate or plywood on each side.
A flush door has a basic structure composed of a solid block board core, vertical stiles, and horizontal rails that create a pre-fixed frame. The block board is composed of wooden strips that are placed edge-to-edge and sandwiched between veneers, then bonded under high pressure and temperature using a synthetic resin. So in a simpler term, it is a door that is made of a timber frame covered with ply from both sides and then the hollow part inside is filled with rectangular blocks of softwood. Then a decorative finish is given by fixing the veneer on the top. It provides an attractive appearance and is simple in design. The doors are also resistant to borer, termite and fungus.
Steel Doors
Fiberglass doors
Fiberglass is strong, light & non-flammable and has high tensile strength. Fiberglass doors work well in almost any climate, even in extreme cold and damp conditions. These doors do not warp, crack, or rot. The doors reduce heat transfer and improve energy efficiency. This can make a big difference in your energy bills as well as improve comfort by helping to maintain the temperature.
Fiberglass doors are durable and very resilient. Manufacturers fit them with secure locks. The doors require little to no upkeep, regular cleaning with a damp cloth should be sufficient. If your door faces the beating sun, or has a dark finish, a restorative coat of clear marine varnish can protect it and keep it looking fresh. They feature fully insulated cores designed to reduce thermal transfer between outdoors and inside, giving you better protection against cold and heat.
FRP doors
These types of doors are manufactured on high press & polyurethane foam injection machines. FRP as a material is very tough & rigid and resistant to extreme weather and there is no aging of the material, as a result, it retains the same luster, strength and rigidity over a very long period. FRP moulded doors are available in many colours and finishes including a natural wood finish in the market. The standard door thicknesses are 30/35 mm and are available with fire-retardant properties. These doors can also have two leaves of 1.5 mm thickness. The leaves are moulded over a core material forming a sandwich panel.
FRP door shutters are made with inbuilt color, single-piece casting and smooth glossy finish hence practically require no maintenance except for cleaning with a plain cloth once in a while or cleaning with water. Moreover, as the doors are made with inbuilt color, it has very long-lived without fading of color and requires no repainting over a regular interval,
Glass doors
Glass elements have become extremely popular among architects and interior designers. The use of glass for interior office doors and partitions ensures a bold and unique interior design, while also offering a refreshing change of style compared to traditional walls and barriers. Interior glass doors, whether clear, tinted, low-iron or satin, will not block natural light. By installing glass doors, you can increase light flow, improving the appearance and atmosphere. The transparency of glass doors allows optimal amounts of natural light to pass through space.
Glass Doors
Conclusion
There are different types of doors available in the market today. It’s extremely important to choose a manufacturer who offers both a variety of styles and a quality line of entry doors. A quality door will withstand harsh and unpredictable weather and provide security for building members.
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