Fire-resistant Concealed Door Hinge with Foaming Material
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional door hinges made from materials like die-cast zinc soften or melt in fires, compromising mechanical stability and allowing the passage of hot gases, which is a concern for fire safety in door systems.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a recess in the hinge mounts to house a foaming fire-protection material that expands and fills cavities when heated, providing a gas seal and maintaining mechanical stability by preventing parts from softening or melting.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If die-cast zinc is used for hinge manufacturing, then ease of manufacture is improved, but temperature resistance deteriorates as the material softens or melts at 650°C
Solution Approach 1:
The hinge is divided into functional segments: the structural framework (leaf assemblies, link assembly) and the fire-protection elements (fire-protection bodies in recesses). This segmentation allows the use of die-cast zinc for the main structure while adding fire-resistant components separately, resolving the contradiction between ease of manufacture and temperature resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge combines die-cast zinc structural components with fire-protection material components. The composite structure leverages the manufacturing advantages of die-cast zinc while incorporating materials specifically designed to resist high temperatures and prevent gas passage, thereby achieving both ease of manufacture and temperature resistance.
2Device complexity
If conventional hinge design is used, then device complexity is reduced, but fire protection capability deteriorates due to gaps allowing gas passage
Solution Approach 1:
Fire-protection bodies are placed locally in recesses at critical positions within the hinge structure, specifically where gaps would allow gas passage. This localized approach provides fire protection capability without requiring a complete redesign of the entire hinge, thus maintaining relatively low device complexity while addressing the harmful effect of gas leakage.
Solution Approach 2:
Fire-protection bodies act as intermediary elements between the hinge's structural components. These bodies fill gaps and seal spaces within the hinge mechanism, preventing the passage of hot gases while maintaining the mechanical functionality of the hinge. The intermediaries resolve the contradiction by adding protective function without fundamentally complicating the basic hinge design.
3Temperature
If fire-protection material is added to hinge, then temperature resistance is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional components
Solution Approach 1:
Fire-protection bodies are nested within recesses that are integral to the hinge's structural components. This nesting approach allows the fire-protection elements to be housed within the existing hinge structure rather than adding external components, thereby improving temperature resistance while minimizing the increase in device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
Recesses for fire-protection bodies are pre-formed during the manufacturing of hinge components. This preliminary action integrates the fire-protection structure into the manufacturing process itself, reducing the need for additional assembly steps and minimizing the increase in device complexity while ensuring proper placement of fire-protection materials.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively prevents the passage of gases and maintains mechanical stability during fires, enhancing the fire resistance of the door system and allowing safe escape routes.
Implementation Method 1
a body of foaming fire-protection material is provided in the recess so that when heated the body expands and fills the cavity with fire-protective foam
Implementation Method 2
the body expands and fills the cavity with fire-protective foam
Implementation Method 3
insulates the parts of the hinge to prevent their softening or melting
Data Source
AI summary
A hinge has first and second leaf assemblies pivoted on each other and a link assembly interconnecting the first and second leaf assemblies. At least one of the first and second leaf assemblies has upper and lower mounts forming a cavity in which a respective end of the link assembly is pivoted, and at least one of the mounts of the one leaf assembly is formed with a recess opening into the cavity. According to the invention a body of foaming fire-protection material is provided in the recess so that when heated the body expands and fills the cavity with fire-protective foam.