Wind-Rated Doors
The importance of proper installation
By Horatiu Barbulescu, Bray Allen and Sam Stone
Most of the states in U.S. coastal zones have adopted the International Building Code, and some of the states have developed their own building codes, such as in Florida. For wind provisions, these codes use the standard ACSE-7 for calculation of wind-load pressures. For different wind-speed requirements, ASCE-7 can be applied to obtain the required design wind loads in psf (pounds per square foot.) Most commercial manufacturers include the wind-load ratings of their doors on the engineering drawings of the door in psf. The doors that can be used for a certain geographic region must be rated with the design load (in psf) equal or higher than the loads required by the building codes for that specific geographic region.
Installation the Right Way
Since wind-rated doors have specific designs in order to meet high wind loads, proper installation of these doors is crucial. The installation must follow the recommendations of the manufacturer. Some of the most important things that must be considered when installing a wind-rated door include:
Check to ensure the jambs meet the requirements specified by the door manufacturer. Before installing a wind-rated door, the jambs should be inspected. For steel jambs, the thickness of the jambs should be measured and compared against the manufacturer’s recommendations. Usually, the manufacturers specify in the door drawings the minimum thickness of the jambs required to install the door. This thickness of jambs is important since the doors were tested or calculated to meet the wind-load requirements when installed with the anchors having a minimum embedment in the jambs.
The masonry jambs of openings should be inspected for any kind of cracks. Also, the density of the concrete jambs or blocks filled grout should have a minimum value that is specified in the door manufacturer drawings.
Use only the anchors provided by the manufacturer. When installing a wind-rated door to the jambs, the anchors provided by the door manufacturer should be used. These anchors were calculated or used in testing the product, and the manufacturer should specify the size and brand of these anchors on the drawings of the door. Since these anchors were tested or calculated, they should resist the wind loads mentioned on the drawings.
Install the anchors for the guides to the distances from the edge of jamb specified by the door manufacturer. It’s of great importance that the guides be installed at the distance from the edge of jambs specified by the manufacturer. This distance is particularly important when installing the guides to masonry jambs. In the Technical Data Sheet (TDS) No. 259, the Door and Access Systems Manufacturers Association International (DASMA) recommends that the anchors for the guides be installed between 2 inches and 6 inches from the edge of jamb (masonry.) This recommendation considers the typical rebar location for masonry jambs, which is usually placed at 2 inches maximum from the edge of the jamb or 6 inches minimum from the edge of the jamb.
Maintain the “slip” mentioned on the engineering drawings of the door manufacturer. The “slip” is the distance that windlocks must travel in order to engage the windbar at each side of the door, during a wind-load test (shown as “s” in Figure 2.) The slip is an important factor for the performances of the wind-rated doors, since a door can have different performances when the windlocks are engaged then when the wind-locks are not engaged. Also, the same door can have different deflections and the loads to the guides and jambs can be different for different slip. This is why during installation, the slip must be maintained as shown on the engineering drawings of the door. Most of the manufacturers specify the slip on their drawings along with the location of anchors.
Mark on the floor where the maximum deflection of the wind-rated door is in order to avoid any damage during high winds. During the wind load, the deflection of the curtain of a rolling-sheet door is significant and increases with the width of the door. Also, a deflecting curtain under wind load can exert a considerable force on the objects positioned in the path of the curtain. DASMA TDS No. 279 recommends that maximum deflection of the door should be marked on the floor in order to prevent any damage that can be caused by the deflection of the curtain. Door manufacturers can provide information about the maximum deflection of the curtain under wind load.
The installation of a wind-load rated door requires specific consideration. The installation should be done accordingly to the manufacturer’s specifications and recommendations.
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