by Josh Brown
Exterior door assemblies not covered by Florida Building Code (FBC) 1715.5.2, “Exterior Windows, Siding, and Patio Glass,” or FBC 1715.5.3.1, “Exterior Door Assemblies,” shall be tested for structural integrity in accordance with Procedure A of ASTM E330, Standard Test Method for Structural Performance of Exterior Windows, Doors, Skylight,s and Curtain Walls by Uniform Static Air Pressure Difference, at a load of 1.5 times the required design pressure load. The load shall be sustained for 10 seconds with no permanent deformation of any main frame or panel member in excess of 0.4 percent of its span after the load is removed. The design pressures, as determined from American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) 7, Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures, are permitted to be multiplied by 0.6. High-velocity hurricane zones (HVHZ) must comply with Testing Application Standard (TAS) 202. After each specified loading, there must be no glass breakage, permanent damage to fasteners, hardware parts, or any other damage that causes the door to be inoperable.
The exceptions include:
- Door assemblies installed in nonhabitable areas where the door assembly and area are designed to accept water infiltration, need not be tested for water infiltration.
- Door assemblies installed where the overhang (OH) ratio is equal to or more than 1 need not be tested for water infiltration. The overhang ratio shall be calculated by the following equation:
OH ratio = OH Length/OH Height where:
OH Length = The horizontal measure of how far an overhang over a door projects out from the door’s surface.
OH Height = The vertical measure of the distance from the door’s sill to the bottom of the overhang over a door.
1715.5.3.1 Sectional garage doors and rolling doors shall be tested for determination of structural performance under uniform static air pressure difference in accordance with American National Standards Institute/Door and Access Systems Manufactures Association (ANSI/DASMA) 108, Standard Method for Testing Sectional Garage Doors and Rolling Doors: Determination of Structural Performance Under Uniform Static Air Pressure Difference, ASTM E330’s Procedure A, or TAS 202. For products tested in accordance with ASTM E330, testing shall include a load of 1.5 times the required design pressure load sustained for 10 seconds, and acceptance criteria shall be in accordance with ANSI/DASMA 108. (HVHZ shall comply with TAS 202.)
Design pressures shall be determined from Table 1609.7(1) or ASCE 7. The design pressures, as determined from ASCE 7, are permitted to be multiplied by 0.6.
The Miami-Dade County Building and Neighborhood Compliance (BNC) Department set out to ensure the strictest standards for manufacturers, including those for the overhead sectional doors used at many warehouse and distribution facilities. These standards require a notice of acceptance and completion of:
- air pressure test;
- large missile impact test;
- cyclic wind pressure loading test; and
- a forced entry test.
To read the full article,”Impactable Dock Doors Help Increase Safety in Warehouses,” click here.
